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| Sunset on the ICW |
We got our next excuse to go for a cruise over Memorial Day. We had actually hatched the idea over a month prior while visiting our friends, Steve and Bonita, on their boat, Solemar. They planned to spend Memorial Day weekend aboard doing some repairs and we were looking for somewhere to go where we could also do some repairs to Elixir. It all fit so we planned to cruise to their marina in Brunswick and spend the days working on our respective boats and the evenings socializing.
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| One of the many shrimp boats on the coast of Georgia |
It was a perfect plan that only got better. Several weeks before the planned trip, we found out that our friends from Cocoa Village Marina that we met on our trip to Captiva, Jim and Ann, were going to be staying in Brunswick over Memorial Day on their boat, Wild Goose.
But there was one more piece of good news to come. We then got an email from Steve and Diane. They were certified Captains that both Marie and I as well as Steve and Bonita had asked to do some training with us. They were taking a 97 footer north to New York and would be in the Brunswick area over Memorial Day!
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| Bridge coming into Brunswick |
It just couldn't get any better. Four couples, all that owned Defever Trawlers, were going to be in the same Marina over Memorial Day weekend!
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| Steve, Bonita, Ann, Jim, and Marie enjoying Pizza |
We decided to take a leisurely cruise down to Brunswick, so we left Tuesday evening. We only cruised for 3 hours and then dropped anchor just south of St. Catherine's Sound. Enroute, we were besieged by Horse Flies. They weren't biting us, but there were dozens of them all over the underside of our bimini top, as well as inside the cabin. As fast as we would kill them, more would come. They stayed with us the entire trip. But about 6pm. they all left! I also discovered the ones in the cabin were easy to catch in the evening, so we were Horse Fly free before sunset. We enjoyed a warm peaceful evening on the hook.
The next day we made a short 5 hour hop to an anchorage just north of Brunswick. We had the same problem with Horse Flies with the same result at the end of the day. We dropped anchor within sight of the Bridge over the Brunswick River.
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| Sanctuary arrives |
Thursday morning we made the last leg in to Brunswick, taking less than 3 hours to arrive. The rest of the day was spent visiting with Steve, Bonita, Jim, and Ann. It was great to catch up on everything that had happened since we last saw them.
Friday found Jim giving advice to both Steve and me on the mechanical systems on our boats. Jim is considered one of the top experts on Defever Trawlers so it was great to have one-on-one time with him on our boats. It was even better that another top expert, Steve, and his wife Diane, were due to arrive the next day aboard the Sanctuary.
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| Line-handling training on Solemar |
In between working on the boats, we took time to walk into downtown Brunswick, located right next to the marina. There are many shops and restaurants to visit. A stop at the old city hall is a must and we viewed the beautiful architecture as well as learned about the history of Brunswick. The women all got the recipe for Brunswick stew, which has been declared by official congressional declaration to have been invented in Brunswick, Georgia! That evening, we all went to Foxes Pizza for some great pizza!
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| Lunch aboard Solemar |
Sanctuary arrived Saturday morning, and even though Steve and Diane had traveled through the night, they jumped right in to training us since Bonita had to leave the next day. Steve and Steve practiced docking Solemar while the women honed their line handling skills. I played dock hand and everyone learned how to handle their boats better!
Later, Steve came aboard Elixir and gave me advice on what I needed to do to get our generator up and running!
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Wild Goose flanked by Solemar to the left and Elixir
to the right. Sanctuary can be seen in the background. |
That evening, Steve and Diane went to dinner at a Thai restaurant with me and Marie. The food was excellent and it was really nice to get to know Steve and Diane better. We had a great time and look forward to visiting with them more in the future.
On Memorial Day, the marina held a BBQ for all the boaters. They provided the BBQ and we each brought a side dish to be shared by all. After the meal everyone introduced themselves and told what boat they were on. It was interesting to hear where the various people were from and where they were going.
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| Memorial Day BBQ |
We departed early Tuesday morning to make a long one day run back to Savannah. The sun rose just as we passed under the bridge and it looked to be a beautiful day. The weather forecast was decent so we decided to go outside. We passed the Saint Simons Island Lighthouse on our way to the ocean. It took nearly 2 hours to reach open ocean where we could finally turn north, but our ability to travel in a straight line up the coast at 7.8 knots made it well worth the time. The trip outside was almost 3 hours shorter than travelling the ICW.
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| Sunrise on the Brunswick River |
Our trip outside had several firsts. I saw my first large sea turtle at sea. It surfaced right in front of Elixir and I had to take evasive maneuvers to keep from hitting it. It was over 3 feet across its back and dove as soon as it saw me bearing down on it!
I also saw my first shark. Although it was small, probably less than 4 feet in length, it swam directly across my bow and had to scurry out of my way!
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| Saint Simons Island Lighthouse |
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| Swarm of Fish |
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| Steve and Bonita's Lake House |
I also saw several schools of fish that stirred up the surface of the water so that it looked like it was raining. I don't know what they were doing but they would stay in one spot so long that I would spot them in the distance and watch until I would pass right by them and they would still be visible as they passed out of sight far behind me.
We all had so much fun that Steve and Bonita decided to keep it going by inviting us and Jim and Ann to their lake house the following weekend. Steve and Diane had to continue taking Sanctuary north so they could not attend.
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| Jim and Steve play on the ski-doos |
Marie also could not come since she was scheduled to fly out to New Mexico to visit her mother. So Steve, Bonita, Jim, Ann, and myself all gathered at Steve and Bonita's lake house for more fun and relaxation!
They have a beautiful home and are great hosts so we had a wonderful time!
All in all it will be a Memorial Day to remember!
