11/25/2015 - 11/28 Cumberland Is

11/25/15   To  30 45.979N,    81 28.284W    Cumberland Island Sea Camp Anchorage    37.1NM

Going down the Brunswick River with the current was easier than going up the day before, even if it wasn't flowing any where near as fast.  With the tide up, there was plenty of water behind Jekyll Island, however, having gone through at low tide, we were well aware of how little depth there would be if we strayed too far out of the channel.  Running aground at high tide would make for a very bad day! As suspected, it was up hill until we reached the little jog in the channel - it's almost like there is a magical place where it becomes suddenly downhill.

Wind 24.2kts, Speed (thru the water) 3.5kts. Speed over the ground 7.2kts thru 3-4' standing seas!

With a stiff NE wind, going through Jekyll Sound and around the shoal in St. Andrews Sound was interesting - 3-4' standing waves thanks to the wind against the current.  Looking at the knot meter, we were barely moving, but were actually doing  7kts over the ground thanks to the current.  Round the shoal and the opposite was true, but it was somewhat less lumpy with the wind and boat going the same direction.  We ran the jib out and sailed.  Our course had the wind switching sides across the stern, and jibing the jib while staying off the shoals was a bit tricky at times in 25 kts of wind.

Looking at the N end of Cumberland Island - Green mark off station - this was the 'smooth' side of St Andrews Sound

We had 2 sail boats ahead of us and heard on the VHF that several were behind us.  I wondered why we didn't see anyone else as we made the turn, and then heard the others decided the Sound looked too rough to cross and had stopped at the conveniently located marina on the S end of Jekyll Island ($2.25/ft).  It appeared we would be the last boat to cross for the day.  Although the forecast was for the wind to continue to blow hard through the weekend, St. Andrews Sound would be easier to run at slack water.  We were glad to have it behind us.

The plan was to go up the Brickhill River and spend some time at Plum Orchard, but a check on Active Captain warning of severe shoaling at the S end of the river scotched that plan.  We should have been able to cross after high tide (8.7' thanks to the spring tide) when we wanted to leave but it would be a real problem if we ran aground, so Leonard vetoed the idea.Instead we headed for our usual anchorage by the Sea Camp dock and set the anchor at 2000 rpm.  Given the NE wind, the anchorage was lumpy, especially when the current held us stern to the wind.  With the big Thanksgiving Party at St. Marys, there weren't a lot of boats in the anchorage, sparing us the concern of someone dragging during the night.

The anchorages in the St Mary river are very crowded on Thanksgiving and there are generally problems with boats dragging. We listened to one unfortunate boater who'd run aground.  It wasn't clear where he was, but it took several hours for the tow boat to get him afloat again.  Given the windy conditions, it wasn't a good day to go aground, especially with a -0.8' low tide making for even skinnier water than normal.

We plan to stay at Cumberland until Sunday, giving us ample time to tour the island.  If the NE wind persists, the anchorage and moorings at Fernandina  Beach will be lumpy too, with the promise if a wet dinghy ride to shore.  Tiger Point is expecting us on Monday and should hopefully have a space on the dock for us before hauling us in Tuesday.

11/26/15    HAPPY THANKSGIVING  from Cumberland Island 

On Thanksgiving Day we went ashore when the current switched, giving us a drier dinghy ride.  With the full moon last night, the morning high tide really was high.

High tide at the Sea Camp dock Thanksgiving morning

The volunteer at the ranger's station warned us that 2 of the board walks were closed for repairs, including the one to the beach.  Since we had to climb over the dunes (usually frowned upon) we were able to take a picture looking across the dunes to the Atlantic.  She also mentioned the swallows were migrating and that we might see them swooping down for a drink by the ruins at Dungeness.

The weather was iffy, windy with the possibility of showers throughout the day, so we decided to walk downwind along the beach to the Dungeness Trail.  The showers caught up with us when we reached the marsh boardwalk, so we didn't spend much time checking out the creek area choosing to wait ut the showers under some of the big live oaks beyond the boardwalk.  We wandered back, through the ruins at Dungeness taking the river walk back to the park dock.

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words, so I'll include some of the interesting highlights we saw on our Thanksgiving day walk.

Panorama looking toward the ocean from the top of a dune (the boardwalk was being repaired)

A cloud of swallows catching bugs in the lee of the island - it was too windy at the beach

Panorama of the Ruins at Dungeness

Some of Cumberland's wild horses 

A live oak entwined around a palm tree

1/27/15 - 11/28/15 Cumberland Island Anchorage Lay Days

The NE wind continued to blow, but we must have adapted to the waves slapping on the stern when the current flowed against the wind, as it  wasn't as noticeable.  The wind was sufficient to keep the batteries charged, but unfortunately they don't generate hot water, and with the skies gray much of the time, the solar shower wasn't a viable option either.  Rather than turning on the engine, we either heated water on the stove or did without, a minor inconvenience.

In spite of the less than stellar weather, it was nice to have time to enjoy the park at our leisure.  A few boats had joined us at the anchorage, but fewer than I'd expected.  Most of the visitors to the park were day trippers, arriving via the ferry from St. Mary's, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves, taking long walks over various trails.  With the possibility of a passing shower at any time, we packed our jackets when we went to shore Friday.  Like carrying an umbrella, it seemed to work and we didn't need them.  With daytime highs in the low 70's, it was comfortable for walking, even in the wind.

A colorful salmon colored mushroom - some of these showed evidence of being part of some critter's diet

Old Man in the Woods black mushroom

Lion's main mushroom

Friday, to avoid waking into the wind on the beach, we took the Parallel Trail through the woods and out to Stafford Beach.  It was an interesting hike, and with the recent showers, a lot of mushrooms had appeared, tucked into the leaf litter from the live oaks.  We read that most of the live oak forest is second growth, as they were heavily harvested back in the era of wooden boats since the twists and turns of the trees were easily turned in to knees and beams.  As Leonard noted, one would be hard pressed to find a long straight plank in the forest.  At one point, much of the island had been cleared for farming, but has gradually reverted to forest.

Needless to say, the wind was still blowing when we reached Stafford Beach, and we were thankful to be walking the 3 miles with the wind at our backs.  Our walk coincided with low tide, providing a long sloping beach with small banks trapping the water in places.  At one point we had a shore bird joining us as we walked - usually the birds fly a short distance ahead as you approach - this one just kept walking along the waves with us.  I think it might have been a willet, but once again our photos don't quite match the pictures in my bird book, perhaps in part due to birds changing into winter plumage.

Friendly bird walking the shoreline with us - possibly a willet

It was a long hike, around 7 miles, by the time we got back to the boat.  I'd started a batch of bread before we'd gone ashore, but hadn't heated the liquids before mixing the dough (trying the slow rise method) and was happy to find all the dough needed was to be punched down, shaped and baked when we got back.  Perfect!  Exercise and fresh bread.

Leonard was in favor of moving down to Fernandina Beach Saturday morning, but after checking at the current charts, agreed to go ashore for another beach walk in the morning.  We beat the 1000 ferry ashore, arriving ahead of the day trippers. Since  rain showers weren't in the forecast and the sun was promising a beautiful day, once the morning haze burned off, there would likely be more visitors.

A colorful starfish - much as I'd have loved to picked him up, I know how stinky they get!

Opting to walk the beach at high tide, we had it almost to ourselves.  While there wasn't as much beach, there was more to see on our walk.  Shells that had been few and far between on our other walks were more numerous as were flocks of shore birds waiting for the water to recede.   We've not seen as many birds as in the past on our walks this year, and I haven't been sure if the numbers are down or our timing off.  With the wind not blowing quite so hard, we walked about a mile past the turnoff for the Dungeness trail before heading back.

I ID'ed this as a Wilson's Plover

Waiting for the tide to recede - Wilsons Plovers and Dunlins perched on 1 leg 

Terns - Royal (orange beak) and Sandwich (black beak) with a couple of gulls

I trust the bird experts will correct any misidentified birds!

As we headed across the island we met a lot of day trippers - I don't ever remember seeing as many visitors in the past!  At the Dungeness dock, a Ranger was leading a large group on a tour of the ruins.  Having just come from there, we didn't join them.  While it was great to see the park so busy, I was glad we'd been able to enjoy the quiet of several less crowded days to explore the island

A Grizzled Mantid on the handrail by the marsh boardwalk

11/24/2015 Brunswick, GA

11/24/15   To 31 09.062N,   81 29.980W    Brunswick Landing Marina    15.8NM

The tide was up in the morning - the park dock was almost awash thanks to a NE wind and spring tides.  Quite a switch from noon yesterday!  We could easily see the boats on the ICW heading S while we ate breakfast.  Wanting to get a bit of a boost our the Frederica River and down to Brunswick Sound, we got underway at 0800.  With lots of water under the keel, there were no worries about the shoal area where the river rejoins the main ICW channel.  And, with the current starting to run, it was a fast trip.

Looking across the marshes to the ICW at high tide

Current flowing downstream at 2.5kts as we approach the suspension bridge at Brunswick

We knew it would be a slog up to the marina, and it was really uphill with the current running 2.5kts downstream as we approached the suspension bridge.  Fortunately we didn't have far to go before we turned off into the channel into Brunswick.  Thanks to it's being a dead end, there is no current, a real plus for docking at the marina. 

Low flying CG helicopter following a small power boat, wasn't clear if it was part of an exercise

The staff at the marina are great.  I'd told the woman we wanted to take on fuel before going to our slip, but I hadn't mentioned doing a pump out.  When we mentioned it as we tied up, she said it would require another docking - not a big deal, but that part hadn't been mentioned on Active Captain.  We had lots of practice docking - really glad there wasn't any current!

I was surprised to see a familiar name on a big trawler when I went into the office - sure enough, it was a'Cappella, the Active Captain vessel, a big Defever trawler in a slip beside the office.  Although we've never left the boat here, the marina is frequently used by boaters for either summer or winter storage.

We were given lots of information about places to eat in town, and upon hearing it was Farmer' Market day, we walked down to check it out.  Unfortunately, unlike at home, the stalls here have veggies bought at market for resale, not grown by the folks at the market.  Not needing much, we got a bag of cracked pecans and a large tomato.  I need to be careful I don't have too much food on hand, always a bit tricky to balance before we leave the boat.  I'd hate to miss a few dinners!

Fountain  and gardens in Hanover Square

Hanover Square in Brunswick

We took a walk through the historic neighborhood, admiring the houses.  Brunswick was another town planned by Oglethorpe with carefully plotted streets and squares.  We stumbled upon Hanover Square, one of the few remaining squares in Brunswick that has retained its original purpose and beauty, preserved by concerned local citizens.  It was a lovely park.

Glynn County Courthouse - county was one of 8 organized in 1777 in Georgia

We saw several of these long-tailed skippers feeding on the pansies

We'd considered riding our bikes to a nearby supermarket (1.8 miles), but after stopping in at the little local market in town I decided I could manage with what we have on hand.  Instead, after lunch Leonard worked on washing the decks while I did some cleaning below decks.  We also took advantage of the opportunity to do a load of laundry and spent some time relaxing and catching up with correspondence.

Brunswick landing Marina main dock - aCappella is the one with the yellow kayak

In the morning, we'll take advantage of the high tide to slip behind Jekyll Island, another tricky shoal area.  With the NE wind still blowing, we'll probably get the decks salty again when we cross Andrews Sound, one that actually has the ICW duck out into the Atlantic before heading behind Cumberland Island.

11/21/2015 - 11/23/15 St Simons Is.

11/21/15   To  31 47.528N,    81 11.933W    Kilkenny Creek Anchorage    29.8NM

One of Hogan Marina's lifts at low tide - an overhead host system

The other, an elevator, for the stack and store boats - at low tide, it's a big drop!

We wanted to wait until after low tide before departing to have rising water 2 hours later to past through Hell Gate, a short, man made cut between the Vernon and Oceehee Rivers.  Once through the Skidaway Narrows, we ran out the jib and shut down the engine.  We found ourselves in the midst of the regatta heading S, albeit somewhat more strung out than they had been on Thursday.  There was a lot of chatter on the VHF about how to run Hell Gate, with depths being reported.  What was interesting was no one we saw so much as ran out a jib in spite of a 10-15kt NE breeze, about as good as you get, and in an area of the ICW where it's possible to sail and not go aground if you misjudge the channel.

We did motor through Hell Gate.  The current was strong enough to easily get taken out of the channel and into trouble.  The shallowest reading we saw was about 9' (MLW 6'). Once beyond R 92 on the Oceehee River, we ran the jib back out and sailed all the way to the anchorage, up Kilkenny Creek a couple of miles, just past the town.  We were joined by 1 other boat who anchored nearby, while 3 others chose to tie up at the  marina. 

Apparently another red hulled sail boat, not part of the group, sailed too - we heard folks complaining he was messing them up by going through Hell Gate under sail.  I don't understand why so few boats don't at least motor sail when the wind is fair.  Conditions were nearly perfect for Antares, fairly consistent wind and flat water (asking for a current boost would be too much). 

The day after beginning mostly sunny turned gray and dreary. While it didn't rain, it looked like it might be at various points on the horizon.  Along with the gray skies, came cooler temperatures which had us back in fleeces and jackets.  According to NOAA, frost would be likely Sunday night many places further W than the immediate coastal area.  The wind would stay out of some northerly quadrant for the next few days while a gale developed offshore and headed up the coast.  There was  mention of seas from 11 - 17' and gusts well into the 30's offshore.  It doesn't appear to be a threat to us in the ICW, a good reason not to venture offshore until things calm down.  At any rate, it was dreary enough to offer minimal photo ops during the day. However, the moon, growing nightly, shown brightly after dark.

Some of the group were headed to Walburg Creek, one of our favorite anchorages, while others who departed at first light, anchored further S.  From the chatter, they appear to be heading to Jekyll Island next, stopping at St. Mary's for the Thanksgiving feast and on to St. Augustine by 12/1, so we're hoping to have less traffic on the ICW soon.

11/22/15   To  31 18.679N,    81 24.516W    Broughton Island Anchorage    46.3NM       

The shoal of the day was the Little Mud River, about a 3 mile, man made cut, running between Doboy and Altamaha Sounds, about 40NM from our anchorage in Kilkenny Creek.  Ideally we'd do it on a rising tide.  With that in mind, we headed out just before 0800, hoping the current wouldn't run uphill all day to prevent us from arriving at the beginning of the cut around 1400.  It didn't - we shot down to St. Catherine's Sound, running under the jib in the N wind.  Needless to say it was uphill once we crossed the sound!  As elsewhere on the ICW, it's difficult to predict when and where the current might switch.

We watched as a sail boat make its way N out of Wallburg Creek, into the sound before turning to head S on the ICW.  Apparently they were concerned about attempting the 7NM shortcut at the other end of Walburg Creek.  Not sure what their draft was, but we heard them on the VHF much of the day, checking on the depths as they headed S.  Their plan was to do the Little Mud River at 1500, almost high tide. 

An interesting current rip line along the ICW where Walburg Creek exits heading S

There was a lot of chatter among the regatta folks about when the best time would be to transit the shoal.  Most of the boats were ahead of us,and it was interesting listening to them plan a strategy when they arrived at the shoal.  The boats with shoal drafts were urged to the front of the line so they could pass through and call back with depths for the next batch.  For a while it sounded like each boat was tiptoeing through, one at a time, leaving me wondering if they'd still be there when we arrived.  Fortunately they weren't, and when we passed through around 1430, there was no problem with the depth (7' of tide does make quite a difference).

The weather was a bit crummy, quite cool and gray, looking like it could sprinkle any time.  Then, when it looked to be clearing, it sprinkled lightly.  We hadn't decided on where to stop for the night, but once past the shoal, stopping at Broughton Island looked to be a good choice. Over the years, we've sat out a blow there, so we knew the holding was good, and there was plenty of room to anchor.  Two boats were already anchored when we arrived, one of which looked to be in the channel.  Sure enough, they relocated after we had our anchor set as the creek is used by the local fishing fleet.

I was a bit surprised to see the sky had completely cleared shortly after we'd settled in for the night.  With a fairly stiff N wind blowing, it promised to be a cold night, and it was, one of the colder ones this trip, with frost forecast inland.  Just before sundown, another boat arrived to join us.

Sundown at the Broughton Island anchorage

11/23/15   To 31 13.319N,   81 23.630W    Ft. Frederica Anchorage    7.0NM

Since we had time and not far to go before reaching Tiger Point, we planned to stop at Fort Frederica on St Simins Island. It's an interesting place with a lot of history. and a nice anchorage.  We heard a number of other boats planning to stop there Sunday night, and figured they'd be heading further S Monday, freeing up the anchorage.  We'd noted a shoal at low tide on the river last April, so planned on taking advantage of the higher water early in the day.  Unfortunately that would mean a low tide around 1300, and we knew from past experience the park dock was inaccessible at low tide. With luck, we might get ashore before the dock area became a mud flat, and could set a stern anchor to prevent the dinghy from wedging under the dock (and oyster shells) when the water rose.

We were surprised to find 5 boats still anchored when we arrived a bit before 1100.  We'd expected they would have taken advantage of the higher water during the early morning hours to cleared the shoal at the other end of the river and behind Jekyll Island. We decided to go ashore while we still could and spend the day, rather than wait until mid afternoon. and only have a few hours before dark.

With lunch in the back pack, we headed to the dock.  Well almost to the dock, stopping  in the mud just short of it.  I managed to grab the ladder and get up, giving Leonard a bit less draft to drop the stern anchor and work his way ashore.  It wasn't the most graceful of landings, but other than Leonard getting muddy hands, we'd made it.  The park ranger watched as we tied up, giving us a warm welcome to the park.  She'd been expecting some the others to come ashore too, but with their dinghies stowed, it didn't look likely.  She mentioned plans for a floating dock to make the park much easier to access from the water, the current ladder is steep and one of the lower steps cracked.

Checking in at the office, we met fellow Vermonters, the Vahlins from Jeffersonville, who volunteer at the park, and for once, although we didn't know them, we have a number of mutual acquaintances.  They are RV liveaboards since retiring, and have been at St. Simons for several months.  They graciously offered to drive us to the store or to do other errands if needed.  We thanked them, but not needing anything but some exercise, we went for a walk. 

While on the walk, we heard and saw a number of birds.  Several were pileated woodpeckers, but they were too quick to catch with the camera. A flock of blue birds were busy catching  bugs in the grass - haven't seen many of them since I was a kid.   I'll include photos of a few did get.

Red-bellied woodpecker

One of a flock of blue birds

Belted kingfisher

We discovered a nice loop, about 5 miles through the Sea Path golf community on an earlier trip, and with a tour of the park on our return, the dinghy would floating nicely by 1530 or 1600, and much easier to access.  It was, although it took some work to remove the mud!  Apparently the other boats departed on the rising afternoon tide, and were gone by the time we returned.  With no one else arriving, we had the anchorage to ourselves.

Panorama looking N from the dinghy dock

We spent about an hour walking around the fort and remnants of the town founded by James Oglethorpe in1734, after he founded Savannah.  His plan was to provide both a settlement and a fort to ward off the Spanish who were in St. Augustine.  This settlement, like others he designed, was laid out in neat lots along a series of streets and alleys.  Once the threat from the Spanish was removed, the fort was deactivated, and without the soldiers, the settlement declined.

riginal tower at the barracks at Fort Frederica - home to about 200 soldiers - built around a courtyard

A bit of the moat still holding water at Fort Frederica

Ft Frederica Shoreline

Evening light on the Frederica River with a nearly full moon

We made reservations at the marina in Brunswick for Tuesday night.  We plan on an early departure to take advantage of the high tide and to have more time to spend in Brunswick.  It's been quite a few years since we stopped there.  A check on Active Captain indicated they had the best fuel price in the area (and was confirmed when I made the reservation) - a $.30 - $.50/ gallon savings is worth it, even for our small fuel tank.  The marina has free laundry facilities, nice heads and is the same price/ft as the others in the area

11/18/2015 -11/20/2015 Savannah

11/18/2015  To 32 25.736N,  80 41.647W  Bull Creek Anchorage   21.4 NM

Leonard wasn't in favor of staying in Beaufort until the front passed, so we headed out just after sunrise, taking advantage of the last of the ebb current flowing down to Port Royal Sound.  Several of the boats joined us.  An E wind piped up with the day, giving us a nice sail across Port Royal  and Calibogue Sounds.   

Fishing boat towing a net with pelicans and gulls looking for an easy meal

One of 2 dredge tows - each tug had 5 barges with 'assistant' tugs to help maneuver entering Calibogue Sound

Most of the anchorages  in SC and Georgia have wave protection thanks to marshes, but few have land and trees.  Much as we would have liked to have ridden the high tide further, we stopped at Bull Creek, one of  the few with trees.  The positive side of stopping early was getting our pick of spots to drop the hook.  

11/19/15   To  32 00.761N,    80 59.326W    Hogan's Marina on Turner Creek, Savannah, GA  21/9NM

The big mess of green, yellow and red on the radar when we went to bed broke up overnight.  While we had some rain, it hadn't poured and looking at the radar in the morning it appeared unlikely we'd have thunderstorms during the day.  So we decided to mosey on our way once the tide came up a few feet, about 1000.

Panorama Looking SW to NE at the Bull Creek anchorage

We'd had one of those 'oh oh' moments after anchoring Wednesday.  Leonard found a cap head machine screw on the deck by the bow pulpit but it wasn't obvious where it had come from, but most likely on the roller furling.  He poked and looked with a flash light inside the barrel, but all were in place.  This was NOT a good feeling -  the last thing we wanted was to have the furling gear not work, especially if the sail was out.  We slept on it, and when we awoke to dead calm, decided to drop the jib to look at the top of the furling mechanism.  A great idea, but no screw was missing.

A preening loon in Bull Creek

While waiting for the tide, Leonard dug out the roller furling manual and started reading and looking at the diagrams.  Ah ha, he located the place on top of the barrel and, as per the manual, returned the errant piece with some lock grip to keep it in place.  Much relieved, we headed on our way at 1030.

A glance at Callibogue Sound revealed a long string of vessels headed S.  Since we usually motor a bit slower than most, we slid in behind 10-12 boats.  We'd run into the Sail Magazine ICW Regatta - some 20 boats strong, puttering along at 5 kts in groups of 5 or 6 boats.  With plenty of water we passed one group before we got to the tricky shoal areas.  The next group slowed for an oncoming barge and tug and we caught up with them once we were by the barge.  As we approached the Savannah River, an inbound ship called to alert boats crossing the river of his eminent arrival.  He requested the last sailboat in the group of the regatta to stay clear as he wouldn't be clear of the big ship channel in time.

Passing a barge with a load of concrete beams before the Savannah River

Once across the Savannah River, they were motoring alone slowly and worked our way pass them before arriving at the only swing bridge for the day.  Another boat was already waiting, and when we called the bridge, he asked if other boats were behind us.  Since there were, we had to wait until they got closer so he'd only need to open once. Of course they were slow in coming to the bridge.

After reading recent negative postings about the Savannah waterfront docks, we discussed staying at a marina in Isle of Hope and taking a bus into Savannah for the day on Friday. Unfortunately the regatta had similar plans, and there were no slips available at any of the marinas in Isle of Hope.  Since we're a bit ahead of schedule this year, we dug out Captain Bob and checked on Active Captain  looking for alternatives, and finally found room at Hogan's Marina.  It's a bit out of the way, off the ICW, but I was told it was on a bus route into town. 

Sunset from Hogan Marine

Once we were checked in, we looked up the bus schedule and found we could catch a bus just up the road.  Looking at the route, we saw the Oat Island Nature Reserve is on the way into town, an opportunity to see something new that looks interesting.  The down side is the return buses that come this far out stop running at 1830, ruling out dinner in town.

11/20/15    At Hogan's Marina, a Lay Day

Our plan for spending the day in Savannah was to catch the 0930 bus into town and stopping at the Oatland Island Wildlife Center before heading into town.  Our all day senior rate bus passes, $1.50 each, were a real bargain, and our driver was helpful, letting us know where to get off.  It was a bit less than a mile walk to the visitor's center, and we arrived just as they opened at 1000.

Bob cat at the Oatland Island Wildlife Center - he moved, or we wouldn't have seen him

According to the sign, the Center, is part of the Savannah school system, a great resource for introducing kids to conservation, native wildlife and their habitat.  After paying our entry fee, $3, chatting to a volunteer and looking at the exhibits in the building, we headed out to do the 2 mile trail loop.  Essentially it is a zoo with the various critters cleverly ensconced in widely spaced enclosures representing their native habitat connected by trails and boardwalks. We didn't see all  the animals  - the cougar was either shy, very well camouflaged, or tucked into its cage, and we couldn't spot an alligator.  Many of the animals were acquired from zoos, born in captivity or rescued and rehabilitated.  All the birds of prey had been injured and unable to be returned to the wild.  All in all, a pleasant place to spend a couple of hours, and a vast improvement over most conventional zoos.

Grey wolf

We caught the 1200 bus into Savannah with the same driver, making his second trip of the day.  We decided to ride the bus to the terminal before disembarking to pick up a bus schedule.  Next up was the nearby Visitor's Center for a map.  We got the standard spiel, and learned Savannah is basically 1 square mile between Forysth Park and the river, and the width of the waterfront, with  21 squares scattered about, very walkable, especially on a sunny day with the temperature in the low 70's.

The Savannah Propeller Club Monument on the river

After lunch we walked down to the river to look at the docks.  It appeared the info Leonard had read on line wasn't correct, the docks looked the same as always and the sign indicated boaters needed to check in at a parking garage to pay the $1.50/ft - no one shows up to collect the fees (same as always).  Four boats were on the dock, spaced to preclude a 5th boat joining them.  We walked  the river walk E past the Mariott Hotel to check the docks beyond the hotel.  We've never seen them in use, and a number were on shore, having been damaged, possibly in the recent floods.  They have neither water nor power, and appear to be a bit too open and insecure to leave a vessel unattended, not tempting to us. 
 

Bald eagle soaring over the Savannah River

After visiting several squares and the Colonial Park Cemetery, we were walked out and decided to catch the 1630 bus back to East Savannah.  The bus ride was interesting - the drivers really try to stick to the schedule, traffic not withstanding.  The route wound through a variety of neighborhoods giving us a broader view of the area.  We decided we weren't sorry to have skipped the docks in town and have he opportunity to tour the Wildlife Center.

The Colonial Park Cemetery in Savannah with graves dating back to the 1700s

11/16/2015 ,11/17/2015 Beaufort, SC

 11/16/2015   To 32 31.800N,  80 24.768W,   Ashepoo River       ?? NM

After a quick run to Saffron for bread Monday morning, we slid over to the fuel dock for a pump out before heading out.  It got a bit congested as 3 boats arrived at the marina around 0800 for their reserved slips.  Interesting in that check out time is 1100, and the marina is usually full.  One boat thought they saw an open slip, only to realize at the last minute it wasn't empty.  Lot of hard backing since the current was starting to run.  When I spoke to the dock guy, he said it's a persistent issue, especially during snow bird season.  The harbor is relatively small, so there isn't a lot of space for folks to maneuver, either coming or going, especially when the current runs.

We made the 0930 Wappoo Bridge opening, and glad we weren't in the herd at 0900, the first opening after the 0630-0900 restriction.  We shot out Elliots Cut doing 8.8 -  nice while it lasted, but soon we were going uphill when the river deviated from the ICW.  It was one of those days, depending on which way the current flowed, we either moved right along or slowed to 4kts.  The good part was having high water to pass all but one of the shoal areas on the stretch toward Beaufort.  With 6' of tide, it wasn't white knuckle day.  At low tide it would be touch and go, literally, with 5-6' in places and no room for error.

A ship and repair facility on the Wadmalaw River

After passing through Fenwick Cut, we turned downstream to anchor for the night in the Ashepoo River, rather than tempt fate at the last shoal with the tide low and dropping.  The river was running over 2 kts and the water gurgled past the hull once we were anchored.  At low tide, a large pod of dolphins swam along the river bank, catching dinner.  Other than the gurgling of the current, it was a quiet night.

11/17/15    To 32 25.736N,   80 41.647W    Beaufort, SC anchorage    20.4NM

Boat parade just entering the Ashepoo Coosaw Cutoff

We considered taking an alternate, down stream route, in the morning to avoid the last shoal, but after reading  comments on Active Captain (don't trust charted depths, etc.,) we waited until 0830 to have a rising  half tide to head for the Ashepoo Coosaw Cut, joining a parade of 7 like minded others.  Life is easier when you aren't in a herd.  One of the first boats ran out a jib - fine, but not so great going dead down wind through a cut.  Maybe he didn't realize that a backed jib acts like a brake, slowing you down,  as well as those behind you.  He couldn't keep it filled, but didn't seem to want to furl it either.  ARGH!

Once out on the Coosaw River, we ran out our jib, as did most of the others, but we were the only one not motor sailing, happy to let the herd go on their way.  We sailed most of the way to Beaufort, rolling in the jib when we realized with a bit of motoring, we could make the 1230 Ladies Island swing bridge opening. 

We dropped the anchor just outside the mooring field buoys, having opted to not pick up a marina mooring.  The current was switching, and with the moorings fairly closely spaced, we watched as those on moorings, mostly over 40', shifted closer together than ideal.  One finally moved to a different mooring to keep from bumping.

A portion of the St. Helena Episcopal Church cemetery in Beaufort

After lunch we went ashore for a treat and a walk.  Beaufort is the 2nd oldest town in SC, and unlike many southern towns, came through the Civil War more or less unscathed.  While there are some big houses, rivaling those in Charleston, the historic area has beautiful, but many are more modest.  We found a nice, waterfront place for sale, but the phone link came up with an error message.  We did locate the property advertised in the real estate office for $1.5M, beyond our budget!

$1.5M for this unique waterfront home in Beaufort

Formal garden at the 'Castle' in Beaufort

Another beautiful garden at the Dr. George Mosse Stoney House in Beaufort

Showers, forming offshore, were forecast to bring light rain ashore, and we timed things almost to the minute.  We were lashing the dinghy back on deck when the sprinkles arrived.  It sprinkled off and on during the evening, but the forecast was for some sun in the morning before the arrival of rain and thunderstorms ahead of the cold front, giving us time to position the boat to be tucked in while it passed.  On radar the front line presented a nasty looking slash of green, yellow and red, with moisture feeding in from the gulf.  Time to take a closer look at the chart.

Tying 'on the hip' to get the Eva Marie into the dock

While anchored at Beaufort we saw TowboatUS bring 2 boats into the marina.  The first was Eva Marie, a large sailboat, which required a special bridge opening (commercial traffic get on demand openings).  Once clear, the tow boat needed to get his boat 'on the hip' to get  into the dock - a bit tricky with the current running and a stiff wind.  Then around 2100 I saw strange 'head lights' and couldn't tell if there were on the water or shore.  Next time I checked, a tow boat was approaching the mooring field with a good sized power boat under tow.  It was too dark to see how he got the boat into the dock - some folks must have had a bad day.