Back to Brunswick, GA 10/26/16 –
11/24/16
Miles Today: 0 NM
Total
Miles: 298.6 NM
“A Hurricane Hole” Have you heard that term before? We learned about it when negotiating our boat
insurance. If we wanted to stay below latitude 31° during hurricane season, we not only faced a larger premium
but the deductible went way up if we didn’t have the boat in a marina/anchorage
that was designated a ‘hurricane hole’.
Brunswick is above the 31st parallel, so we dodged the higher
premium and deductibles. However, if you
want to protect your boat from hurricanes, no matter the insurance coverage,
it’s smart to find a safe harbor.
Brunswick Landing Marina is considered a hurricane hole – and, boy, were
we glad it is!
There hasn’t been a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane since
2007. There we were enjoying a beautiful Colorado fall while preparing to
return to Bazinga. Enter: Hurricane Matthew. Glued to the weather reports and hearing dire
warnings that winds would top 100 mph, we hoped and prayed that Brunswick and Bazinga would be spared. There’s also the worry of tides. In Georgia, the tides can vary as much as 8
feet. The floating dock to which you are
tied will rise and fall 8 feet twice a day.
The cement stanchion on which the docks ride up and down is tall enough
to handle this. And it’s very nice
because the dock always stays an easy step away from the boat, rather than
having to use a ladder to climb up the 8 feet to get on board! But if there is
a high tide and a storm surge, the dock can float right up and over the
cement stanchion and away go all the boats – crunch, crunch, good-bye.
We were very lucky. The storm hit before high tide and the wind gusts were less than 70mph. Someone who stayed at the marina said the docks came within 2 feet of the top of the stanchions. If the storm had hit at high tide there might have been a different ending. A fellow boater also took a picture of Bazinga the next day and there she was looking very good and still afloat. When we returned, the only damage was to our bike covers – they were reduced to ribbons waving in the breeze.
 |
| The floating dock moves up and down on the wood or cement stanchion, based on the tides. Imagine the dock, with boats attached, rising to 2 feet below the top. Scary. |
 |
| Close-up of the floating dock mechanism |
We had to postpone our flight during Hurricane Matthew and finally returned
to Brunswick at the end of October. We were anxious to do some repairs and
cosmetic fixes that the summer heat had discouraged us from tackling. We also would decide if we wanted to go north
as far as Charleston before we headed back to CO for the holidays. As it turned out, the December and January
temperatures in Charleston are a good deal colder than Brunswick. We were unsure if we had to ‘winterize’
some of the boat systems if we left it Charleston. So, we hung out in Brunswick. It was a productive month - completed some boat projects, discovered some excellent restaurants (Marshside, Basil Thai, Fox's Pizza), spending time with Jim's sister and the Jax family and enjoying some sightseeing.
 |
| Hanover Park, near downtown Brunswick. Statue is dedicated to Civil War Veterans. |
 |
| Christ Church, St. Simons Island, GA. One of the oldest churches in GA. Worship has been continuous in Christ Church Parish since 1736. The church was built in 1820. After being badly damaged by Union Troops, the church was rebuilt in 1884. Shipbuilders constructed the new church, all in wood and resembling an inverted ship's hull, denoting the ship of faith. |
 |
| Unsigned Tiffany stained glass window |
 |
| Beautiful moss draped old oaks |
 |
We had someone share this map with us back in July. The cooler weather encouraged us to
follow the route on our bikes. We had a great ride if we didn't stop too long - the mosquitos were out in force! |
 |
| Lover's Oak - flourishing since 1776 |
 |
| More boat projects - cleaning the shower sump pump. |
 |
| Cool enough to finally BBQ on the back deck |
