St. Mary's, Georgia to Vero Beach, Florida

I have written in my previous blogs about the many beautiful places we have visited, the magical anchorages we have enjoyed with their majestic sunrises and sunsets, their abundance of wildlife both on land and in the water, and the many hours spent in methodically meandering down the winding, lazy and comforting ICW with its many creeks and man made cuts.  It seems that each new anchorage and each new stretch of the ICW brings with it equally beautiful places as the ones before it.  Words seem so inadequate to describe the sheer beauty St. Mary's and Cumberland Island.  Each place we visit brings with it many nice, friendly people that are there to help in anyway they can.  This was especially true for us in St. Mary's.  As I said in the previous post, we motored into our anchorage at St. Mary' (on November 15) to find our friends, Dan and Cheryl, whom we had met last summer in Orcacoke.  It was great to get reaquainted with Dan since Cheryl was in New England visiting with her family.  We were sitting in our cockpit enjoying a cup of coffee when a dinghy motored over to us with the couple from Lawanda on it.  They came to welcome us to St. Mary's and to see if we needed anything.  They had a house and car in St. Mary's and offered to take us to the grocery store or anywhere we needed to go.  One thing we have learned is never pass up the offer to go to the grocery store, especially when someone has a car.  So we gratefully accepted.  We found St. Mary's to be a very friendly and welcoming town to boaters. They have an annual Thanksgiving Feast that the town sponsors for all boaters anchored in the harbor.  We would have loved to have stayed for that, but we felt we needed to continue south since Thanksgiving was still a week away.  But before we do that, we took a must-see visit to Cumberland Island.  Many of our friends had told us this was a place we didn't want to miss and we found they were right! Wow!!! What a beautiful island with its serenity, its well-maintained and natural vegetation, and its abundant wildlife.  It was remarkable to see the wild turkeys and the wild (or supposedly wild) horses grazing in the grass.  Then there were the armadillos scurrying around and then hiding under the brush when they would hear our feet walking down the dirt path.  The buildings that have been there for centuries were breathtaking and huge even in their ruins.  The remains of the Dungeness mansion was something to behold!  Standing there in the sunlight and quiet, you could almost feel the presence of those who lived there so many years ago.  It was really an awesome experience.  I am not sure these few pictures do it justice.  It was obvious the the horses looked forward to the tourists who come to visit their home because they would approach with caution waiting for a treat or snack of some kind! We had been asked by the Park Service folks not to feed them so, of course, being the rule followers that we are, we complied with their request.  By the behavior of the horses, it was pretty clear that others had not.

One of the many things I have loved about this trip is the many reminders of the men and women who have committed themselves to keeping our country and its people safe.  We passed by the Kings Bay Submarine Base in Cumberland Sound.  What an impressive complex!  When traveling from our anchorage in St. Mary's to our mooring ball in Fernandina Beach, Florida, the Coast Guard alerted all Mariners that a submarine would be leaving the base and heading out to sea.  What a sight to see!  We were able to just see the black, silhouette of the submarine skimming the top of the ocean headed out the inlet there at Fernandina Beach.  It literally took my breath away.  We should be so grateful to live in this country of ours and at that moment it was never more clear to me as just how grateful and thankful I am!

We spent two days in Fernandina and really enjoyed the Historic District.  We even got to see the NC State/Georgetown basketball game in one of the sports bars.  The bartender just smiled at me when I asked him if he would mind turning one of the TV's to ESPNU and I explained who I wanted to see!  Then it was on to Palm Coast where we were going to spend Thanksgiving and meet up with our friends, Vic and GiGi on GiGi's Island.  We were really looking forward to that!

On the way to Palm Coast, we passed St. Augustine but didn't have time to stop.  Maybe next time.  While in the South Amelia River, we enjoyed the many dolphins splashing and having fun.  There were several that came right up beside the boat while we were motoring and would come up out of the water and look at me.  I would talk to them and they would look at me, make a sound, go under and come back up.  I would talk with them again and they would do the same thing.  This went on for about 10 minutes.  Buck's comment was that I could be in the middle of the River and still find someone to talk to!

Palm Coast Marina was a great place to spend Thanksgiving!  We were there from Tuesday before Thanksgiving to the Tuesday after.  It was a really great week!  Palm Coast is another beautiful and friendly community.  We enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving meal on our boat with turkey and all the trimmings!  We were at a Marina so we had cable and were able to see all the ballgames we cared to.  We met our new friends, Bob and Penny on Pretty Penny and enjoyed getting to know them over several dinners together.  They are good friends of Vic and GiGi from previous trips to the Islands.  Vic and GiGi returned from visiting family on Saturday night and we immediately began planning the next leg of our trip.  We would more than likely be buddy boating until and when we cross to the Bahamas.

While traveling from Palm Coast to Vero Beach, we passed another awe-inspiring landmark if our country - Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center.  We could see the launch pad from our cockpit where so many space shuttles have been launched.  Another one of those goose bump moments!

Now we are in Vero Beach or Velcro Beach as many mariners call it.  Another boater friendly community where the "Go-Line" (city bus transportation) will take you wherever you need to go for just a donation and "Klub Kar" (city cab service) will take us and Magic anywhere for a nominal fee.  We are loving it here as we are literally tied up with Vic and GiGi on a mooring ball.  We are in walking distance to the beach and Ocean Drive with as many shops as there are boats in the harbor! This town is certainly a "shopper's paradise"!  We will be here a little longer than originally thought due to some dental problems I developed in the last day or two.  I am in need of a crown - yuk!  But the good news is I found a really nice Dentist and we started the process yesterday.  They are rushing the permanent crown and I should have it on the 21st. the day the Lab closes and the day before the Dentist closes for the holidays.  If it had to happen, I feel very fortunate that it happened now and here.

As the Holidays approach, Buck and I remember with fondness the many memories we share with many of you and can only wish that you and your family will have a very Happy Holiday Season filled with all the joys, promises, and blessings the Christmas season brings!

Merry Christmas!  Love to all!  Fair winds to all!
Vicki, Buck, and Magic