Connecting the dots: from Sapelo to Fernandina

A two-hour drive north by car to Darien, Georgia, and then a short ferry ride will take you to Sapelo Island. This is an unspoiled sea island in the chain of sea islands that stretches along the Southeast coast. The sparsely populated island’s residents are of Gullah Geechee heritage and live in a village called Hogg Hummock (Hog Hammock.) They are descendants of West African slaves who worked on the plantation there. Because of its isolation, the language, customs and traditions from Africa have been retained and passed down. They have an annual Cultural Day to celebrate this heritage, demonstrate crafts and skills, and bring together descendants, friends and families. It was held last Saturday, Oct. 19. 

This bright and beautiful day was marred by tragedy at 4:30 pm. The aluminum gangway from the dock to the ferry suffered a catastrophic failure, cracked and broke in half, and sent 20 of the 40 people on it into the rushing river water. Those in the water were in danger of being swept out to sea as they tried to scramble to safety and help each other survive. People on the shore did all they could to help. Many agencies rushed to the scene. Still, seven of the 20 who plunged into the river died and several are still hospitalized. Their ages ranged from 73-93.

All are remembered as vibrant, loving people who gave of themselves to family, friends, church and community. We pause to remember the Sapelo Seven and give thanks for their lives.

Carlotta McIntosh, 93 of Jacksonville.
Jacqueline Crews Carter, 75 of Jacksonville.
William Johnson, Jr., 73 of Atlanta.
Queen Welch, 79, of Atlanta.
Cynthia Gibbs, 74 of Jacksonville.
Isaiah Thomas, 79 of Jacksonville.
Rev. Charles Houston, 77 of Darien.

Many praised the quick response of emergency services and the outpouring of local assistance. Everyone at the festival and on land was and is deeply affected by this tragedy. One witness said, “Everyone knows everyone. Everyone is family. Everyone is feeling the pain and hurt.”

Questions are being asked in the aftermath. Could this have been a preventable tragedy? There are no medical services on the island. A helipad for emergencies was promised but never built. A life flight helicopter had to land in a rutted field. A clinic was slated to open in a former community center, but McIntosh County commissioners leased the building to a restaurant.

There have been many legal battles in recent years trying to get needed repairs and services to this underserved community. One such fight got the dock replaced in 2021. It has been inspected, with the last inspection in September of 2023. Officials say the gangway should have supported the weight of 300 people. Did recent tidal fluctuations due to high stormwater levels affect the integrity of the gangway? Should the same company that built the gangway also inspect it? The Georgia Department of Natural Resources and other governmental agencies will examine these and other issues. Several families have retained counsel.

Not unlike some situations on our island, the trust of residents in government officials was broken before this happened. Now, the pain of long-term hurts and feelings of injustice are raw. An underserved minority on an isolated island is invisible until developers realize the economic potential of an unspoiled coast. Larger lot sizes drive up property taxes and drive away long-term residents who cannot afford to stay. Sapelo is not a national park like Cumberland Island so it does not have the same protections.

One reason I highlight the situation on Sapelo Island is because of an experience I had 11 years ago.

This is Queen Quet, elected monarch of the Gullah Geechee Nation. She is the public voice for her people and their heritage and an advocate for their rights. I took this photo of her in September, 2013 and I am proud she displays it on her website. She was in Fernandina for a ceremony on the shore by Plaza San Marcos in Old Town at the site where slave ships used to dock. There is now an historic marker there.

I will not forget that ceremony. The Peck Ensemble sang. Queen Quet, led us down the embankment as the ensemble sang, “Wade in the water, children.” The Queen said prayers in the Gullah Geechee dialect and started the ritual of tossing 50 white carnations into the river representing the 50 African nations from which enslaved persons were brought to our shores to work on the plantations of the sea islands. They had specific skills in growing crops in similar environments.

I held my carnation. It was a long-stemmed flower, but it felt heavy in my hand. As each carnation was tossed in the water and it drifted away with the current, Queen Quet struck the ground with her stick, jangling the shells and cymbals on it. One per nation. There goes the flower. There went that nation. Those who died in the middle passage. Those who were sold separately from their families. Those whose names will be lost to history.

I could not, I cannot, imagine the middle passage, the dislocation from family and home and language and culture. Those carrying forward the legacy of the Gullah Geechee people need our support, encouragement and advocacy. And right now, they need our heartfelt sympathy for their tragic losses.