Dot's Way Cruising Cat: Pine Island to Cumberland Island near St, Mary's, Georgia

We were surprised by a thunderstorm with gentle rain for a couple hours and then we grilled out on the flybridge. We had a quiet, peaceful night with one other sailboat anchored near the mouth of the south entrance to Pine Island. We headed out for St. George Island stopping at Windward Beach Marine in Jacksonville for diesel, gas, water, pump out, and garbage dump so we are set to continue on. We turned into St. George Island and found the shallow water and low water alarm on the boat at 4 feet so we backed out and continued on past Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach and on to Cumberland Island. The last time we were here was November 2012 when we changed our home port from Deltaville, Virginia to Titusville, Florida. We are the most northern anchored boat with a beautiful view and close to one of the Cumberland Island National Seashore dinghy docks. We saw both ferries at two different docks. It was a gorgeous evening and look forward to hiking the island tomorrow.

Leaving Pine Island

Marsh landscape

Out fishing

Shipyard along Saint Johns River in Jacksonville

Ship traffic as we crossed the Saint Johns River

High perch

Sister's bridge now a high rise as Hinkley Picnic boat roars past

The fishing fleet in Fernandino Beach

Fernandino Beach Marina and colorful condos

Cumberland Island wild horse in the front yard of private home

Beautiful sunset facing away from the island

Our Luci solar LED lights along the flybridge

On Friday morning, we enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee and the captain's corned beef hash and eggs as our first cooked breakfast on this trip taking a break from fruit and yogurt, We headed out in the dinghy to the Sea Camp Dock and a ferry was loading up campers. We took the River Walk Hike to the Dungeness Ruins and then by the cemetery to the marsh boardwalk and then the boardwalk to the beach. We hiked the beach down to the boardwalk back up by the Sea Campground and then back to the dock, It was a beautiful day and we saw an armadillo and many wild horses with colts. Tomorrow features ranger bird walks in celebration of Migratory Bird Day so we look forward to those as we saw the poster at the ranger station. Back to the boat for a snack and some boat work before a sundowner dinghy ride.