George River

2/17/16    30 26.432N    81 26.182W    George River Anchorage    20.9NM
Today during breakfast, I caught a glimpse of a bird bathing across the creek.  At last we a sighting of an elusive clapper rail.  We've heard them daily in the marshes on every trip, but being shy creatures, seeing one, much less getting a photo (albeit a bit blurry), was a treat.  It was the first day it was warm enough to have breakfast in the cockpit.  We watched as pod of dolphin swam past catching their breakfast, always fascinating to watch as they cruise by.

Clapper Rail taking a morning bath

Then we were off to the laundromat to do a week's worth of laundry, a boring, but necessary chore before we departed.  We managed a short walk to the Greenway while the dryers were doing their thing, 30 minutes being just enough time to walk to the trail junction and back for a bit of welcome exercise before we become boat bound for a few days.  We picked up some fresh, local shrimp on the way back to Tiger Point and while I stashed the laundry, Leonard returned the car.  We were underway shortly after 1100, just as Bill was launching another sailboat.  Busy place, and Dave, one of the workers, helped cast off our lines since he was on the dock.  Since it was just after low tide, we eased our way past the shoal at the entrance of the creek and headed S.

It was interesting to see many of water depths on the this section of the ICW didn't jibe with either our now ancient paper chart, or a newer version on the chart plotter.  There were still plenty of shoal areas, just not necessarily as charted, so we adhered to the dictum of following the markers, dropping the RPM when the depths dipped under 10'.  Even with a rising tide we'd rather not run aground.

An Army Corps of Engineers survey vessel checking the depths N of the George River -
 they made multiple passes between the shores -
 a welcome, but uncommon sight

It was a short day to ease us back into cruising mode.  With few anchorages beyond the St. Johns River, we entered the George River about 1440, almost too early to stop.  We'd seen little traffic other than local fishermen most of the day, but another sailboat was anchored at the mouth of the river.  The depths weren't as charted or remembered, but Leonard managed to get us to the 'X' on the plotter indicating a previous anchorage just E of the Kingsley Plantation a bit under a NM from the entrance.  We'll need to depart by 0800 to have sufficient water to get back to the ICW, otherwise the sections we crossed with readings under 8' would become problematic with 3'-4' less water and a falling tide. 

The Kingsley Plantation

We could have launched the dinghy and toured the park, or been brave and tried tying up at the park dock, posted as moor at your own risk, but it was nice to relax after a very busy week.  We've toured the plantation in the past, both by boat and car.  Other than a few local fisherman puttering past, there was no traffic since the charts show green, indicating shallow marsh, rather than a navigable entrance at the Atlantic.  This evening, with little wind, it was warm enough to eat in the cockpit and enjoy the wildlife on the salt marsh as evening fell. 

Evening light at the George River anchorage

We'll  check for an updated forecast in the morning before making the decision to stay in the ICW or head offshore.  While the NE wind at 10 - 15 would make for a good sail, the wind has been stronger than forecast most of the past week, it's a long fetch from the NE with few places to tuck back if it gets rough (predicted wave height of 4-6' offshore).

Lynnea