Protecting Wassaw Since 1898: Days 2-4

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Protecting Wassaw Since 1898

Description: On our second day during May Term, the group went to Sea Kayak Georgia. Once the group got kayaks, we kayaked through Jack’s Cut (a marshy area) and headed towards the Atlantic Ocean. Once the group got to Beach Hammock, we set up our tents where we would camp for the next two days. On the second day, the group kayaked to Wassaw Island (a national wildlife refuge) which was two miles from our campsite. Marsha, our kayak guide, gave us a tour of the island and gave us a history lesson on the old Coast Guard base that was stationed on the island. Once the group got back to Beach Hammock, we witnessed Horseshoe Crabs mating on the beach. We stayed two nights on Little Tybee Island and once we got back to Tybee Island, the group had kayaked a total of about twenty miles.

Reflection: When I first learned that we were kayaking, I thought the trip would be easy and the first eight mile trek was easy for most of the trip. However, the trip did tire me out because all my energy was gone with the lack of experience. The second day was by far the most difficult day of kayaking because the group had to kayak across open waters in the Wassaw Sound shipping lane along with the extremely choppy waves. Two of the group members, Ryan and Graves, flipped out of their kayaks. Graves flipped out multiple times but finally made it to the island with the help of Dr. Deal and Marsha. The tour of Wassaw Island and the history lesson really enthralled me. I loved the history of the old Coast Guard base and I decided I am going to make my first speech about the history of the station. On the way back to Beach Hammock however, I flipped out of my kayak but was close enough to the shore that I did not panic. I learned that Mother Nature can, and does, display her dominance in nature.

Analysis: The history lesson about the Coast Guard station that Marsha gave the group really interested me because the station on Wassaw Island was key to protecting the Georgia coast during the Spanish-American War. The Coast Guard station at the north end of Wassaw Island was built in 1898 by civilians under the command of Second Lieutenant Henry Sims Morgan of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and named Fort Morgan in his honor. The fort was the largest fortification built in Georgia specifically for the Spanish-American War. Fort Morgan is one of two buildings built on Wassaw Island since colonial times; however, the fort is now threatened by erosion and the high tides of Georgia (Sherpa Guides.) Overall, Fort Morgan really intrigued me when Marsha gave the group the brief lesson about the fort and I will continue to study and research more of the forts importance to the coast line of Georgia.