Peddler III is a beautiful boat (inside and out) and we had a great dinner on board (thanks Carole for the great pork loin)
We left Hilton Head on Friday, to grey skies and windy conditions. The picture you see here is very similar to most of the ICW in Georgia...very flat.
We met this very large container ship coming out of Savanah, on the Savanah River. The ICW does not use the Savanah River, but it does cross it, about 8 miles south of Sananah.
It always amazes me how they get some of these very large vessels so far up the ICW. This one is in Thunderbolt, GA.
As you travel the waterway, this is a very common site. The birds will follow your wake, in hopes that you have stirred up some small bait fish, and they will dive for them.
This was our home for the night, at Kilkenny Marina, on Killkenny Creek. Although not much here, we loved it.
This is their "fancy" office for Kilkenny Marina...it says all you need to know about the area
Another view of the marina
Deb took this picture standing on our boat. This is the owners son, who put his boat in the water, and took off down Kilkenny Creek. He came back about 30 minutes later with a boat FULL of shrimp he caught, as he said "by dragging net in an area where I knew the shrimp hang out"
He then carries the shrimp up to bait wells that he has on the dock. Here, he is explaining to me how this all works. Cool.
We walked from Kilkenny Marina about 300 yards to a real nice restaurant called "Number 107"...we forgot to ask why. Along with a great dinner, we met the owner of the property, the owners of the restaurant, and their family. Great stop.
On Saturday morning we left Kilkenny Marina to light winds, and a beautiful sunrise.
Along the way to St. Simons Island, we saw this scene. Deb says "cows and palm trees, for some reason, do not go together"
As pretty as the sun rise was, the sunset was just as nice. This is a shot of "todays" backyard.
This is a shot of our "final" cocktail hour on HQ. From the left: Deb; Joy; Stuart; Joe; & Carole
Peddler III left this morning for Fernandina, FL.
And Joy Ann left for St. Augustine, FL.
Log 186
Day 543
Sunday, November 15, 2009
7:30 AM EST
Location: Golden Isles Marina; St. Simons Island, Ga.
Weather: 60 with light winds and clear blue skies...heading for 75 today.
The weather is perfect this morning, and will be all day. Still a little cool at 7:30, but warm enough for shorts. My plan is to wear shorts every day now, until we head home on December 11th. I hope the weather cooperates.
As is states above, we are in Grand Isles Marina this morning. This is a beautiful marina, located just across the waterway from the town of St. Simons Island, GA. It is also very close to Brunswick, GA, and just a few miles north of Florida.
Friday...we (Headquarters; Peddler III; and Joy Ann) left Hilton Head at 7 am. It was still a little windy, and very cloudy, but the forecast called for both of these to change...and they did. By the time we made the 52.4 miles to Kilkenny Marina, the wind had calmed down, and the sun was shinning brightly. Kilkenny Marina was described to me as “a world of their own” and they are right. The closest town to the marina is 13 miles away, and from a waterway perspective, they are in the middle of nowhere. The closest town to the north is 23 miles away, and to the south is 64 miles. Not a place to have issues with your boat. But, the people could not have been nicer, or more accommodating. After arriving in Kilkenny, we washed and wiped down the boat, and spent a lazy afternoon just putzing around. At 6, we went over to Joy Ann for cocktails, and then the 6 of us went to a restaurant called Number 107...a short 10 minute walk away. For a place in the middle of nowhere...the place, and the food was great.
On Saturday...the 3 boats left Kilkenny at 6:45...and went about 1 mile back to the ICW for our 66 mile run south to St. Simons Island. The weather was great. No wind; bright sun; and just a little cool. From and ICW standpoint, the Georgia portion has one of the worst reputations. The main reason is, there is nothing to see (but flatlands) and in many spots the water is very shallow, caused by shoaling from swift currents. The worst place is called “Hell Gate”, which has grounded boats for years. The good news is, this year the federal Govt. allocated some funds for dredging....which they did in the spring. So...our trip through there was no issue. The worst part now, is a place called “Little Mud River” and transversing through here was not as straight forward. It was agreed I would take the lead, because we have the shallowest draft. When we arrived there we were about 1 1/2 hours before low tide, which meant we had about 1.7 feet more water than at low tide. Also, by the time we got there we had 5 boats in our caravan, so I told everyone to go to VHF channel 17 and stand by, and I would call out the depths as I saw them, and if they follow directly in my wake, they should be fine. 15 minutes later we had moved through the worst of the water...the lowest dept I reported was 7.5 feet. So, you can see with a 6 foot draft boat, going there at low tide would be a big problem. The rest of the trip to St. Simons Island, was pretty; uneventful; and fairly fast...with an outgoing tide. We arrived at St. Simons Island at about 1:30, and did a good job of washing and wiping down the boat. At 5 we hosted a cocktail party for Peddler & Joy Ann...that lasted till about 7. As usual, they were all amazed by the amount of room we have on Headquarters. Which is more than both of their boats...even though they are 53 & 49 feet long, respectively.
Today (Sunday)...we plan to stay here at Golden Isles, while Peddler & Joy Ann are heading out. Actually, as I write this (now 8:50), they have both already left. Peddler left first...they are heading to Fernandina, FL, 41 miles down the ICW. Joy Ann is heading out in the Atlantic, and coming back in at St. Augustine...a 100 mile trip. As we always, do when meeting new people...we have really enjoyed getting to know them...but enjoy time on our own, as well. I’m not exactly sure of our plans today. We talked about riding the bikes into town. We also talked about using the courtesy car to get some groceries. The Bears played on Thursday night (terrible game) and the NASCAR race does not start until about 3 pm EST, so we have plenty of time for other things.
From here...we plan to say inside on the ICW and stop in Fernandina; Jacksonville; St Augustine; & Daytona. We also hope to spend a couple of days in the Cape Canaveral area, and visit the Space Center. We are still ahead of schedule, and plenty of time to enjoy the sites along the way.
I’ll keep you posted.
Bob
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