SUNBURY CRAB COMPANY

On Feb.22,1862, the 110 ton brigantine Standard sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia with a crew of 10 and  cargo that included boots, medicine, barrels of fish, fish oil, gun powder, and other various articles.  Their papers cleared them for Mexico but they were really headed for the Georgia coast in an attempt to run the Union blockade.  Two days out they encountered gale force winds in the North Atlantic that lasted for two weeks, blowing them off course 1,000 miles east.  They then enjoyed 10 days of smooth sailing while they patched the ship before 5 days of hurricane force winds came out of the East.  The sails were lowered again, the pilot was tied with rope to the wheel, and everyone held tight to a 100 ft surfboard in 15 ft waves.  All the clothes and bedding were soaking wet and provisions had washed overboard. Drinking water was kept under lock and key with every man issued a half pint a day.  By late March they crossed the Gulf Stream and discovered their position as slightly south of Fernandina Florida.  They crept up the coast with an eye out for gun boats looking for a place to race in to safety.  The navigator on board, a river pilot from Savannah, mistook their position for Darien, but they were actually off the North end of Blackbeard Island where the boat ran aground.  Suddenly exposed, the crew loaded cargo in the lifeboat and made as many trips to the island as possible.  The next day, April 1, the ship came free and most of the cargo was reloaded.  Still thinking they were in Doboy sound, the life boat explored the river to Darien.  It was actually Todd Creek that ran dry after several miles of rowing.  Serious intervention was required to keep some crew members from killing the navigator.  Winding through the marsh on high tide, they came into Johnson Creek and found a house on the South end of St. Catherine’s Island.  It was occupied by slaves escaped from the mainland who fed them and gave them their bearings.  Now it was back to the ship which had also pulled in behind St. Catherine’s to hide.  It was decided to come up the North Newport to try and find a place to unload.  Melon Bluff (so named because of all the melons shipped from there) was far enough inland to be out of sight of the blockaders (Melon Bluff is visible looking east from I-95).  The cargo was driven by oxcart 12 miles to McIntosh (station #3 on the Savannah- Gulf Railroad) where it was loaded on a train to an auction house in Savannah.  The morning paper of April 14 had a listing of the Standard’s cargo that was to be auctioned off at a commission house on Bay Street.  A possible reason the ship was able to slip the Blockade was the concentration of Union assets that attacked Fort Pulaski on April 10.  Makes me wonder what they would think of us for keeping our boat in the garage all winter.

 

Brett Barnard and his ‘HitMan Blues Band’ covers Sunday Music this week….

March2, Midway All-Stars…..March9, Ambrosious.

Sunbury Crab will open Monday, March 17 at 5pm

 

When you find yourself furious at the injustice of the ice dancing judges or your emotions on edge over who’s going to win the Westminster Dog Show…it’s time for Spring Training and the Daytona 500.