Wednesday, September 17, 2014 -- A Very Fun Boat Trip

For many of us, this morning’s boat excursion was the highlight of the week.  We took a short bus ride and then boarded the “Lady Jane,” a 60 ft. shrimp boat that has been modified to serve as a unique tourist attraction. 

For about two hours, the boat took us out into the protected inland waters of the St. Simons Sound where the crew “trawled” with their nets along the bottom of the waterways.  The naturalist then emptied the nets onto a special table built on the deck of the boat and identified the many species of underwater life. 

The adventurous among us even got to touch and sometimes hold the creatures – small sharks, horseshoe crabs, a hermit crab hiding in his adopted shell, stingrays, puffer fish, shrimp and a variety of other fish.  The boat trolled three times, so that we could get different creatures as we moved closer to the ocean.  The morning provided us with an up close and personal look at the waters that surrounded us. 

We had one more stop before our morning was complete -- Christ Church, originally constructed in 1820.  After being partially destroyed by Union troops, the church was rebuilt in 1884,  and our guide pointed out the grave markers of early settlers to the island. Unfortunately there was a private service in the church, so we couldn’t go inside.



Following our stop at the church, we returned to the hotel and had the remainder of the afternoon free.  Most of us spent the afternoon enjoying lunch at one of the many local restaurants, shopping, beach walking, or just relaxing.  Andrea and I were joined by Tobi, one of our new Road Scholar friends, and we drove back to the St. Simons Village where we had a delicious lunch at Barbara Jeans.  I couldn’t resist again ordering She Crab Soup and a crab cake sandwich, plus sharing in our group’s desert of “Chocolate Stuff.”  All very yummy!

After lunch, we returned to Christ Church where we were able to view the inside with its beautiful windows windows and rich wooden interior.

 

We also stopped to see some tabby slave cabins (above) and then returned to Fort Frederick.  This time we wandered through the fort grounds, reading the plaques and viewing the ruins of two of the original buildings.  Then it was back to the hotel for dinner and our evening program. 

Michele Nicole Johnson, our evening speaker, originally got involved in the history and culture of Sapelo Island when she was working as a journalist in Charlotte, North Carolina.  She went to the island to interview Cornelia Walker Bailey, one of direct descendents of the Geechee people who were brought as slaves to the barrier island.  Cornelia is the author of God, Buzzard, and the Bolito Man, a memoir that recounts a traditional way of life that is being threatened by change and the modern world.  Michelle met and married one of the island inhabitants and now lives and works on Sapelo.  She was a fascinating speaker who prepared us for our visit to Sapelo on Thursday.