A Race Through Georgia

In last week’s post, we had just entered Georgia, and what a week it was. I previously mentioned some sporty weather headed our way, so instead of taking any chances, we made it a goal to reach Savannah by Friday. After leaving Cumberland Island Monday morning, we made several stops along the Georgia coastline, and although they were quick stops, we felt that we made the most of our time in each place.

We stayed in Jekyll Island Monday night and rode marina bikes around the island. Jekyll Island is skinny enough that you can go from the Intracoastal to the ocean in a matter of minutes by bike. Fun fact: The first meeting to draft legislation to create the Federal Reserve system took place at the Jekyll Island Club!

Tuesday night took us 8 miles to St. Simon’s Island for the evening where we only had enough time for a sunset walk — but an absolutely stunning one it was!

After discussing options with our buddy boat, S/V Slacker, we decided on making the most of our day Wednesday by taking a sunrise cruise in the morning, anchoring to work for the day, then taking another sunset cruise in the evening. Our sunrise cruise brought us to Fort Frederica, a national monument that preserves the archaeological remnants of a fort and town built by James Oglethorpe between 1736 and 1748 to protect the southern boundary of the British colony of Georgia from Spanish raids. Once we logged off for the day, we made our way another 19 miles north to the very end of the sunset where we anchored off the Sapelo Sound.

Thursday was another trek where I took most of the day off while Evan worked, and we pushed forward 45 miles through the infamous Hell Gate. Hell Gate is known for its extremely shallow and narrow passage that needs to be timed according to your boat’s draft. Lucky for us, our draft is 3.5 feet, and we’ve heard 3 feet, 7 inches is its shallowest depth. We passed through on a rising tide as the sun set, then anchored north of the gate where Ripley was in heaven on the sandy shore. 

Finally, on Friday afternoon, we finished our grand tour of Georgia by arriving in Savannah at Thunderbolt Marina just as we had planned. We tied down on the dock and allowed ourselves to explore the historic downtown on Saturday before the inclement weather hit us on Sunday. 

Upon reflecting on our race through Georgia, I can’t say we would have done anything differently. We had been warned of the extreme tidal swings and strong currents in the side creeks, and that was certainly all true. Our time in Georgia made us better captains, strengthened our weather-reading skills, and reminded us of the importance of being able to adapt on a day-to-day (or even hour-to-hour) basis. We’re eager to cross into South Carolina this week and possibly reach Charleston by the weekend. 

Cheers to continuing the adventure!