New River, SC to near St. Augustine, FL

November 18, 2019 - November 22, 2019

We left early Monday morning from our anchorage in New River so we would hit the trouble spots of the day close to high tide.  We were about five miles north of Fields Cut (where we went hard aground on our first trip down the ICW) which leads into the Savannah River. News from other cruisers indicated that Fields Cut had been dredged recently and we got through without touching bottom.  Savannah is one of the busiest ports around and we are always amazed at the number and size of the ships that pass in front of us as we cross the narrow river. 

See what I mean! We were just entering
the river and you can see how narrow it is.

Hell Gate was the next concern.  It is a short (less than a mile long) canal dug between the Little Ogeechee River and the Ogeechee River and has been treacherous for us on previous trips.  Bob let me navigate this area and the water was never lower than 21 feet.  We stopped for the night at Kilkenny Creek, one of our favorite anchorages,

 Lola was tormented by the water birds hiding in the spartina grass near our boat. 
When she was on deck the birds were screeching back and forth.

Killkenny Creek is a large anchorage
with room for other boats,

On Tuesday we were headed for Little Mud River about 40 miles away.   Apparently, the Army Core of Engineers had forgotten to dredge Little Mud River since it was still scary  even at high tide.  Given the 7-8 foot tidal range in this area anything under 14 feet at high tide is unpassable at low tide and we saw depths under 10 ft. 

 Bob and Lola relaxing while I’m at the helm.

We anchored in Wally’s Leg that night around 3:30 pm.  Just in time for a short photo shoot.

Whenever I see a flag I want to photograph it. 
This flag flies off the stern of our boat.

 Georgia low country is beautiful.

another beautiful sunset

Wednesday morning we only had 19 miles to travel to the Jekyll Island marina where we spent the night. 

We saw the wreck of the Golden Ray in
St. Simons Sound, GA on our way to Jekyll Island.
The Golden Ray had capsized on 9/8/19.
All 24 crew were rescued.

We arrived in time to get much needed showers and have lunch at Zachary's River Front Restaurant on the Marina grounds.  We borrowed a loaner golf cart to go to the Beach Side Village to get some groceries.  Shops and shops and shops tempted me to explore, but we had to get back to the boat to take care of boat chores.

These birds are resting on the bridge's fender and
painting it with what locals call "Georgia whitewash."

 I saw this egret sitting in the spartina grass near the marina.

Wednesday was our last day in Georgia.  I commented to Bob that Georgia hadn't been so bad this year. Soon after we went hard aground.  A power boat came along behind us and went aground close by.  We both put out fenders to prevent damage if the boats drifted into each other in the process of getting off the bottom.  Fortunately, it was dead low tide and the tide would soon lift us off the mud.  A friend of ours on "Sequel to" came along and showed us where we could find the deep water by getting through the area easily.  Both captains continued to try to back out of the mud and when the power boat broke free it drifted into us.  We helped to push it off (no damage to either boat) and it was on its way.  Bob tried once more to back out of the mud and we broke free.  Following our friend's example we made it into deeper water.  So much for Georgia not being so bad.

 These pelicans sat and watched us go aground.
I could almost hear them laughing.

We motored into Florida around 2:00 pm.

Shrimp boats docked at the Fernandina seafood plant.

The paper mill can be seen from afar
and is the first sign of Fernandina Beach.

That night we anchored in a new spot just off the ICW.

We enjoyed another spectacular sunset.

One more short day to go before our long stop over in St. Augustine.  With the warmer weather we have been keeping the front window out and Lola has become very bold.  She waits for a time when Bob and I are distracted and prances out to the cabin top.  One time while chasing a bug I was sure she would go over board.  What a disaster that would be!
We arrived at our anchorage just 19 miles north of St. Augustine by 12:30 right after we enjoyed a delicious lunch of meat loaf, peas, and baked apple.  I've been cooking more elaborate lunches on this trip.  It's easy to cook while we are underway in quiet rivers and canals and Bob and I have gotten used to eating our biggest meal at noon and snacking for supper.

One canal we traversed today was lined 

with one mansion after another.

Tomorrow St. Augustine...


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