Forecasted high winds and possibility of tornadoes. Remained at anchor in Wappoo Cr.
Monday 1st December
Forecasted high winds again. Remained at anchor but took the dinghy for some shopping in a great health food supermarket.
Tuesday 2nd December
Finally the weather forecast is tolerable with only moderate winds. It’s beautiful and sunny but cold as we head off down “The Ditch” again. Mostly the current is against us so progress is slow and we don’t get as far as we thought. However, we got to stay on the dock at B&B Seafood on Mosquito Cr. where you can tie to a dock, have power (and thus run electric heater) and buy some more of those fabulous South Carolina shrimp.
As we arrived we were treated to a dolphin beaching himself, apparently to harass a heron on the shore. Again we missed the photo op. The shrimp boat was at the dock when we arrived.
Wednesday 3rd DecemberThe following misty morning he was gone.
But on our way back down the creek to the ICW we passed him in full flight – what a sight.
We decided to anchor at Beaufort (pronounced Bewfurt) not to be confused with the North Carolina town of the same name (pronounced Bo-fort).
Another historic southern town with beautiful historic houses.
Thursday 4th DecemberA late start after a vain attempt to buy small propane cans for our heater and on we go. Our anchorage this night is again in the middle of nowhere on Bull Creek. The good news (for Buddy) is there’s a great place to run within rowing distance of the boat.
Friday 5th December
Today we left South Carolina, after transiting (successfully) one of the bad places for depths on the ICW, crossing the Savannah River and through the town of Thunderbolt and anchoring in Turner Cr. Wilmington Island. Shopping and a haircut round out the day but we again failed to buy any propane – sold out!!!
Saturday 6th December
Another bad stretch of the ICW today – Hell Gate. We timed it for mid to high tide and there was no problem. Overnight we anchored in Kilkenny Creek which is like most places we anchor – the middle of nowhere in the salt marshes that define the coastline in Georgia too.
Sunday 7th December
We have a late start and don’t make it to the next bad stretch and settle for Duplin Creek that runs through Sapelo Island one of those places with a unique community and also a part of the University of Georgia.
Where there is land on the salt marshes there are flat planes with short vegetation
riddled with tiny holes made by small crabs.
It makes for a great place for Buddy to run.
Monday 8th DecemberToday we must transit the very worst stretch of the ICW depth-wise. Unfortunately, high tide is late in the day so we can’t leave until early afternoon. So we go in search of the turkey fountain which is in the grounds of the University of Georgia Estuarine Institute.
We meet someone of the ferry dock who works for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. He kindly gave us a ride up to where R.J. Reynolds (the tobacco magnate) had his dairy and his mansion
which you can tour.
The kindly southern gent who gave us the ride also instructed to take one of the golf carts for the trip back to the dock
This was just as well as we didn’t want to miss our window for passing through the Little Mud River. All went OK without running aground and we got to anchor in another historic kind of spot –Fort Frederica - on the beautiful Frederica River.
You might say we were "Under the gun". And yes, they do grow on trees and I did steal one.
Tuesday 9th December
We probably started too early the next day as the tide was only low to mid, instead of mid to high when we went down the first part of the Jekyll Cr. When we got into water less than 6' we were definitely very worried but we got through unscathed to anchor next to the Jekyll Harbor marina and had great supper with Bill and Joann aboard Buckaroo.
