It was a hot, humid and overcast travel day heading toward Brunswick Landing Marina and, on top of that, the bugs were sticking to almost everything on the fly bridge, including my sunglasses which was making it extremely difficult to navigate. Thank God it was less than a two hour trip to our temporary home port for the next few weeks. After pulling up to the gas dock, I hardly waited for the stern line to be secured before I jumped off the boat and headed into the air conditioned bug-free marina office. The day took a positive turn when the dock master told us that the county had just sprayed to calm the relentless mosquitoes that had infested the area over the last week, we were given a slip assignment docked right next to Siesta and the beer keg was chilled and waiting for our arrival. Rob and Rhonda were visiting family and would not be arriving back to the marina for a few days, so we settled in and walked up to the boater’s lounge. Filling up a glass with an ice cold PBR, I headed off to the shower laughing about how I thought the last time I would ever be voluntarily indulging in a PBR was under quarantine in the Bahamas. It definitely wasn’t the first time something in 2020 shocked me and, the way things were shaping up, it surely would not be the last.
Another perk at the marina that almost topped the free beer, was the free laundry facility. And as I always said, I never missed the opportunity to have clean sheets and towels especially when I do not have to scrape together a mound of quarters to take care of a few extra loads. On this occasion I even threw in a set of curtains as an added bonus to freshen up the salon.
Taking a walk through the streets of downtown Brunswick there was a wide variety of storefronts ranging from a distillery, a brick oven pizza joint, and a pool hall to an upscale eatery (with a hidden speakeasy), a sushi restaurant and a brewery opening in a week. We wandered into the distillery to take a peak, but were left standing awkwardly at a barrel 6 feet from other patrons with our masks on listening to a speech about the establishment not allowed any samples compliments of the pandemic. Emerging out onto the street, we grabbed an outside table at Tipsy McSway’s for lunch. It was a pleasant reprieve to be breathing in the fresh air, enjoying a cold drink and some tasty chicken nachos, while watching people taking advantage of such a beautiful day. Back at the marina we introduced ourselves to Glynn and Beverly who just arrived aboard Nauti Leana. As Duane and Glynn were discussing their grand projects for our respective boats during the time we all would be idling in Brunswick, I was given a tour of their abode by Beverly. They were a lovely and energetic couple and, after a few hours, we invited them over to our boat to reciprocate the hospitality. Deciding on a change of scenery, we walked up to the boater’s lounge to investigate the happenings at happy hour around the keg. To our dismay and shock, the lounge was closed ( so no access to the keg) and a makeshift sign was affixed to the door stating that a boater residing on one of the docks had tested positive for the virus so the public area was closed for at least two weeks. We heard rumors over the next few days that the boater never even used the facilities. Regardless of that fact, the lounge never reopened the whole rest of our stay. Dejected, we walked back our boats and I seasoned up a rotisserie chicken and threw it into the instant pot. The evening ended on an upswing as the experimental meal was absolutely delicious so we drowned our sorrows in the delectable poultry…and of course some rum.
The next morning we hightailed over to the Farmer’s Market in the Town Square purchasing an assortment of cookies, homemade peanut butter, fresh fruit and tomatoes, and deviled crabs. Bev and Glynn joined us for lunch at Tipsy McSway’s and Glynn filled us in on his interesting evening at the hidden speakeasy behind the upscale restaurant, Reid’s Apothecary. Named “The Study,” patrons were required to call after a certain time and obtain the password for entry for that evening. Intrigued, we made plans to venture over after dinner. The password was more like a phrase and it took all four of us to remember the exact words once we made the phone call and the mysterious voice rattled off the sentence and quickly hung up. Walking down a dark alleyway, we knocked on the lone door off to the end of the path and a dark figure slid open a small window and requested the password for entry. Spitting out what we had collaboratively remembered, the window slammed shut. Startled for a moment thinking that this was the last we would see of the gentleman behind the door, I turned to Duane about to suggest going to another bar when we heard the lock click and the door flung open. The bar was very eclectic and the decor an abundance of red velour and gold fixtures. There was a one man band playing jazz in the corner and we settled in on the plush couches off to the side with a perfect view of all the action. Feeling very much in the moment, Glynn ordered a whisky on the rocks and the rest of us each ordered an Old Fashioned. We would definitely have to bring Rob and Rhonda here when they returned in two days.
The Saharan Dust had been getting significantly thicker the last two days. The cloud was hanging low, and though it resulted in spectacular sunsets, the dust, combined with the intense heat and humidity, made it relatively unbearable to sit outside for long periods of time. There was not much going on in town and we had experienced all the significant hot spots over the last few days. Couple that with the intense heat, we were discussing going home for a 4th of July visit. The end of the trip was creeping up and we thought it would be nice to get the house in order for our return and also get some weight off the boat for the remainder of our travels. Duane was still left with a bad taste in his mouth over the abrupt closure of the lounge and the end to all social activities at the marina, so Covid was definitely putting a damper on things as of late.
The following night we had a pot luck BBQ on the dock with Bev and Glynn. Rob and Rhonda arrived back from visiting family in Indiana just in time for dessert. We had rented a car and were going to depart for home in three days so it would give us a chance to catch up. The next day was full of activity. Alan, Kim and Mia arrived at the marina early and we chilled for a bit and had drinks and appetizers before heading to Indigo Shanty for an early dinner. It was one of the best Mexican meals I have had in a long while even though the service was less than stellar. Kim and Mia left soon after dinner and Alan joined in on the rest of the evening shenanigans as we stopped by Tipsy McSway’s for after dinner cocktails and then moved on to Bardelous to play some pool where the bartender tempted us with our first taste of mead in a Viking cup. In the morning, Alan drove us to get the rental car before he left for work. Back at the marina, we started loading the car with our cold weather gear and some random spare boat parts I hadn’t seen in the whole 11 months we had been away. No wonder why we traveled at a snail’s pace. Taking a break, Rhonda and I headed off to Arte Pizza for lunch and look at the few shops that were open. It was the grand opening of the brewery, but the line was tremendous so we would have to venture over again once we returned to town next week. We relaxed the rest of the evening and packed up some last minute things as we were departing at 4am to begin the 16 hour ride home. While we were gone, the bottom of the boat was scheduled to be cleaned so, I was hoping that, combined with the hundreds of pounds we had packed in the car, would give us at least an extra 3 miles an hour of speed (wishful thinking of course).
The ride home was tedious, but uneventful. Driving up to the house, it was hard to believe we had been gone for so long. Covid was now in full swing so we weren’t sure what to expect as we heard things were much different up North. We had an amazing homecoming “social distancing” with family and friends. We had people over for barbecues and outdoor bone fires and we met those who were able to for dinner a few nights in town. It was great to see familiar faces we had missed for so long. The first few days home I spent unpacking boxes stored away in the basement and attic getting us all settled in. It was going to be a big transition for me as I went straight from the city, to the boat and was now going to be thrust into life in the country. The week went by quickly and it seemed like we were back on the boat in the blink of an eye.
Upon our return, we decided to keep the rental car for an extra day and took a ride to the fishing town of Darien. We had an amazing seafood lunch at Skipper’s Fish Camp on the water and strolled into Horse Creek winery where we were pleasantly surprised by the selection and ambiance. We indulged in frozen slushie wine cocktails to cool us off on the hot afternoon and also to sufficiently prepare me for yet another marine consignment store. We heard that if we were looking for fresh shrimp, Darien was the best place to be, so we stopped by the docks and were pointed to the yellow pick up truck in the gas station parking lot. Strange storefront, but the truck was the talk of the town. So much so that they were sold out of fresh shrimp when we arrived and directed us to Smith and Sons where we purchased two pounds of fresh off the boat shrimp, crab and some prepared meals. Stopping by Fort George on the way back to the marina, again marveling at the deep embedded history of our country’s evolution so prevalent up the coast, we enjoyed the sunshine and walked around the meticulously groomed landscape.
Today was Rhonda’s birthday, and although the sushi restaurant was closed, we were able to bring pizza from Arte into the newly opened Silverton Brewery for dinner. The new gig in town, the brewery was packed and we thoroughly enjoyed the selection of brews on tap. I had called on our ride back to town for the secret phrase allowing entry into The Study that evening (The paddy wagon is out back) so we headed off down the alley toward the mysterious door. Rob and Rhonda were as impressed as we were at the hidden gem and we had an enjoyable rest of the evening listening to jazz and joking about the fun times we’ve had together since meeting up on the ICW. We would both be leaving in two days…them off in their car to Mindy and Tanner’s house and us pushing north through the ICW toward home.
The next day we were ecstatic that Chris, Lisa and little Winston were making the drive up from Fort Lauderdale to see us for lunch. Sitting outside of Tipsy McSway’s (once again), armed with baby fans to cool us off from the miserable heat, it was great to catch up and see them before we went home. An added bonus was a gift of the best Sinammon (yes that is how they spell it) Rolls I have ever tasted that they picked up for us from Grandy’s. We are so fortunate to have met them on our travels and truly grateful that they have become good friends who we will keep in touch with and definitely plan to meet up with in the future. It was hard for Duane to say goodbye to his little buddy, Winston, as he peaked over the dashboard wagging his tail as they drove off.
After having “farewell drinks for now” with Rob and Rhonda that evening, it was the first time I felt anxious about the impending end of our trip. We hoped to see them up North if they were able to come to visit in the winter. If not, I will be due a warm weather trip sooner than later once the snow started to fall. We were so close to home, I wanted to press rewind and start the trip all over.
With Rob and Rhonda gone and Bev and Glynn still home visiting family, I spent our last day cleaning, doing laundry and filling up all the water jugs as the Captain tended to the anchor light and the solar panels as well as made sure the engines were in tip top shape (well at least one of them). I whipped up a Georgia sweet shrimp dinner to commemorate our memorable time in Brunswick and we turned in early. I was super excited for the sun to rise so we could cast off our lines and continue on to the finish line.
