Day 63 - 7 February

Today we learned the eleventh commandment..."Honor thy red and green marks!" More on that later. Today was a cool and clear day with the wind from the west as Greg and Judy on My Destiny and Sarah and Joe on Windreka departed our facing slips at Brunswick Island Marina at 9AM. Our first stop was the fuel dock to top off for our trip to Florida.

After topping off our diesel tanks, we got underway at 10AM and headed south and across St Simons Sound. We left on a high tide to have enough water under our keels when we worked our way through the winding creeks and marshes of Georgia. But it wasn't enough. We set a new record for the trip by touching bottom TWICE today! It wasn't easy but we rose to the task. The charts showed the deep water on the wrong side of a pair of navigation buoys and so we ignored the standards...red right returning, green right going, etc...and our instincts. Sure enough the water got really thin and next thing we knew we bumped...not hard and not a major problem...but really annoying since we had to reverse engines and back off the low spot to realize we had done something really stupid. So, the eleventh Commandment is "Honor thy red and green marks." However, we know the Corps of Engineers is inadequately funded to keep the shoaling under control and maintain the so-called 12 foot controlling depth of the ICW properly dredged. Sorry, we don't have any photos of the excitement since we were having too much fun to document the event. There were no witnesses but the birds and fish around us and I don't think they'll be too helpful if anyone wanted to reconstruct the events.

The next-most exciting event today happened as we were sailing past the Kings Bay Submarine Base. We were approached by a fully armed US Coast Guard boat that approached us at high speed as we were motoring slowly by the Naval installation in the shipping channel. The polite and professional "Coasties" went out of their way to make certain they didn't scare us any more than your ordinary sailor and sailboat armed with cannons and other suitable weaponry might do to an unarmed recreational sailor. After they finished inquiring about our welfare and how well we were enjoying our sail, they asked us to keep to the outside of the shipping channel so the nuclear submarine they were escorting home to Kings Bay wouldn't be late! We thanked them for their dedication and service and promply moved out of the channel as the big black submarine slid past us. We sleep sounder knowing our Coast Guard, our Navy, and our military forces are keeping watch.

Toward the end of our days travels, we passed some watermen at work on the river on their boat. As we turned to follow the creek up to our anchorage, we passed some of the wild horses that inhabit Cumberland Island and we resolved to come back to visit the Cumberland Island wildlife preserve when the weather is a bit more pleasant. As this is being written a light rain is falling and the sound on the hull and the sound and motion of the water under the boat is relaxing...enough to remind us that we are very fortunate to be able to spend time on the water. Now if the darned anchor will only hold, everything will be fun and games!

Days 57 thru 62 - 1 thru 6 February

We spent the last week at Brunswick Landing Marina with friends Greg and Judy whose boat, My Destiny, has been at Brunswick Landing since they returned from the Bahamas last year. We had a lot of minor things to do on both our boats and most of the week was spent working on our boats. As someone said, if we're not fixing two things a day on our boat, we're falling behind!

We did take one day in Savannah, GA which turned out to be the first real "shirt sleeve" weather we've had so far. It was nice to walk around without jackets and soak up the sun. We took a bus tour of the historic center of Savannah led by a knowledgeable and personable tour bus driver and guide. Denise, of Old Town Trolley Tours (http://www.historictours.com/), your knowledge and cheerful disposition made it a delightful experience...thanks again! Here are a few of the photos we took during the tour...

Above...the Pirates House is one of Sarah's recollections of Savannah.

Left...the Candler Oak is a live oak tree that is over 200 years old...we should all be this healthy after living that long! Below left...the Cotton Exchange on the Savannah River...this elevated walkway is where the cotton buyers and sellers would evaluate the bales of cotton as they were loaded on ships. Below right...the Haitian Monument commemorates the African Americans who fought to recapture Savannah from the British in 1779.

Below...a tale of two houses...on your left is the Mercer House, the setting for much of the action in the book and movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. On your right is the oldest house in Savannah.

One day is not enough to enjoy Savannah. For example, we saw only a little bit of the city's famous squares, the jewels of the city...Franklin, Ellis, Johnson, Reynolds, Warren, Washington, Telfair, Wright, Oglethorpe, Columbia, Greene, Orleans, Chippewa, Crawford, Pulaski, Madison, Lafayette, Troup, Chatham, Monterey, Calhoun, Whitfield...I think I listed all 22 of them. Each of them commemorates someone notable in the history of Savannah.

Day 56 - Thursday 31 January

We arrived at Brunswick Landing Marina in Georgia today. By 2PM we were secure at the dock with the able assistance of Sherry and Cindy of Brunswick Landing Marina and friends, Greg and Judy. We are across the dock from Greg's boat, My Destiny where we had dinner with them this evening and made tentative plans for our cruise to Florida and the Bahamas.

The day started out with a slight overcast and got cloudier through the morning with milder temperatures and a little wind...on the nose, of course. We also zigzagged through one of the longest stretches of "skinny" water we've encountered on the ICW. At low tide, we had a few depths of less than 4 feet and a lot of depths of 5 feet...but we made it through without incident thanks to the several ranges we found to guide us through and a careful and constant watch on the depth gauge. Lots of birds and marsh grass along the way and only one ignorant or extremely rude powerboater who decided he had to pass us on one of the confined and shallower stretches as we were following a range and trying to keep from grounding. The normal protocol when passing is to call the boat you are passing to let them know your intention to pass and throttle down as you pass the boat. In this case, due either to ignorance, rudeness or a broken radio, the first indication we had that we were being overtaken was the sound of the other boat's engine as he passed us without slowing down. The result of this is that in a confined channel, the boat being passed gets the full wake of the passing boat and it can be dangerous. Fortunately, we managed to keep our boat under control, off the ground and on course. We also resisted the urge to radio our feelings to the powerboater since it probably would have been useless information to him. Fortunately, such rude or ignorant behavior is the exception on the ICW and most boaters...sail or power...respect each other's right to be on the water enjoying themselves and behaving responsibly. Enough of that!

As we turned off the ICW and into the shipping channel at St. Simons Sound, we could see the St. Simons Light on the point of land to our port side. The lighthouse is "new" and replaced the old lighthouse. Like all lighthouses today, the light is unstaffed and like many, it is still working and providing a welcome service to the safety of mariners and boaters both commercial and recreational.

Coming into Brunswick we passed under the highest bridge we encountered on the ICW to date...the Sidney Lanier Highway Bridge which crosses over the shipping channel. The bridge is 180 feet high...almost three times as high as the standard 65 feet of the modern fixed bridges. After passing under the bridge, we turned into the river leading to the marina. We passed by the abandoned World War II shipyard ways and more shrimp boats than we have seen altogether on the ICW. There was also a blue-hulled three mast square rigged ship we haven't learned about yet. And finally, we arrived at our assigned marina slip.

By the end of the day, we were relaxed and having pleasant conversation with Greg and Judy and making tentative plans to depart as soon as we can, possibly by Monday next week.

Day 55 - Wednesday 30 January

We hope we pay close attention to the navigation marks and we hope we don't end up hard aground like this poor sailor near the Isle of Hope!

Well, we stretched our legs today and made a run of approximately 65 miles from Thunderbolt to an anchorage at New Teakettle Creek. We left at 0730 in a light rain and gusting winds after a night of strong and gusty winds at anchor. However, the anchor held and we bounced around a little, but didn't move.

We use Skipper Bob's Anchorages Along the Intracoastal Waterway as the definitive guide to places to drop the hook for the night. Skipper Bob's rates the anchorages on a four point scale...4 = Excellent to 1 = Poor...for six conditions...Holding (ability of the anchor to keep the boat from moving); Wind Protection; Current Flow (how fast the current flows...the slower, the better); Wake Protection (how much boat traffic goes by nearby to disturb you); Scenic Beauty; and Ease of Shopping (how far you have to go to get groceries, souvenirs, etc.). Last night the Herb River anchorage was a 431423; tonight the rating for New Teakettle Creek is 421441.

Since we left early, we arrived early at the anchorage and were joined by another sailboat and a motorboat and a pod of dolphins that accompanied each of the boats into the creek. As soon as the boats were at anchor, the dolphins left. If we didn't know better, we'd almost believe the dolphins were either representing the local chamber of commerce or escorting each boat to a safe location. The truth is these animals are both curious and very friendly and seem to enjoy being around boats cruising along the ICW.

It was warm and sunny in the cockpit and Sarah hauled her computer up to the cockpit to make a Skype call to her daughter, Tiffany and her grandchildren, Sara and Nick. We enjoyed talking to them and seeing them on the laptop screen using Skype Voice (and Video) Over IP, an amazing technology that is cost effective and useful to boaters, or anyone who wants to keep in touch with family and friends (http://www.skype.com/). As the sun was setting, we were talking to our family as if they were right in the cockpit with us.

Other than the pleasures of cruising, the most interesting event of the day was having the US Coast Guard Tug Anvil catch up with us again. Anvil was the USCG vessel that overtook and preceeded us through the Causton Bluff Bridge at Thunderbolt yesterday. Today, she was setting new marks on the ICW where shoaling has taken place. Also, after reading our weblog, friend and contributing author to the Waterway Guides, Allan DeWall sent me an email yesterday telling me that Anvil is a 75' Inland Construction Tender (WLIC) and a member of a family of sister vessels named Anvil, Hammer, Sledge, Mallet, Vise, Clamp, Wedge, Hatchet and Axe. If you have nothing better to do, look for the details at the following web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Coast_Guard_cutters

Tomorrow, we should be at Brunswick Landing Marina in Brunswick, GA and making plans with our friends Judy and Greg for the next phase of our cruising to Florida and the Bahamas.

Day 54 - Tuesday 29 January

Who is this little girl and what does she have to do with our weblog?

Last night we realized we are in the not-so-sunny south and were reminded again that warm weather isn't dependable until we are in southern Florida. We turned to our 4.4 KW Westerbeke generator to work as hard as it could to drive out two small cabin heaters last night. Even then, the outside temperature dropped down to 37 degrees by morning and we were a bit chilly. Today the temperature was in the 70s in the cockpit and at 11PM it's in the 50s outside.

Due to either the cold weather or just plain laziness, we didn't get moving until 9:30 this morning. We still got a good run of 45 miles today and anchored south of Thunderbolt, GA a little after 4PM...in time to relax and take a shower before dinner. We promised ourselves to get up before dawn tomorrow and get moving as soon as the sun comes over the horizon. We'll try to get at least 60 miles behind us tomorrow since we're still about 95 miles from Brunswick, GA.

The most noteworthy event today was just before reaching Thunderbolt, when we passed Bonaventure Cemetery which was made famous in the movie and book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. If you are familiar with the book or movie, you know the statue of the "Bird Girl" was featured on the cover of the book and was located in Bonaventure Cemetery at one time. Anyway, today we motored past the cemetery which abuts the ICW along the west bank of the Wilmington River. We noticed the many U.S. flags and thought it was a veterans cemetery, but didn't realize what we were looking at until we did our research on the web just now. You may want to look at the interesting article at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonaventure_Cemetery. And by the way, if you haven't read it, the book is an excellent read and an interesting perspective on Savannah, GA history.

So, this is a short entry...not much to report...just a pleasant trip today in the sunshine and warm weather...the wind was 10-20 "on the nose" but not a big concern since the day was so nice. The anchorage is snug...the anchor is holding...and the sunset promises "red at night - sailors delight"...so we can rest easy and get up early to do it again tomorrow!

Day 53 - Monday 28 January

Last night, we enjoyed one last sunset at Dataw Island Marina until we return in a couple of months. We didn't wake up or get up as early as we intended to, but then we didn't intend to depart from the marina until the tide turned at noon. When the current stopped running up the river, we cast off our lines and headed Windreka back toward the ICW for the first time since we arrived at this marina on December 5th, last year.

The weather couldn't have been more cooperative with a light wind from the north and sunny, warm temperatures in the 60s. We were conflicted about leaving since we had such a relaxing time at the dock and exploring the local area for the past 12 days. After our cruise to Florida and the Bahamas, we plan to come back here where we will probably leave Windreka for the summer...especially since Sarah's daughter and family have plans to come back to Hilton Head Island for a week in July. It'll be nice to have a boat here and we can extend our week to several weeks with a base of operations before and after the Hilton Head vacation. Also, we'll be ideally located for next winter's cruising season.

After we left the marina, we headed back down the Morgan River to Parrot Creek which connected us to the Coosaw River. Motoring up the Coosaw River toward Beaufort, we entered the Beaufort River and noticed a tugboat pushing a barge about a mile behind us. We wanted to get through the Ladys Island Bridge before it closed for rush hour traffic at 4PM and get south of the bridge to find an anchorage for the night. As we got closer to the bridge, we realized we wouldn't make the 3:00PM opening so we throttled the engine back to delay our arrival at the bridge to make the 3:30PM opening. As we were motoring through the calm waters, we were entertained by a pod of dolphins that were swimming along beside us. We’ve noticed that these animals seem to sense when we take our cameras out and refuse to surface until we put the cameras away. Nevertheless, Joe managed to take a picture of one dolphin swimming beside us before it realized we had a camera out.

As we approached the bridge, we passed a house on the ICW that we understand was made famous in the movie, Big Chill. About the same time we passed the Big Chill house, we overheard the US Coast Guard tugboat, Anvil requesting on opening by the Ladys Island Bridge. Commercial and official vessels, like Anvil don’t have to wait for the scheduled openings of bridges like pleasure craft do, but pleasure craft can tag along behind their privileged counterparts when bridges open at their request. So we asked the tugboat and bridge for permission to follow the tugboat through and with their approval were able to save some time.

Since it was earlier than we expected, we decided to bypass the Beaufort town docks and head further south on the river to anchor near Port Royal. We anchored behind the 11th Street Dockside restaurant where we had dinner with Frank several days earlier. Instead of enjoying the pleasures of the Port Royal waterfront and dinner at a nice restaurant, we settled for leftovers and a quiet evening at anchor aboard our floating home.

One of the benefits of this area is being able to tie up at a dock next to working shrimp and fishing boats and to buy fresh shrimp and fish from the fishermen right off the boat. You can't get seafood any fresher than that! These shrimp boats are tied up at the 11th Street Dockside restaurant right next to the anchorage.

The temperature is in the low 40s and the water is calm as we are watching and listening to the President’s State of the Union address. The generator is running and the heaters are on to take the chill off the boat. Tomorrow, we’ll get up and underway to head for Brunswick, Georgia to rendezvous with our friends, Greg and Judy on My Destiny. We expect to be at the Brunswick Landing Marina on Wednesday or Thursday before heading further south to Florida and the Bahamas. We don’t have a schedule or a detailed plan and will go boldly where and when the weather permits us to go. Life at 10 miles per hour and retirement is relaxing and stress-free. We wish you could all be with us to enjoy this lifestyle.

Dataw Island Marina - 16 thru 27 January

NOTE: Internet access at Dataw Island Marina near Beaufort, SC has been sporadic so I'll insert more photos when access allows. Meanwhile, please read about what we've been doing since we got back on our boat, living temporarily in the marina, and enjoying the fact that the weather here is cool and windy, but a lot milder than the subfreezing temperatures and snow we left behind in Ohio.

We've been busy with boat maintenance and outfitting since we arrived more than a week ago. The time has gone quickly and we've been busy, but we've also taken time to enjoy the South Carolina "Low Country" and do some exploring and touring while we're here. We've settled into a "marina routine" that let's us sleep a little later in the morning than we do when we're cruising. It's been cold, rainy and windy some days and sunny, calm and mild other days. The plan for the day becomes what the weather will allow here in the sometimes sunny south.

After a pleasant Christmas holiday, we arrived back in South Carolina via Virginia and Maryland on Tuesday, 15 January. The weather has been cold and rainy for much of the past week with the exception of two days. Today was one of the sunny and mild days and we took advantage of the break in the weather to launch the dinghy and explore the Morgan River guided by Joe's friend, Frank. We looked for sharks' teeth and arrowheads on Morgan Island, aka Monkey Island where we saw about twenty monkeys sunning themselves on the shell bank as we arrived. There is a real triple canopy jungle on the islands near the seashore and the monkeys disappeared into the trees as soon as they saw us. We also stopped at a sandbar, aka the Disappearing Island since it is covered by the river at high tide. We found no arrowheads or sharks' teeth, but we saw lots of dolphins swimming up the river with the incoming tide all around us.

Earlier in the week just after we arrived we drove to Hunting Beach which is a South Carolina park about 15 miles to the east of Dataw Island Marina. The day was cloudy but mild and we were able to walk the almost deserted beach and enjoy the surf. Hunting Beach was the location where the Vietnam scenes in the movie Forrest Gump were filmed in the triple canopy jungle near the beach. The lighthouse once guarding the shoals near Hunting Beach has been moved inland to preserve it like the more famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and is located on the parkland. After walking the beach, we had lunch at the Johnson Creek Restaurant where shrimp burgers were on the menu along with authentic Low Country cooking.

The time has gone by quickly since we arrived last Tuesday and it's hard to believe we've been here more than a week. Yesterday we contacted our friends, Greg and Judy who have their boat at the Brunswick Landing Marina in Georgia. They left today from Colorado after waiting for some of the severe winter weather many of you have faced over the past week. They expect to be in Georgia tomorrow or Friday and we'll pick our own "weather window" to head south to rendezvous with them and continue our cruise with them.

One reason we're still here is the fog and cold and wind

Another reason is we're just enjoying the down time and using the weather as an excuse!

Meanwhile we still have a few things to do to get ready and we still want to see more of this interesting and historic area before we leave.

Yesterday we did something we've been intending to do since we met Roger, owner of Victory and Frank, the skipper. Victory is an elegant, if down at the heels, motor yacht that has an interesting history of cruising in the Mediterranean and hosting a variety of movie stars like John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe and a few other personalities like Senator John F. Kennedy. She is being restored by Roger and Frank since she was retrieved from an irresponsible charter company. Roger gave us an informative and interesting tour of the vessel and the work in progress. When she was built and commissioned, Victory was the largest motor yacht that had been built in the United States at that time. While she has been surpassed in size, there is something attractive and elegant about these mature ladies of the sea. Hopefully, Victory will shine once again when Roger and Frank are finished with their refurbishing.

Update on Saturday, 26 January: Things are almost in place and with one more load of laundry to do, topped off fuel and water tanks, and a well-stocked refrigerator/freezer, we're almost ready to go...just need the weather to cooperate and a route to plan. Today we had an early dinner at the Johnson Creek Tavern where the shrimp and oysters are without peer. Legend has it that a sailor (Captain Johnson, of course!) arrived here over 200 years ago, settled down and built a restaurant. His legacy is the restaurant and the creek that bears his name. I don't know the full story about the dollar bills that are stapled to the roof and ceiling of the restaurant and bar, but I understand they eventually end up supporting charitable causes.