Wary of getting out of our anchorage at low tide, we arose before dawn to get ready to sail. We only had about 38 miles to go to get to Brunswick, but thought we could use the short sailing day to explore the town.

When we had enough light, we hoisted the anchor and idled south in the predawn light. We were really disappointed that our schedule didn’t allow time for us to explore Cumberland Island, but we did catch a glimpse of the famed wild horses on the way out of the sound.

We rounded the corner and turned north on the ICW as the sun peeked over the trees of Cumberland Island. Looming in the distance were the giant structures of the King’s Bay Submarine Base. We did not see any of the Ohio Class Submarines that call this base home. Then again, they may have been underwater. We did see many, many wary eyes and armed patrol boats keeping an eye on us as we casually sailed by.

We wound our way through the salt marshes until we crossed Jekyll Sound and turned to pass behind Jekyll Island. We waved at a couple of fellow loopers in the marina on the island, went under the bridge, and then quickly realized that the channel was very, very narrow and very, very shallow. We were almost at low tide and the shores were littered with exposed crab pots. We felt our way through the channel and saw water as shallow as 5.5 feet. It is always disconcerting when our depth alarms keep sharing their concerns with us.

We made it through, turned up the East River, under the massive and beautiful Sidney Lanier Bridge, and turned into the channel to the marina. We hailed the marina on the radio and met them at the fuel dock. By this time, a healthy west wind had picked up and it put us on the dock with some authority. The nice folks at Brunswick Landing Marina were helpful and friendly. Thankfully, they knew what they were doing in helping us.

After fueling, they helped us get off the fueled dock against the wind and then ran over and helped us into our slip on South Dock. They were pros! We tied up, washed down the boat, and headed into town to check it out!

Brunswick is one of those wonderful ancient American cities with a deep history stretching back to colonial times. I’m really excited to explore many more places like this as we visit the east coast.

We walked through the old parks, visited the Lover’s Oak, read the historical markers, and ended the day with a fantastic dinner at Reid’s Apothecary.

Wendy here: This was one of my favorite marinas, one that was built for boaters. Free and plentiful laundry, super clean bathrooms, free bike rentals, a dog park (which we don’t need, of course), and social events. We didn’t take part in all of those amenities, but they were just right.

Also, while we were there, there was a strong wind. We were on a floating dock where the wind hit us head on. The dock bounced a LOT. I get motion sickness, but I’ve only needed to medicate three times on our Loop: during the Gulf crossing, on the way back from the Bahamas, and while safely tied up to the floating dock at Brunswick. That particular dock with that particular wind direction and speed made for a bumpy couple of days. The other days were blissfully smooth. It was just that particular combination of circumstances that made it a great day to do laundry…off the boat. The other docks where the wind was blocked by our dock and the boats on it were fine.

Also, I love this adorable town with all it’s nice shops.