" When Pigs Fly"

Last shots leaving St. Augustine

OK we have made it to Savannah, GA! This in its self is another milestone. We are now in our 5^th guide book and AICW charts, and our 3^rd Garmin disc.

The trip was pretty mundane except for making two wrong turns and over estimating how far we could go in one day. The first wrong turn was made while we were trying to find Golden Isle Marina in the Frederica River; the second was trying to leave it. The turn going in cost us about 5 miles each way so a little over an hour. Luckily for us we were really close to the marina with still a lot of daylight left.

We opted not to get fuel that evening since we planned to run on the outside the next day and I figured we would have an ample surplus. However the next day the forecast for the coast predicted seas 4-6’ and a 20 MPH wind, so we declined that excitement and decided to stay on the inside and live with the moderate chop of the AICW. Knowing we were adding some distance we decided to fuel up before leaving that morning. 

The charts showed a land mass that we needed to go around to pass under a bridge. As we left the marina I could see the bridge and a large island so off we went. Only problem is it was the wrong bridge and the wrong island. This bit of poor navigation cost us about 2 hours. Along with the fuel stop we were running about 3 hours later than originally planned. This may not sound too bad, what’s 3 hours you say? Well 3 hours in this part of our journey is the difference between sleeping tied to a marina or anchored somewhere in a tidal pool.

Low tide

The tide changes here are so massive that your boat could be setting the next morning in 1’ or less of water when you originally anchored in 11’.  I have to say I had my head up my butt on both wrong turns but in my defense the ATONs markers are few and far between in that area of the river. Sometimes you only get a single red or green which really taxes your memory on what side you’re suppose to pass.

Shrimp Boat

We battled huge deer flies as we cruised through the marsh land.  This is the death toll after the first couple of hours.  We finally activated our shields and closed up the boat.  

Georgia's marsh lands

So with our poor start in the morning I consulted the charts and found a marina we could run to in the cruising time available. The only disadvantage was Sunbury Marina is 7 miles up a river the wrong direction, but as they say, any port in a storm. We decided it wasn’t going to be too bad though because they advertised a restaurant on site that served crab and shrimp right off the boat. As luck would have the restaurant is closed on Monday/Tuesday.  You guessed it, this was Tuesday.  Kinda par for the day. We managed to find dinner on the boat. It’s amazing what Anna can do with peanut butter.

Elaine, the owner came down to help us tie up and made us feel at home.  Although the restaurant was closed she invited us up for a beer.  We declined knowing we had things to do and we didn’t want to impose on her day off.  Anna commented “this marina was sort of like being on anchor with electricity”. The place was kind of rustic.  We were their only guests for the night and maybe their only guests for quite some time. Their water had a strong floral smell and came from an old green hose that was about 250’ long. Most marinas have water in the pedestal where you hook up to your power but it seems that their plumbing was in poor shape and as soon as one leak was fixed another developed so the long hose was their fix. It was a quiet spot though and we enjoyed the evening. 

Sunrise at Sunbury Marina.  The dolphin is fishing for breakfast

Shrimp boat heading out 

Sunbury Marina

We left Sunbury Marina the next morning later than we normally would have; there is a spot we had to cross called, “Hell’s Gate”. It’s a tidal cut between two sections of land that used to be joined.  Now there is a very small amount of shallow water separating them. Our goal was to be here at slack tide or at the start of the rising tide and hopefully no wind. Well I hit the slack tide right on the button. I now have my navigational skills back! But the wind was really blowing off our stern. It took both of us to navigate the Hell’s Gate. Anna watched the depth gauge, and I kept my eye on the range markers. Most of the depth was in the low fives but we saw 4’9” for just a second. We need 4’ to stay afloat so that’s close.

Once through Hell’s Gate our friendly autopilot, Otto meandered us up the Little Ogeechee River at a very slow pace, since it’s an idle speed only manatee zone, all the way to Isle of Hope Marina in Savannah. We are now tied securely to the dock.

We rented a car and returned to St Augustine to pick of the truck on Thursday. Friday was a mellow day that started with a special treat.  I had spied a Krispy Kreme store the night before and we made an early morning run for some hot ones!  They melted in our mouths just like we remembered.  We spent the rest of the day securing provisions, doing laundry and other chores.  Ended the day with grilled hotdogs and shrimp on the barbie.

Enjoying the waters around Isle of Hope Marina

Full Moon and the beginning of  Memorial Day weekend

Today, Saturday looks to be an adventure day of old forts, old houses, and huge oak trees covered in moss. We hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day Weekend I know we will.

Sea ya on the water