Break time in Brunswick

Brunswick Landing Marina has a reputation as a safe haven hurricane hole and cruisers favorite marina. After spending a few days, we can attest that this is a first rate marina and a wonderful place to take a break from cruise speed and spend time exploring the Georgia sea coast. Before stopping, our knowledge of Brunswick was limited to the view of the paper mill visible from I-95 at 70 mph. We are delighted our travels brought us here to see our friends and stopover to do a few boat chores.

The marina is a gathering place for boaters and has a helpful and friendly dock crew at the ready to assist with pumping out holding tanks and pumping in fuel. With over 300 slips and a small boat yard, many cruisers extend their stay to become liveaboards in a convenient and friendly community.  The floating docks eliminate worries of the significant tidal range. 

The courthouse situated in the middle of an old growth oak grove.

Brunswick is a quiet southern town with a "step back in time" character than reflects the old South. The historic district is a short walk from the marina. This is a place with authentic architecture and a community downtown that is hanging on and being revitalized with small businesses that not only aim at tapping into tourism but also serving the local residents. 

Overlooking a vast salt marsh and broad river branch, the waterfront has interesting features to stroll and explore. We enjoyed taking a closer look at the small spring wildflowers popping up in the fields and roadside. 

Spiranthes sp orchid

Our visit to Brunswick was made even more enjoyable by time spent with our good friends Bill and Lisa. Lisa is a talented artist now creating beautiful jewelry. Bill is retired from the Fish and Wildlife Service, and came to Brunswick to serve at FLETC for his last assignment. They have lived on many refuges from Florida to Massachusetts to Alaska. What a surprise to discover Bill was at Merritt Island Refuge in the 70s at the same time we were working on an early multi-media show for the refuge. We did not meet then, but a decade later when Bill was at Okeefenokee NWR in Folkston.

This convivial pair took us to Harris Neck Refuge to walk trails and see a magnificent wading bird rookery, comprised primarily of wood storks, but anhingas, common egrets, tricolored herons and other species raucously shared the space. How nice to return to this jewel of the Savannah Coastal Refuge Complex. Seeing a large eastern diamondback was a special treat. 

Continuing their generous hospitality we took in Jekyll Island on Saturday, strolling under great oaks and coquina sidewalks around the historic buildings and an art exhibit. Walking on the beach, we noted the gray waters and sand owing to the sediment laid from the many rivers that flow into the Atlantic through the tidal marshlands. 

Under arched live oaks, coquina walkways connect a collection of restored historic buildings including a magnificent hotel.

Jekyll Island has miles of beaches patrolled in the summer by the Georgia Sea Turtle Center

In the evening we found a new blues club hosting a band led by blues artist Peter Karp - with a small but appreciative audience. The night before he packed the house at the Bradfordville Blues Club in Tallahassee. He was surprised that people from Tallahassee were in the Brunswick audience and that we arrived by boat. 

In between all of the fun sightseeing of the surrounding area, we managed to replace our old electric 2-burner Force 10 cooktop (that we were never quite sure if it was on or off unless we used the breaker) with a new induction 2-burner cooktop. When we ordered the cooktop, we had it shipped to Bill so it was waiting for us when we arrived in Brunswick. The project involved a little cutting on the countertop and rewiring, but all in all it went smoothly (with Bill's help and supplies from a real, local, hardware store.)

Glad we stopped in Brunswick and we look forward to returning to poke around a bit more. Now it's time to move on up.