The life of a Yacht Broker is exciting for the most part. I meet some very fine people as you rarely meet a boater that you didn't like. I spend almost every day aboard the Patricia Ann or on customer's boats, so I do get my share of time on the water.
My excitement comes in two parts 1) seeing the smile on a customers face when he/she gets that new boat, and 2) the freedom to cast the lines when the time permits and do some cruising on our schedule. Granted, I work 7 days a week, every week, but as my computer is wireless, I can be almost anywhere and still answer emails or manage this website. Going to visit a customer or his boat is the only thing that requires travel.
This past week Mary and I spent three days on a near-deserted island just hanging out and stopping to smell the roses. In the Bahamas you might think? No, right here in the good ole U.S. of A. There are many sights that await us boaters, that are off the beaten path; you just have to know where to look to find them.
This island is Cumberland Island, the southern-most barrier island in Georgia . Approximately 2 x 18 miles, the island is a designated US National Seashore and designated wilderness. Only about 45 minutes cruise time for us, it is our favorite gunk hole. There are several anchorages that are out of sight of human activity.
The island's history goes back many thousands of years to at least the 1500s when the French arrived to find the Timucaun Indians inhabiting the island. But the island is most noted for it's more recent history ranging from revolutionary war heros General Nathaniel Greene and Lighthorse Harry Lee, father of Robert E. Lee, to Lucy Carnegie.and John F. Kennedy.
The island is now largely uninhabited except for a few park rangers, a few residents that have inherited property rights, a few visitors that arrive by boat and many wild horses, turkeys, deer and water fowl. You can read the full history in the book Cumberland Island, Strong Women, Wild Horses by Charles Seabrook.
Mary and I departed our dock and arrived Wednesday afternoon at Sea Camp. Water depths are about 18 feet at high tide.
The island is only accessible by boat so you need a dingy to get ashore as dockage for anything much larger that 25' is prohibited.
On this trip we explored the southern end of the island which includes the Dungeness ruins, miles of open marsh lands, maritime forests, an olive grove and the many miles of uninhabited beaches.
The solitude and wonder of it all is very inspiring to see. It makes you wonder what it was like to step ashore hundreds of years ago as the early explorers did.
The most people we saw on any one day was 8, that was all. It was amazing to walk the beach and not see a living sole in both directions as far as the eye could see.
There were many horses scattered all about.
So the next time you are cruising the southern east coast, make a stop at Cumberland; you'll be glad you did.
