Plum Orchard, Cumberland Island to Brunswick Landing Marina, Brunswick, GA (docked)
June 21, 2022
Yay! The windlass works!
We hauled anchor this morning with no issues and no need for John to have to pull chain in by hand. It helped that the anchor was not coated with mud, too.
To get to Brunswick, Georgia, we have to cross St. Andrew Sound, which is where several rivers meet the ocean. All of this moving water, plus the large fetch (area where wind can blow over the water) can make sounds really sporty. This was not the case today – it was really, really eerily calm.
Many boaters dislike the ICW in Georgia because it’s very circuitous; they prefer “heading outside” through an inlet or sound to travel in a straight line in the ocean for the day. Traveling the ICW is slow but there’s a lot to see – dolphins, birds, cool houses, and maybe even some wildlife (like the raccoon we saw walking on the beach today).
Brunswick is an old town that’s seen some better days. The nearby islands such as Jekyll and St. Simons are far more upscale and thriving. Brunswick’s Main Street is very close to the marina. There are many empty storefronts but it’s clean and the many town squares are well-maintained.
Brunswick does have Silver Bluff Microbrewery that is open and seems to have a good customer base. It has a pretty beer garden and daily food trucks, too.
Brunswick Landing Marina is huge with 15 docks, free laundry, and many places for boaters to gather. They also sponsor happy hours a few times a week (but not on Tuesdays, of course). Our boat friends from Fernandina Beach were here and welcomed us into a small social group hanging out at the top of one of the docks.
Each marina has its own personality that shows up in different ways. Brunswick Landing is known as a “hurricane hole” where boats can seek shelter from during hurricane season so it has a big population of liveaboards and long-term residents.
Sometimes they add items to personalize the space.
Sometimes signage offers some insight into some prior incidents…
We will make a decision about whether to stay inside the ICW or head outside into the ocean tomorrow. Factors in this decision include weather and wave heights in the ocean, as well as distance between inlets and boat preparation in order to go outside (such as figuring out how to secure the air conditioner in case of rough seas).
Life on Lailia 