St
Augustine
All
the shoals were covered by the tide and all our remaining electronics
functioned up to par so we could enjoy the peaceful scenery between Daytona and
St. Augustine – the secret of this coast is revealed to cruisers like us –
lucky enough to enjoy perfect weather as we passed the homes and wild places on
this route. We were lucky to have an uneventful cruise and a smooth mooring –
Captain Steve piloted us to our M47 ball and the crew managed to snag it
without any drama although we did end up switching out our first rope for one
that made less noise. We even managed a haircut and grocery run to put fresh
tuna on the menu. On our slack day we used Enterprise to visit our new mail
service and pick up supplies from a Publix and various stores not available in
most marinas. Later we hosted Brian and
Jenny who drove over from J’ville to spend the evening with us and check out
Erben Renewal. We enjoyed a multitude of
dessert options from the Biscottis Restaurant & Bakery in the Avondale
district. Yum! Jenny was correct when she said we would be
eating and thinking kindly of them for days. Check their website if you want to
see for yourself: www.biscottis.net
From
St. Augustine we headed to Fort George Island and a quick visit to the Kingsley
Plantation. The “owner’s” house was started in the 1780s and expanded by
Zephaniah Kingsley when he moved his family there in 1814 to establish a
plantation to grow Sea Island cotton. The park included the remains of 25 slave
quarter buildings. These were Tabby
structures – a traditional building method using oyster shells. Under the
Spanish rule in Florida, Kingsley’s African wife, Anna, - herself a freed
slave, could own her own plantation and slaves.
However, when Spain lost control of Florida in the 1820s, Kingsley moved
his family to Haiti where they continued to enjoy their rights in a free black
republic.
Our
next stop was historic St. Mary’s GA just five miles up the St Mary’s river
which forms the border between Georgia and Florida. This small town is home to the Kings Bay
Trident Submarine Base and a small museum dedicated to submariners. It is also the jumping off point for ferries
serving the Cumberland Island National Seashore. After visiting the museum and
learning everything we ever wanted to know about the operation and life aboard
a Trident – this nearly two football field long behemoth has all our respect –
we hope not to be meeting any of them as we transit this area.
We
jumped across to the Cumberland Island anchorage off the Sea Island dock used
by the ferries. From here were took the dink to visit the small Ice House
museum and ruins of Dungeness – a 37,000 square foot mansion built by Thomas
and Lucy Carnegie– one of many homes eventually built for their children on
Cumberland Island. It was not hard to see the attraction of this tranquil spot
with the Spanish moss draped massive live oaks and wandering “wild” horses.
Even though many structures were built here, most of the island has been
maintained in its natural state making this a rare glimpse at an untouched Sea
Island ecosystem. Even now only park
service vehicles are allowed so transportation is limited to two wheels or two
feet. An early plantation did exist before the Civil War and trees harvested
here were reportedly used to build the USS Constitution – “Old Ironsides”. (Don't know how accurate this account is since they make the same claim in St. Simons just to the north!)
Next
trip we will stop at the northern end to visit the Plum Orchard Mansion – which
the visitor center told us is staffed by volunteers who get to live in the
servants’ quarters and they are currently in need of candidates! Our next land based residence perhaps …..
future plans to ponder!
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