In Search of Blue Crab

If you know Shelley, you know her passion for good food. Most of our vacations, whether to the Caribbean or to Europe, she is in search for wonderful food that you cannot find at most restaurants. Yesterday after weeks of searching on the internet, she hit a gold mine. Its called the Sunbury Crab Co. and Marina in Sunbury, Georgia.

Its not an easy place to find. By road its 10 miles east of I-95 where the road ends at the shoreline. From the water, you take a left turn off the ICW and go west from marker #116 up the Medway River. Now my chart covers only the Intercoastal Waterway. So I as captain of the ship, am stressing a bit as we venture into unknown waters, that had one marker right off the ICW, but then you are on your own for 6 miles up the river.

Thankfully, my Raymarine chartplotter had the depths of the river I should follow and Shelley had an internet site that described how you weaved your way from one side of the river to the other to stay in deep water. I am pleased to say we made it, and it was way worth it. Way.

This place reminds me of those out of the way beach restaurants you would find scattered around the Caribbean, that are very eclectic and run by unique individuals who love being off the grid. They are way off the grid here in Sunbury, and they love it. We had the freshest and best blue crab for dinner last night, along with fried oysters, and barbequed shrimp. All of which they caught earlier that day by the husband of the proprietor and her sons. Simply fabulous, and what fun people. Elaine runs this place and she met us at the dock to help us tie up. Shelley had been talking to her on the cell phone to give us extra guidance to her dock in a 4 knot current. Once securely tied, she escorted us up to the restaurant at the end if the dock for a beer (which she joined with us) a cigarette (which she and Shelley enjoyed), and local lore. Basically we got her entire life story in a half hour. Very nice lady.

The food was fabulous so we knew we would have to somehow find a way back to this place. I just didn't think it would be tonight. But here we sit. Its 11:30 am and we are still at the dock while this line of severe thunderstorms threaten us from the west. This is the same storm that hit Oklahoma with tornadoes Thursday, and Alabama on Friday. So for the first day in two weeks, we are sitting. Yikes!!! This is hard.

The reward is making a good weather judgement, even though right now it still looks fine, but then being able to eat ashore one more time tonight. I just met Elaine's husband and her son as they were headed out in their crab boat for fresh Blue Crabs!!

The moral of this story is slow down, smell the roses, taste the wonderful blue crab, and avoid tornadoes. Nuff said. Marc