From Jekyll Island past the submarine base, by Fernandina Beach

We got an early start this morning. It's raining but the water is pretty calm. I have to unzip the plastic dodger to squeegee the water so Steve can see! It is foggy when the rain stops- just as bad with moisture. We are finally making it to Florida!!!! Yeah!

As we go through St Marys Sound we see signs warning no one to come ashore- this is the submarine base! I kept looking for periscopes!!!

sign warning no one to tresspass!!!!!

Submarine lift???????

Navy boats

You can actually smell Fernandina Beach before you see it! There is a huge pulp mill! The town however is darling- we would like to come back and see it. when you ask people that live there how they can stand the smell, they just say "what smell???????"

Pulp Mill

Fernandina Beach

Jacksonville Florida, Tolomato River

look at this current going under the bridge!!

havin fun in jacksonville!!!

This is part 2 for the 28th. We are going to put in about 12 hours today- all the millions of trips Steve has driven to California have prepared him for this quest!!! There are areas of no population at all and areas that are packed. Below are some houses along the route.

Its all you need!!

Well, this guy doesn't think so!!

or this guy!!

Especially not this guy!!! This is ONE house

heres our bridge Ged!!!!

Don't hit the Manatees!!!! (Still haven't seen one- sorry Jon!)

do your own caption!

confusing signs and that go out to the ocean

You can see how close we are to the ocean!!!

Buoy 32 and Sunsets

When Steve is getting ready for the next leg of the trip, he pours over the ICW guides, his plotter, maps and asks for local knowledge about any pitfalls in the course ahead.The areas to steer clear of are marked by flashing red and green buoys. When the books are explaining what the danger is that you need to avoid they usually will mention a buoy number once- maybe even twice. Buoy 32 was mentioned 8 times!! It was in an area that had several dangers- all marked by #32. Steve was really concerned about it, but thought when he saw the buoy he would be able to see the dangers. I didn't even know about it!

So.... I rushed to get my camera because there was a lot of action on the dock- about 8 Coast guard officers, two boats...and a red flashing buoy they were hoisting up on a giant forklift........guess what the number was?????

Buoy #32!!!!!!!!

     Steve about had a heart attack! Oh well, forewarned is forearmed! He did great even without the Buoy!
 

Lighting his cigar with a propane torch!

Gorgeous sunset!

limericks by Don Schauber

Don and Jenny Schauber are our dear, dear friends and the ones we are rushing to go down and meet in Islamorada, Florida. We talk daily and Don is always sending me great info on Islamorada. He sends one of these when he can tell I need a good laugh!

FIRST MATE FEVER

There once was a lady from Montana,
Who traded her broom for a bandanna,

She laughingly sails the seas,
With her Captain to the Keys,
With Wilson she listens to Santana,

When she arrived at the Keys,
With a sword across her knees.
We handled her with great care,
Her friend Wilson was gone,
She was singing that song,
About how life just isn't fair.

Chances are she'll get better,
With Jenny as her setter,
With the sand between her toes,
We'll search all around,
All over Islamorada Town,

And rescue Wilson from the local Ho's.

Love you guys, I'll try to do some Marina checking.

Always .....D&J
(Wilson is the volleyball from Castaway with Tom Hanks)

History of Jekyll Island

We had to go to the store and the super accommodating General Manager of the Marina, Scott took us in his car- he apologized about the size (small) and said that the big stores were torn down  to make way for the largest convention center in Georgia, a Westin, another chichi resort- it is under construction and it looks fabulous! You never know what is around you if you don't get out of the marina!

fun directional sign on the ocean side of Jekyll Island

Grocery store!

He said we had to see the historical buildings and being that we were waiting on parts anyway, we said sure!

Jekyll Island Hotel- was built as the clubhouse for the Vanderbilts, the Morgans, the Rockefellers, the Goodyears,etc,etc

Moss Cottage

In 1886 Jekyll Island was bought for a private club for the uber wealthy- 53 people came up with $600 each. This included the Vanderbilts, the Rockefellers and the J.P Morgans, the Goodyears. They sailed to "their" island in huge yachts (Morgans was 343 feet long!) There is a fabulous hotel where they would have elaborate balls. All of the meals were served in the formal dining room where formal clothes were required! They still require men to wear jackets to dinner! There are 35 or so restored "cottages" that were built. The most expensive was built by the Crane family (Crane Plumbing) It cost $500,000- in before 1900- it had 22 rooms, 20 bathrooms- and no kitchen!!!! None of the cottages had kitchens because all meals were served in the clubhouse!!

Goodyear Cottage

One of the formal dinners at the clubhouse

Cottage

Overview of the historical district

Gorgeous original lighting

Hall to grand restaurant. There is a piano player playing beautiful music

One of the yachts coming in to the dock

The actual room that the Federal reserve was founded

One of the most fascinating things that happened there was the formation of the Federal Reserve and the currency system that we use! There were secret meeting with the wealthiest people in the US- right in this room! There is a picture of  the people that started the Federal Reserve as well as one with Ben Bernanke shaking hands with Alan Greenspan! 

Phone used for the first intercontinental phone call- President Woodrow Wilson, JP Morgan, Alexander Graham Bell and the owner of AT&T (it doesn't look like the one in the picture- maybe this was the one the President used- ???)

Another event that took place here was the first intercontinental phone call. On January 25, 1915 Theodore N. Vail, the first president of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T), participated from Jekyll Island in the opening of the first telephone line across the United States. Vail, a member of the Jekyll Island Club, was recuperating from a leg injury. Consequently, instead of traveling to New York for the inauguration, Theodore Vail opted to stay in Georgia and participate in the event from Jekyll.The President, Woodrow Wilson, Alexander Graham Bell and Mr. Vail will all be on the line at once.'" Telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell started the event around 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Time by speaking from New York to his assistant Thomas A. Watson in San Francisco. Mr. Vail and others including William Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan, Jr. listened to the conversation keenly in one of the parlors of the Jekyll Island clubhouse. http://www.jekyllislandhistory.com/transcontinental.shtmlhttp://www.jekyllislandhistory.com/transcontinental.shtml

After the depression the club disbanded and was bought in 1946 by the State of Georgia. It is now a National Park. There are 3 golf courses- the original 9 hole course that the Morgans and Vanderbuilts played and two gorgeous championship courses- because they are a National Park, the green fee is $45-including a cart!! The grounds are stunning- huge trees with moss hanging from the branches. There are walking paths that meander through the grounds- absolutely lovely. here are always deer running on the course!

Original bar in the clubhouse

Sunset over the restaurants on the dock

There are 4 restaurants on the historical grounds- the formal one in the clubhouse, a 5 star restaurant that is casual dress, and two on the pier- one fine dining seafood and the other a fun funky bar with fabulous steamed mussels and shrimp...oh yeah and a 5 rum punch that the waitress talked us into!! We had walked to the historical district from the marina- about 2 miles I think. We were told that if you need a ride back the bellboys at the hotel will drive you and he did! it was great because between Steve working 12 hours a day in the engine room and the rum punch we were beat! Steve tipped the young man $20- he said he was so tired he would have paid $100 to not have to have walked back!!

Steve got all the repairs finished and everything was working perfectly. On the last night we ate at the fun restaurant at the marina and were joined by Scott and Jeff- who bought us wine that has the Jekyll Island Hotel logo on it. Great guys. we are looking forward to coming back and spending time here. What started as a nightmare turned out really well. I have to not panic and learn to go with the flow!

Scott with Steve and me

Wine from the Hotel! (Thanks Jeff and Scott)

disclaimer- sorry about the quality of the pictures-I was using the camera phone and some of the pics were of photos-glare

FROM EXHILARATION TO DEPRESSION- EVERYTHING FELL APART LIKE A WET TACO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We got up early to go to Fernandina Beach- we had heard so much about it- everyone we would talk to said we had to go there! So we got up early, and for some reason the toilets wouldn't flush. Steve went down below and checked the batteries....and they were all dead. Then he tried to start the generator and it wouldn't start. The starboard (right side) batteries (or 36 volt system) run the toilets, some of the lights and the battery charger charges the batteries THAT START THE ENGINES. Needless to say, we were dead in the water. Steve took apart the charger and tried to clean off the connections, but nothing worked. He then took apart the generator and tried to get that fixed but nothing. You know when its the day after your washing machine warranty is up and the washer died- it was like that, but of course the warranty was up 38 years ago. I guess it could have been worse- it could have died yesterday when we were being tossed around in the ocean.

So.......... we ordered a control board for the generator and had to order an entire new wall mounted Battery Charger- I capitalize it because anything that costs that much demands respect. When you have to buy something for a boat, figure out the most expensive normal item (say a battery charger) then add a zero. I was shopping on the internet and got prices for the same exact item for between $1800 and $2700. We talked with Paul at Hatteras (made in the USA!!!) and he told us to call Mike at Sams Marine (thanks Mike). Then there is the shipping- $270 for next day and $110 for two day guaranteed. We went for the second option and proceeded to get into some maintenance. With the waves and wind and nats (when I checked in there was a bottle of "no nats.....which of course meant there were nats- I asked the girl at the counter and she said "they hate the wind and rain- they only come out when it's nice"- so if the weather ever improves, we get attacked by nats!!!! Great!!!! I decided that I hated Jekyll Island and couldn't figure out why anyone would ever want to live here......then I went to the store......

Fixing electrical

Fixing second holding tank

Leo- master mechanic on the docks and nice guy!!! He helped Steve with the battery charger
(and no he's not on Duck Dynasty)

old battery charger

New Battery Charger

New control board