BEST TO START WITH LUNCH AT THE COLONY (GREAT FOR ANY OCCASION, BUT PARTICULARLY APPROPRIATE FOR TODAY!)... FOLLOWED BY A TRIP TO ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES ON THE ISLAND: A FAUX MEDITERRANEAN REVIVAL STRUCTURE THAT LOOKS LIKE A CONDOMINIUM RESIDENCE, BUT IS IN FACT A PET FRIENDLY GROCERY STORE! AND THE STAFF IS FABULOUS!
AND THE AFTERNOON WOULDN'T BE COMPLETE WITHOUT A VISIT ACROSS THE RIVER OR LAKE OR WHATEVER THAT WATER IS TO NOREEN MCKEEN RESIDENCE TO VISIT THE FAMILY MATRIARCH, LADY JEANNE. OLIVE AND I WERE SO EXHAUSTED AT THAT POINT WE JUST WANTED TO BOOK ROOMS! JEANNE, CHECKING IN AT 93 WAS WONDERING WHERE WE HAD BEEN FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS! GREAT TO SEE HER AND TALK ABOUT THE PALM BEACH PARROTS!!!
THE EVENING ENDED WITH A TASTY DINNER AT BRICKTOP'S, SITTING IN A COZY BAR-SIDE BOOTH. OUTDOOR SEATING WAS A BIT HOT AT THIS TIME...SERVICE AND STAFF WAS TOP SHELF AS ALWAYS, EXCEPT WE JUST MISSED THE HOSTESS AND MANAGER EXTRAORDINAIRE, TAMMI...HOPEFULLY WE WILL CATCH HER LATER THIS WEEK.
No, that's not a typo and there's not a Palm Beach, Georgia (that we are aware of at least). After receiving the full report on Ocean Park's repair, it turns out that the Hinckley folks will need the boat a bit longer than we anticipated. So, considering that Palm Beach is only a little over hours south and much less oppressive, heat-wise (yes, really) the crew opted to pack up and ship out, figuratively speaking.
THE SALTY DOG CREW & MATES WERE TAKEN ALONG THE 100+ MILE JOURNEY TO SAVANNAH BY A CAPTAIN FROM THE HINCKLEY BOAT YARD IN SAVANNAH WHERE OCEAN PARK WILL BE CHECKED OUT WHILE THE CITY OF MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD & EVIL FAME IS THOROUGHLY ENJOYED. THE HEAT IN GEORGIA HAS BEEN EXTREMELY INTENSE AND SAVANNAH MAKES SUMMER IN PALM BEACH SEEM COOL IN COMPARISON!
IN THE LATE 1800's, PRIVATELY OWNED JEKYLL ISLAND WAS SOLD TO A CONSORTIUM OF WEALTHY U.S. INDUSTRY & BANKING TITANS WHO FORMED THE PRIVATE JEKYLL ISLAND CLUB. MEMBERSHIP WAS STRICTLY LIMITED WITH THE LIKES OF THE ROCKEFELLERS, THE MORGANS AND THE GOULDS. BY 1899, THIS ONE HUNDRED MEMBER CLUB CONTROLLED ONE-SIXTH OF U.S. ASSETS. JEKYLL ISLAND WAS THEIR WINTER PLAYGROUND AND WE SET OUT TO DISCOVER WHAT THE ATTRACTION WAS. (BESIDES HAVING SEATOW ESCORT US HERE)
NORTH OF THE RECENTLY DEVELOPED BEACH DISTRICT (ABOVE) IS THE ISLAND'S HISTORIC DISTRICT WHERE THE JEKYLL ISLAND CLUB FOUNDERS CREATED THEIR EXCLUSIVE GILDED ERA RETREAT FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS. THE CENTERPIECE IN THIS NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK DISTRICT IS THE VICTORIAN CLUBHOUSE WITH ITS FAMED TURRET ALONG WITH A COLLECTION OF ADJACENT RESTORED COTTAGES. THE CLUBHOUSE HAS BEEN OPERATING FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS AS A HOTEL AND RESORT AS THE JEKYLL ISLAND CLUB HOTEL.
Port engine repair due to running aground delayed our departure from Oyster Bay Yacht Club for another day but the serene coastal setting, the staff and cuisine more than made up for the delay. And no complaints from the Salty Dogs crew...
DAY 9 Started & Ended on great notes: it's the in-between times that looked a bit on a downward path literally and figuratively. Ocean Park left the dock early at high tide @ 8ish to avoid any further skirmishes with shallow waters. We proceeded slowly past the town of Fernandina Beach and as we entered the wider expanses of water past Amelia Island and into St. Andrew Sound we increased our speed. Just as we ventured north to the west of Cumberland Island the port engine started to heat up again-the problem we initially encountered. A new problem resulting from the repair then arose: a water leak in the back of the boat! We had at least 3 feet of sea water under the deck of the stern and didn't realize it until the cockpit floor raised and we could see the water and floating bottles of veuve clicquot (empty)...PANIC at SEA!
Our last destination in Florida, Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island started off quite nicely from St. Augustine. Wide, uninhabited stretches of pristine waterways continued north for miles...with the occasional sailboat floating by made for a tranquil morning. And the morning pastries from Camanche Inn, which are normally never permitted aboard Ocean Park made for an even better ride. Needless to say, all of that ended somewhat quickly with the appearance of the piers + boat shelters Again! Adding to the pain, we stray off the ICW at the St.John's River, south of Amelia Island and become grounded. Fortunately a wave frees us and we make our destination at Oyster Bay Harbor Yacht Club for dinner.
A bright-eyed & playful crew, excited to set sail for the oldest city in the U.S. (Olive still is in her stateroom...)
Between Daytona Beach and Saint Augustine, the Intracoastal Waterway is lined with piers capped with roofed structures that act as modern day boat houses as well as other oddities such as this large eyesore of a vessel that appears permanently moored in a residential area.
Staying in an Inn at the Camachee Harbor Marina just outside of the city allowed us to get our land legs back, see a little of the old city, and if for nothing else invest as much time as possible in and around the fountain of youth.
Pooped Poochies & a stylish sloop moored just outside our lovely accommodation at the Inn!
In response to a subtle, yet gently controlling request for a plan of course for this journey north (if, indeed, it makes it past the first case of VC) the Salty Dog crew has wisely agreed to leak a state-by-state "float plan" (as they say on the water). This has wisely been undertaken to avoid a media frenzy! Hence, for the unforgettable state of governor Rickki Scot, Ocean Park departed Palm Beach Yacht Club (Day 1), Vero Beach (Day 2), Titusville (Day 3), Dayton Beach (Day 4), Saint Augustine (Day 5 & 6), Amelia Island (Day 7)....Last day in loverly Florida!
Read MoreHistoric, yes...but after a trip to the "Save-A-Lot" grocery, the Salty Dog crew forced us to stay on campus at the marina for our stay in Titusville.
Pre-Loading at the dock...
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