Weekend Getaway

Moonlight at Cabin Bluff

One of the things we like to do is leave the dock on a regular weekend and just drop anchor somewhere nearby.  It really doesn't matter where, its just the joy of relaxing out where no one can bother you (ok - except for those pesky cell phones).  Sometimes people ask me why I want a boat that I don't fish on and can't go anywhere fast.  But if you have ever stayed on the beach, whether it be a condo, hotel, or house, you know how relaxing it is to just sit and listen to the wind and the water.  Well that's how it is with a boat.  The only difference is that if I get tired of the scenery or don't like my neighbors, I can move!

So last weekend we dropped anchor off Cabin Bluff, about 3 hours south of Brunswick by boat.  The idea was to relax and also to explore some sandbars I had seen on our way back from Miami.  We departed Thursday night and got there just before sunset.

American Star Cruise Liner passing our anchorage

By the time we woke up on Friday, the day was already starting out on the wrong foot (we'll get to that wrong foot later).  The weather had been predicted to be nice, but we woke to 10-15 mph winds!  Its hard to sit and enjoy the scenery in that kind of wind.

By afternoon, the tide went out enough to expose the sandbars and so we decided to explore them even in the wind.  We hopped in the dinghy and headed to shore.  The first thing we discovered was that it was not a sandbar, but a sand and mud bar.  So with each step you sunk a few inches.  Walking was laborious and you would not want to lay down to soak up the sun as you would also soak up the mud!

American Star the next day at Brunswick

Huge fish at our dock!

Marie suggested that I put out the anchor, but I said it was not necessary as the tide was going out so the the dinghy would end up being completely out of water anyway.  She didn't argue and we went to exploring the little island.  I guess we explored for longer than I realized because suddenly I looked over to see our dinghy drifting across the cove!  "No worry", I told Marie, "I will walk around the cove and retrieve it."  I started winding my way back and forth across the small sandbars which were still exposed, careful not to step on one of the many baby stingrays trapped in the tidal pools, and made my way towards the other side.  No sooner did I cross the last pool of water to reach the other side when the mud/sand just turned into pure muck!  I began sinking deeper and deeper with each step until I was sinking in past my knees.  At that point I became worried that I might sink in deep enough that I couldn't get out.  In addition, I realized the only thing that was keeping me from sinking deeper was that I was walking on the tips of mussels in a large submerged mussel bed.  If any of you have seen them, you know that they create colonies with each one connected to those around them forming a solid foundation but with the sharp edges of their shells all pointing up.......at me!  So I turned around and slowly retraced my long zig-zag path I had taken to get there.  When I was almost back to the starting point, I was closest to the dinghy as the crow flies, or in this case, the fish swims.  So I dove in and swam across the cove to get the dinghy.  Of course the dinghy was beached in a shallow mucky area and so I had to crawl on all fours through the muck to reach the dinghy.  As I climbed over the side of the dinghy, all the muck came with me and our grey dinghy instantly turned black!  At last I got the dinghy into water and started the motor and rescued Marie.

Manatees feeding on our dock!

Later, I felt something on my toe and looked to discover that it was split wide open!  It must of happened when I was walking on the mussel shells but I did not realize it.  Marie immediately went into doctor mode and patched me up but she said I should have gotten several stitches as the cut was about an inch long and fairly deep!

The next day the winds calmed down and it turned out to be a beautiful day.  Marie and I were both worn out, me from my adventure and her from stressing over the odds of my survival, so we just sat on the boat all day and watched the world go by!

The next day, we headed back to Brunswick.  Just like everything in life, boating has its ups and downs, but I'm always ready for the next trip!