Cruising World - February 2016

UNDERWAY

22

cruisingworld.com

L

ast November marked

the 15th annual Cruis-

ers’ Thanksgiving cele-

bration, hosted by St. Marys,

Georgia, residents for those

heading south.

The gathering is held at

the Riverview Hotel, which

has been in the Brandon fam-

ily since 1920. Jerry and his

wife, Gaila, have graciously of-

fered up the hotel since the

event’s inception. As Jerry tells

it, back in 2001 a storm blew

through, forcing several boats

to seek refuge in the harbor.

That night in Seagle’s Saloon,

the hotel’s pub, the sailors

asked if there might be a

restaurant open for a Thanks-

giving meal. Sadly, there was

not.

Southern hospitality being

what it is, however, several of

the local residents at the pub

offered to share their holi-

day turkeys and hams that

night, and the sailors agreed

to bring side dishes. Since the

hotel restaurant was closed on

Thanksgiving, the Brandons

said they would open up the

room so they could all meet

there for dinner.

The gathering grew slowly

by word of mouth, helped by

the fact that many cruisers’

boat insurance requires them

to be north of Florida until

December 1. (The border is

about 5 miles away.)

This year’s event drew 108

cruisers and 58 locals for a to-

tal of 166 guests. There were

57 boats, 28 of which were an-

chored in the harbor; another

nine were on the hard, and

the rest were in marinas.

The various events ran

over five days, with nightly

gatherings at Seagle’s Saloon,

including an oyster roast on

Wednesday. For more infor-

mation, or to RSVP to the

2016 Cruisers’ Thanksgiving,

visit the Riverview Hotel’s

website (riverviewhotelst

marys.com). — David Gillespie

CRUISERS’

THANKSGIVING

October 23, 2015

March 6, 2016

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Every year, southbound sailors gather in St. Marys, Geor-

gia, for a Thanksgiving feast at the Riverview Hotel. Other

events during the holiday week include a swap meet, pot-

luck and nightly gatherings. DAVID GILLESPIE