7 minute read
ELITE RETREAT
Chuck Bargeron, Tybee Islander and Worrell 1000 director of research and development.
The race has gone through many iterations over the decades. Early on, there were three team members (two on the boat at a time), and they sailed continuously. “After 24 hours, one sailor would come off and another would come on, but they would sail day and night and end up doing the race in about four days,” Bargeron says.
As the race grew and began getting sponsors, the format became racing to one destination each day and then staying there overnight. Now, it is a 13-day race (12 legs plus a lay day on Tybee), with each race day beginning at 10 a.m. and sailors racing until they get to the day’s check point.
“It’s a Le Mans start off the beach,” explains Bargeron. “When the red fl ag comes down and the horn sounds, they all take off at the same time. Ground crews and the race offi cials then go to the next check point and set up what’s called the gate — two fl ags at the edge of the water creating an imaginary line. As the sailors come through that, we record their times.” Everyone is racing the clock, because the winner is determined by who has accumulated the least time by the end of the race.
The goal is to go fast, but carefully. And though no one wants a broken boat or bone, the mantra extends beyond self-preservation: Since the race’s beginnings, the Worrell 1000 has remained committed to environmental stewardship. Participants organize beach cleanups as they pass through each beach, and they help to mark and preserve sea turtle nests, following all the proper guidelines so as not to disrupt nesting and hatching (the race takes place during nesting season).
If you missed it this year, take heart and mark your calendars for the Worrell 1000’s 50th anniversary, coming to Tybee in May 2024. It’ll be worth the wait — you can bet on it.
Sailboats fall in line on the beach near 14th Street on Tybee Island for a short rest before setting sail again.
The stop on Tybee Island provides an opportunity for maintenance and adjustments to the boats.
EliteRetreat
Jekyll Island celebrates 75 years as “a playground for every Georgian”
Written by TIARA HODGES
At the turn of the 20th century, Jekyll Island became a coveted winter retreat for New York’s wealthy elite. The Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Pulitzers, Astors and more built immodest cottages along the riverside of the island as members of the private Jekyll Island Club. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, from January to the end of March, wealthy northern families descended onto Jekyll each year. In those 90 days out of the year, perhaps the world’s largest concentration of affluence and wealth were located upon 240 acres of this discreet Georgia island.
IN 1947, THE STATE purchased Jekyll Island and the historic Clubhouse from the Jekyll Island Club under the authority of then-Governor Melvin Ernest Thompson, and for 75 years the island has been open to the public.
“Jekyll Island is every bit today a ‘playground for every Georgian’ as it was envisioned to be in 1947 by former Governor M.E. Thompson,” says Alexa Hawkins, Jekyll Island Authority director of marketing and communications. “There are few destinations along the southeastern coast, and arguably within the state, that offer extensive natural recreation coupled with a variety of modern accommodations and amenities for all ages.” Plus, the island balances conservation, history and culture with recreation, all just 90 minutes from Savannah — making it ideal for a laidback, family-friendly summer getaway.
For the best views of the ocean, The Westin provides rooms and suites right on the beach. Fine dining is just downstairs at The Reserve, an oceanfront steakhouse that serves up the best cuts and quality seafood options, along with floor-to-ceiling windows that look over the walkway to the Atlantic. Next door to The Westin is Eighty Ocean at Jekyll Ocean Club, another dining option where patrons can enjoy a drink or small plates at the expansive bar.
Daily trolley tours of Jekyll’s historic district from The Mosaic, Jekyll Island’s museum, illuminate the island’s long history. Knowledgeable guides and the museum’s gallery take guests through the land’s timeline — from the lives of the Timucuan and Guale, the original inhabitants of the land, to European arrivals and the slave trade that brought Africans to Jekyll, through the Civil War, the Gilded Age and World War II, right up to present day.
On the historic tours, visitors learn dinner-party facts about the idyllic retreat that are sure to impress: the island was the site of Georgia’s first brewery; the first transcontinental phone call took place at the Jekyll Island Clubhouse to San Francisco; and the island, named for Sir Joseph Jekyll, was misspelled as Jekyl with one “L” by the Clubhouse and the state of Georgia for decades. Perhaps one of the more memorable facts is that once Jekyll Island Clubhouse members all but abandoned their homes on the island for other vacation spots, and before the state took over, locals “borrowed” items from the wealthy’s deserted cottages. Some light fixtures, furniture, fine china and other items went missing in the 1940s with a few of these pieces recently making their way back by way of the borrowers’ descendants. (Jekyll Island gladly accepts the returns — no questions asked.)
The historic gates still greet visitors today as they arrive on Jekyll Island. Here’s a glimpse at what they looked like in 1950.
The historic downtown’s quaint shops have local merchandise and goodies, and the grab-and-go restaurants are a few steps away from other sites such as Faith Chapel, constructed in 1904 as a nondenominational place of worship for club members. The church continues to hold services and, on occasion, weddings. And, given the Lowcountry location, opportunities to connect with nature abound. At the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, a rehabilitation, research and education center, guests can watch turtle feedings by the staff and educators on-site. About four miles north of the historic downtown, Driftwood Beach feels like another world, off ering a one-of-a-kind photo op where large, weathered trees stud the beach along a rocky shoreline. Visitors can easily park and enter the beach from multiple access points through short, tree-covered paths.
“While Jekyll Island is most notable for its Gilded Age historical milestones like the ideation of the Federal Reserve, the state era set in motion extensive goals for conservation, preservation and public access for all,” Hawkins shares. A jaunt to Jekyll off ers an inviting mix, she says, of “serenity and discovery.”
Pit Stop
St. Simons Island, the Golden Isles’ largest barrier island, is a short, 30-minute drive from Jekyll Island with plenty to see and do.
PLAY
St. Simons Lighthouse Museum, Cannon’s Point Preserve, Christ Church, World War II Home Front Museum, East Beach, Gascoigne Bluff, Fort Frederica National Monument
STAY
The Park, The Cloister at Sea Island, King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort, The Grey Owl Inn
SHOP
Cloth + Label, Tibi, Redfern Village, Butler’s Stash, Shops at Sea Island, Anderson Fine Art Gallery, Bailey Boys
EAT
Porch, Sal’s Neighborhood Pizzeria, Cafe Frederica, Southern Soul Barbeque, Dulce Dough Donuts & Bakery, Palmer’s Village Cafe
