Lowcountry

March 11 - 17, 2017

Machen Square, Brunswick GA

We stayed a week in Brunswick GA at the Brunswick Landing Marina. After hunkering down for 2 days of miserably cold, windy weather, we were able to walk the nearby main street of town.  The downtown layout includes numerous "pocket parks", or squares - a nice touch.

Downtown shops - Brunswick GA

Many of the older buildings have been renovated and house shops and restaurants.  Unfortunately there are still many vacant spaces in need of work.

Old courthouse, Brunswick GA

The "old" courthouse is still in use, as well as the "new"  one pictured below.  Gorgeous, huge live oaks obscure the view.

New courthouse, Brunswick GA

Our marina has a reputation as a very social stop and it did not disappoint!  Happy hour at the resident Yacht Club is 3 nights per week (free beer and wine).  We met an interesting group of live aboards and transient cruisers.  One couple docked next to us on a sailboat had just arrived from Bermuda to complete their circumnavigation of the world!  They had fallen in love with New Zealand and had stayed there several years to work and obtain citizenship.  They are back in the US to sell their sailboat so they can return to live in New Zealand.

Sidney Lanier Bridge, Brunswick GA

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Finally we must leave Brunswick, departing early in order to safely transit shallow spots along our route at high tide.

Kilkenny Marina, Richmond Hill GA

After 72 miles and 9 hours, a long day for us,  we arrive at Kilkenny Marina.  This is a basic fish camp with minimal facilities but is a welcome sight after a long day cruising.  We had a delightful dinner at Marker 107, a nearby restaurant that is surprisingly upscale for the setting.

Isle of Hope, GA

Savannah GA Fire Boat

Sunday, March 19, 2017

A mid-morning departure will allow us to transit several shallow areas with ample tide, or so we think.  As we approach the first area, aptly named "Hell's Gate", we are hailed by another boat just exiting who tells us there is not enough water for us to pass safely.  So we wait 1 1/2 hours for high tide and get through with no problems.

We are now behind schedule and cannot get all the way to Hilton Head for our planned stop.  So we instead stop in Thunderbolt GA, near Savannah, for the night.  A local fire boat passes as we get near town.

Since we have previously visited Savannah, we decide to skip a 10-mile trip up the Savannah River to downtown.

Cooper River, SC

Monday, March 20, 2017

We soon cross the Savannah River and are in South Carolina.  We are traveling through "lowcountry", a term that typically refers to coastal counties of South Carolina, but the terrain from the water is similar as far south as Jacksonville, FL.  Characterized by vast waterways interspersed with grassy marshes, few signs of civilization are apparent.

Daufuskie Island

The grassy marshes of this area are broken by isolated islands sporting dense vegetation for a beautiful, if austere panorama. 
We are still maintaining a schedule in order to transit the lowcountry when high tides occur in daylight hours.

Hilton Head Island

The local tide cycle shifts by an hour each day.  In a few days, we will not be able to pass the shallow spots during daylight hours, so we have chosen to bypass Hilton Head Island and press on north.

Homes on Hilton Head

Many beautiful homes line the shores of this upscale community.

Tip of Hilton Head Island from Port Royal Sound

We are finally past Hilton Head Island and enter the choppy waters of Port Royal Sound.

Boka on Dolphin Watch

Boka has been on dolphin watch for days now!  Once she has seen a dolphin near the boat, she will stare intently at the water for hours, searching for the telltale fin or the sound of them surfacing to breathe.

Parris Island

Close to Beaufort, we pass Parris Island.  This is the east coast Marine Corps training facility.  The water tower says "We Make Marines".

Parris Island - windsock?

Parris Island - windsock?

This curious object is on Parris island.  It rotates slowly and we are guessing it is a windsock of some type.

Beaufort SC

Our next stop is in sight - Downtown Marina of Beaufort.

Waterfront homes - Beaufort SC

Downtown Marina of Beaufort

These lovely homes are near downtown Beaufort.








A waterfront park extends for blocks in the downtown area.  Sauvy B is barely visible on the outer dock at the marina.

We met several cruisers here and will likely see them as our paths cross again further north.

Waterfront park - Beaufort SC

The park lies between the waterfront and the main downtown businesses.  Many restaurants have outdoor seating facing the water.  We enjoyed dinner with new cruising friends here.

Ashepoo River, SC

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

A mid-morning departure takes us through more lowcountry.

Watts Cut

Watts Cut is typical of the narrow land cuts that tend to shoal.  We must pass these areas at or near high tide, going slowly in case the depths change rapidly.  The deep water is dredged as needed and is quite narrow, compared with the width of the waterway.  Wind, swift currents and murky water complicate passage.  It is best to approach these areas on a rising tide.  Should we get stuck, a rising tide will hopefully allow us to float free, rather than being left high and dry on a falling tide.  Fortunately we did not bump bottom in any of these cuts!

Wadmalaw River, SC

More lowcountry as we approach Charleston.

Church Creek anchorage

We anchor for the night in Church Creek, just off the Wadmalaw River.  We enjoy a spectacular sunset with one other boat, barely visible nearby.

About 1 am we are awakened by a violent thunderstorm and 30 knot winds.  Fortunately our anchor holds and we are safe for the night.

Stono River, SC

We have an easy 2 hour cruise this morning to our marina in the Charleston area.  Many homes line the Stono River.  Note the very long docks crossing the marsh to open water.  Pack a lunch to get to your boat?

Stono River, SC

More beautiful homes as we approach Charleston.

Recovering from a long passage

After tying up at our dock, an exhausted crew recovers from sleep lost to last night's storm.

St. Johns Yacht Harbor, Johns Island SC

We are staying at St. Johns Yacht Harbor, about a 15 minute drive to downtown Charleston.  This is a very nice facility with lots of liveaboards and transient cruisers and we have met some interesting people.  We will stay here a month, waiting for spring, and rent a car for sightseeing.

Heading North and a Stop at Jekyll Island

 February 27 - 28, 2017

One last wildlife photo as we say farewell to DeLand.  Sandhill cranes are not hunted here so they are everywhere and almost tame.  Their red heads are spectacular when lit by the sun.

We depart DeLand on Feb. 27.  After a one night stop in Palatka, we are back in Jacksonville.  This time we stay at Ortega Landing Marina, a first class facility on the west side of the St Johns River.






March 1 - 6, 2017

The Marina at Ortega Landing is in an older neighborhood that has been "discovered", with lots of older homes being renovated.  Nearby shops make provisioning easy.  A couple of blocks from our marina is Chamblin Bookmine, a Jacksonville institution that claims to have over 2 million used books for sale.  It is truly overwhelming!

March 7, 2017

We enjoyed our stay here.  Met lots of other cruisers and had lunch with new friends from last December.  They will take delivery of a new Kadey-Krogen trawler soon and had lots of photos to share. 

We depart Ortega Landing early to coincide with high tide, as the Ortega River will be uncomfortably shallow, even with the extra water depth.

We must wait for the Ortega River railroad bridge to open.  Downtown Jacksonville is awakening in the background.

We make a 3 hour stop at Metropolitan Park Marina, in downtown Jacksonville, to wait for the incoming current to subside and time our route later this afternoon to transit a shallow area at the next high tide.  Two hours later we arrive at the intersection of the St Johns River and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW).

We have now turned north to resume our cruise up the US east coast!  We anchor for the night across from Fernandina Beach.  This is considered a fun, beachy, touristy stop, but the main marina was badly damaged by Hurricane Matthew last fall and they cannot accommodate us for the night.  Instead of seeing the town, we must content ourselves with a lovely view (and smell) of two paper mills in a blustery, bumpy anchorage.  Ugh!

March 8, 2017

We are now in a section of coast known for very large tides (6 - 8 ft, twice per day) and lots of shallow areas in the AICW.  We must plan carefully to transit the shallow areas at or near high tide.  An afternoon departure takes us across the St Marys River and the Florida / Georgia state line.  We pass Cumberland Island to our east but do not see any of the wild horses known to live there.

A four-hour cruise today gets us to Jekyll Harbor Marina on the infamous Jekyll Island.  We had planned an overnight here, however ... wow!  Had no idea this is such a beautiful place!  We set out on loaner bikes for a quick tour and decided to stay 2 more nights.  It's nice not having a schedule!

March 9 - 10, 2017

So much to see here and we just couldn't leave Boka behind on the boat.  We found a rental bike with a kids trailer that worked well for her to tag along.  The entire island is a state park with wide open park-like areas, huge moss-draped live oaks, magnolias and such, and paved bike trails everywhere.  Development is carefully controlled, giving the island a quiet, relaxed atmosphere.

For those not familiar with Jekyll Island, this was the home of the Jekyll Island Club.  Founded in 1886 as a winter hunting club and getaway for the ultra wealthy.  It was also the setting for the 1910 meeting of the major bankers who ultimately formed the Federal Reserve Bank, in response to the financial panic of 1907. 






Today the Club is an elegant hotel, complete with a croquet court on the front lawn.  We enjoyed several meals in the wonderful restaurants, which were quite reasonable considering the location.

The hotel bar exemplifies the understated elegance of the facility.

The "Federal Reserve Room" is where the historic planning supposedly took place.

Located in the heart of the Historic District, the hotel is surrounded by numerous "cottages" built by turn-of-the-century Club members.  This is the Rockefeller or "Indian Mound" Cottage, built about 1900.







The Goodyear Cottage, 1906, houses the Jekyll Island Arts Association.  We attended their annual Arts Festival featuring a juried art show, live music and art demonstrations.  Fun!

The Moss Cottage, 1896.

Numerous shops and this post office are housed in period buildings on the grounds.

Driftwood Beach lies on the northeast end of Jekyll Island.  Dredging of nearby St Simons Sound entrance channel caused sand to accrete here, burying ancient live oak trees.






Paved bike trails crisscross the island, weaving through unspoiled woods, connecting developed areas.

Carolyn has a new bicycle!  It's a folding bike, all aluminum, very light weight and fun to ride.

Jekyll Island boasts only 9 holes of golf, a rarity in this area as there are many championship golf courses on and near the barrier islands north of here.

A lovely beach near the main tourist area.  We saw no trash anywhere!

Boka got to go for a quick dip, but the water was cold and very muddy.  Boka met lots of dog buddies here.

We found a great cafe for a light lunch in the main tourist area.

Then we reluctantly headed back to the marina.  This was a perfect pair of Chamber of Commerce days!

Tomorrow we will make an hour run to Brunswick, GA where we will take a week's break to wait for a cold front to pass and the next high tide window before resuming our trek north.  Our next stops will include Savannah, Hilton Head Island, Beaufort and Charleston.