Great Loop: The Ruins of Cumberland

Day 38: February 24, 2023

We’ve arrived in Georgia!

To maximize the day, we decided to get up at sunrise. That allows us to get the 4.5 hours of travel in and still have time to explore Cumberland Island. The charts showed that it was a half hour faster to travel on the outside (ocean) and the weather was good, so we headed out into the Atlantic as the sun was rising. Going on the outside in good weather is nice. The autopilot is set on straight for a few hours and there is less stress with traffic, windy rivers, and the water is much deeper.

After the trip we anchored next to Cumberland Island. Cumberland Island is home to the Dungeness Ruins. Dungeness is a ruined mansion that was donated by the Carnegie family and is now a national park. The ruins area is a vast estate where the family started on the island before each Carnegie child built their own mansions nearby. Unfortunately, the ruins exist because of a fire in 1959 that destroyed most of the house. It was fun seeing all the workings of an estate from the early 1900s and the beautiful island and grounds there.

Fun side note: In St. Augustine the trolley tour guide was super excited to tell us about the palm tree growing in the middle/top of the fork of Old Senator, a 600-year-old tree and longest-living resident of the town. However, we found a live oak growing around a full-size live palm! Check it out below and find the hidden climber.

The national park has a nice trail system and one of them leads to a neat and large beach. We took some time exploring the trails and walking down the beach.

Another interesting quirk of Cumberland Island is the wildlife. The island is home to many wild horses that can be easily seen wandering around the ruins and trails as well as the beach (see above). Careful where you step! We also spotted five armadillos along our way through the island and trails.