Cumberland

 Hi all,

Ron and I spent 3 nights at Cumberland and it was a great place. Untrammeled beaches, wild horses, spanish moss draped over massive live oak trees, and capped off by being anchored next to a Carnegie mansion. 

Unfortunately, there may be trouble in paradise as an area of deteriorating weather near Puerto Rico threatens to become a tropical storm and head this way. Over the last couple of days I have been looking at options and have settled on the one that is least bad. I thought about going back north to Brunswick but figured the chances of my getting a good slip there were zero. Plus, I would have had to negotiate St Andrews Sound which will become untenable as the easterly swells build. Most of the anchorages in this area are really exposed if there is a big tidal surge and would be susceptible to increased wave action. That would be the situation at St Marys where I have anchored before. I needed to get Ron to an airport and so I decided on Fernandina Beach. We came over here this morning and managed to get a city mooring. Probably the best solution to handle strong, changing winds and tidal currents. White Seal has excellent bronze chocks that keep chafing to a minimum. Protection from NE thru SE is excellent. Other directions I would rate as fair. Biggest concern would be other boats breaking loose and running into White Seal. Hopefully it won't come to that. At this time it sounds like a run of the mill gale but I will certainly be monitoring it and taking precautions. According to the weather people this potential storm is quite out of character for this time of year. But there it is, and here I am, so I will make the best of it!

Cheers, Charlie