Beaufort, SC to At. Augustine, FL

November 19, 2017 - November 23,2017

We left Beaufort early Sunday morning fighting a strong current in the marina.  The current was so strong that it pulled the boat away from the dock before I could jump on.  Bob had to circle around and pick me up at the fuel dock which was not an easy feat.  We motored into Georgia and conquered some spots that had given us trouble last year.  Paying close attention to tides and being prepared with waypoints on the chart plotter saved us from going aground. We have been winding our way through the salt marshes, rivers and sounds (a small bay) of Georgia with its wide “s” turns and tight “u” turns for three days.  It makes for more interesting navigation, but it tests my patience a bit since you have to be so vigilant at the helm.  Our practice of one hour on and one hour off makes the trip much better.  We each have time to appreciate the beauty of the area without the stress of navigation.

These day marks guide us through the twists and turns of the ICW.

This picture clearly shows the salt marsh at low tide.
 Those dark clumps are tidal oysters.

Our planning is very fluid.  We have a long range plan and a daily plan.  The tidal range in this area is between seven and nine feet which creates a strong current.  Our boat speed can be boosted by two knots or reduced by two knots. Consequently, it is difficult to predict how far we can comfortably go each day.  We adjust our plan while underway and are usually able to travel farther than expected.  Today we traveled far enough to grab a slip at the Jekyll Harbor Marina (our last stop in Georgia).  We arrived just after lunch and were able to take a complimentary golf cart around the island.  

This island was the summer home of some of the most prominent industrialist of the early 1900s.  

Can you imagine this as your summer cottage?

 … and here’s another island cottage

Croquet, anyone?

During WWII the island was evacuated in case there would be a bomb attack that would kill some of our country’s most influential men. Later the island was purchased by the state of Georgia and the renovation of the “cottages” began in the 1980’s.  I’m always pleased to see historic homes preserved.  So much of our heritage and history can be lost otherwise.

We contemplated staying at Jekyll Island another day but decided to push on.  We had one sunny day of travel and two days of rain.  It rained so hard at night that I had to bail out the ankle deep water from the dinghy before we could cast off in the morning.  It was a miserable trip to our anchorage on Thanksgiving day, but we arrived safely and had a marginally traditional dinner of roast turkey breast, sweet potato, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.  Thankfully, we were snug and dry in the cabin, but the wind picked up during the night and rocked the boat mercilessly.  So as you can tell from this post traveling down the ICW is not all sunshine and umbrella drinks.  It can be pretty miserable and challenging at times, but the hard times make the good times all the better.

My next blog post will cover our stay in St Augustine.

Thank you for reading my blog.