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Preview: Georgia’s Golden Isles, a Guest Blog by Anne Bryant
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Bill Perkins says:
Brunswick’s status as a good place to store your boat during hurricane season stems in part from it’s location at the innermost point of the Georgia Bight ,a gigantic concavity on that coast which the hurricanes typically skip past . Not always of course . I keep my boat on Jekyll and am banking on this good effect .
A memorable elderly realtor showed me around the town once . He talked nonstop and also handed me some photo copied notes of his remembrance . ”The hurricane of 1898 pushed seawater 6 inches over the windowsills , covering the the keys of the piano in the parlor. The cellar was filled with marsh mud and thereafter abandoned.”
He also remembered a smaller hurricane in 1927.His father went across the low wooden causeway to Saint Simons to bring the writer’s aunt to the mainland . On the return trip the storm surge had covered the causeway deep enough to drown out the engine . The father was driving a high backed Buick of the day and was able to put the car in neutral and sail back to the mainland .
The Georgia Bight is why route 95 draws so close to that part of the coast : a negative . It’s also why the tidal range for that general area is the biggest in the region , and that , perhaps ,leads to Georgia having the vastest ,most fecund marshes .
I join the chorus of accolades for “The Georgia Coast “ ,by Nancy Schwalbe Zydler and Tom Zydler . They did a great job ,really adding to my cruising pleasure there. Where did they get the wonderful old charts ? On these a spot I frequently cross on St.Andrews Sound , where the swell from the open ocean meets shoaling water , is appropriately labeled “The Coffin “ . Someone at NOAA decided we no longer needed to know that history ?
The small city of Brunswick has 5 Superfund sites ; so there is tragedy there too . One was right about where the causeway to Saint Simons hits the mainland . Up another major estuary large amounts of mercury were “lost into the marsh “ in the words of an EPA report I read . The County has finally acknowledged the problem to the extent of publishing warnings on eating the seafood from certain areas ( reason unspecified in what I saw ) . Of course the young of many species are born in the estuaries and move out .
Bill Perkins says:
4 not 5 superfund sites .
Molly Blake says:
Well I for one am glad you are headed back up so that we can play!
Anne Bryant says:
HOORAY! Can’t wait.
Tom Klein says:
I agree that the Georgia coast is a little known treasure. The enormous expanses of salt marsh are without comparison for seeing huge amounts of diverse wildlife and remain one of the most diverse and healthiest habitats for wildlife in the eastern US. Be sure to visit Cumberland Island – it’s a gem. Also visit St. Marys, just a little south of Brunswick. Also a lovely little town.
Anne Bryant says:
Cumberland Island was unbelievable. We didn’t know much about it before heading south, and when friends in Martha’s Vineyard mentioned that we should check it out, it became our secret southerly goal. (Secret because when you answer the dreaded “where are you going?” question, the best answer is “nowhere in particular,” or something like, “south.”) After hiking around Cumberland, we spent about a week in St Marys, which was a great spot. I wish they didn’t have their post office and other useful things so far out of town, but there’s lots to see. The cemetery there was FANTASTIC. Thanks for the good tips, Tom!
Ellen Massey Leonard says:
Great to read about (and see pictures of) these lovely places. Looking forward to reading about your next adventures going north.
Anne Bryant says:
Thanks so much, Ellen!
Russ Manheimer says:
Delightful Post Anne,
Hope to see you all on your return trip.
Russ
Anne Bryant says:
I hope so too, Russ!
robert freeman says:
Sorry to hear that your journey south is ending. I have been following your wonderful blog because it is a trip that my wife and I will make in two years when she retires. The Gullah islands are high on our list to visit given that we are African American sailors.
I hope that your return to Maine will be equally enjoyable as your adventure south.
All the best to you both (& Mimi Rose)
Bob Freeman
Anne Bryant says:
Dear Bob, I am so very excited about your impending journey southward and especially to the Gullah islands, as they’ve been high on our list, too. We’re about to go to Daufuskie Island this week after much anticipation. Maybe I’ll be sure to send a a bit of writing in for that, just for your benefit! I’m so excited that you’ll spend time in Georgia with an eye to heritage, as we’ve done the same and it’s steered us down a path of nothing but beauty and delight. Do consider getting that Georgia Coast book by the Zydlers, it’s a knockout of a read. More of our adventures: http://www.frompinetopalm.com and facebook.com/svmimirose. What kind of boat will you be sailing? All the best!
Anne Bray says:
As always a wonderful read with great photos. Thanks.
Anne Bryant says:
Shucks, Anne. Thanks.