Jekyll Harbor Marina - still here, 15 to 20 with gusts to 25 today, not predicted

 

Sarah found the marina cat

The night was noisy (according to Ann, I didn't hear anything...). The wind never died down like the forecast promised and it kept around 15 to 20 all day long with gusts to 25. The route south from here goes out into a sound where you need to do a U-turn at the extreme end. In rough waters, that can be uncomfortable if not dangerous (when the waves strike you broadside in shallow waters). 

We were fascinated how one tree limb happened to develop such a crook

After a 15 second consultation, we decided to stay another day at Jekyll and wait for calmer winds and seas. The marina owner wasn't able to promise a slip right away. They were all taken but later in the day, someone canceled and we didn't even have to move from where we first docked. The wind continued to howl all day long. 

Now we're looking at a calmer day on Saturday - according to the forecast. If prediction meets reality, we'll head south past Fernandina and dock at the Sister's Creek free dock in Jacksonville. We should get in between 2:00 and 3:00, hoping for a space since that dock can easily fill up this time of the year. 

From the free dock, we'll head for St Augustine on Sunday for two days. Hopefully, the weather will be more settled then. 

Jekyll Harbor Marina - We eat at a great restaurant

 

"Red sky at morning, sailors take warning"

I had to take Hoolie out early this morning to beat the coming storms. Stepping on the dock, the western sky was a bright red which brought to mind the old saying, "Red sky at morning, sailor take warning". I got Hoolie to do his thing and we were shut in by the rain until late afternoon. We even saw a sunrise rainbow! 

It's the first time I saw a rainbow lit by the rising sun - not even above the horizon yet

We all had our projects down below but we planned on having dinner at Zachry's River House right next to the marina. It was superb. If you're ever in Jekyll, you've got to eat there. We arrived at 5:00 and got a table right away since we wanted to eat inside. There was a 20 minute wait if you wanted an outside table. 

Meanwhile, Sarah got driving experience on a cart (yesterday)

The prices are very reasonable, $10.50 for a Mahi-Mahi sandwich with french fries. Ann had the fried oyster sandwich. There's a technique for doing fried food and if you get it right, it's very good - and they get it right all the time. 

Snug setting for the marina office

On the way out around 6:00, we saw a line of people waiting for a table, inside or outside. It's a very popular restaurant on the island. We're headed for Fernandina on Friday and a dinner at Pepper's, a Mexican restaurant that is also one of our favorites. It's not far so it should be a nice trip. 

The restaurant is in a beautiful setting too

Jekyll harbor Marina - at a dock

 

Ann found a cat!

The Crescent River anchorage was calm as expected. The island was nearby for pet relief so for us it's a perfect anchorage and the location is good for a stopover between Savannah and Jekyll. Another good thing about the anchorage is that the anchor comes up clean, no mud.

How many marinas come with a pool like this?

We had plenty of tide going through Little Mud River and Jekyll Creek so neither one was a problem and I actually could have gone through both a low tide with my 5 foot keel. I will be issuing a new track that includes tweaks to the Little Mud River track to allow a 5 MLLW passage. 

It was boater appreciation day - to make up for the restaurant being closed on Wednesdays
That's the owner grilling the hamburgers and hotdogs

The storm is due through Thursday with rain and wind all day. With that, we chose to stay at Jekyll Harbor Marina for Thursday and leave Friday morning after the storm passes through. The restaurant here is excellent but is only open Thursday through Sunday due to a shortage of staff. There's plenty of demand but not enough staff to serve them every day of the week. 

We all enjoyed the sunset

Jekyll Harbor Marina has a new owner and it's not a conglomerate. It's a mom and pop team that's very boater oriented. He felt so bad that the restaurant was closed today (on a Wednesday) that he grilled hotdogs and hamburgers with all the extras, chips, cookies, water, etc. There was no charge for the meal! Somebody, later on, passed a hat around and we all contributed but the owner wasn't asking for it. If it had been bought out by an outfit like Safe Harbor, do you think they would have served a free meal?

The walk back to Fleetwing gave us this view - with Jupiter high in the sky

Thursday is storm day and we are secure with no fetch in any direction. On Friday we hope to reach Fernandina and a night out at Pepper's. 

Crescent River anchorage - at anchor

Hoolie has a high interest in this beach. He goes there three times a day.

We were against a facedock with the wind and current pushing us against it so we used the backing out technique described in my Guide. It works under all wind and wave conditions, easy. We had a long way to go, about 50 NM to reach Crescent River so we got an early start for us, at 8:00 am. 

So what do you do when you meet one of these guys in the middle of a narrow channel? 
(you get out of the way, maybe softly touching bottom)

Today included Hell Gate just south of Savannah and we saw 6 MLLW through there. In the spring it was 7 MLLW so it's filled in some. Now we had a strong north wind so it could have resulted in less water than normal since that wind directly will blow water out. 

Sarah was the cook tonight! Yummm. 

It is very hard to figure current since you pass by so many inlets. Sometimes it's with you and sometimes it's against you. All told, we averaged our cruising boat speed - it all evened out. We took a long day (50 NM) so we could read Jekyll by Wednesday. There's a front coming through on Thursday with high winds and a 100% chance of rain, heavy at times. We wanted to be snug in a marina for that event. 

A peaceful sunset a the Crescent River anchorage

We hope to make Fernandina on Friday so we can eat out at Pepper's, one of our favorite restaurants. It will just be a one night stay there, then it's on to the Jacksonville free dock. 

Savannah Bend Marina - at a dock

A lone heron is still looking for dinner with Saturn in the sky above his head

We were placed on the inside of the facedocks at Beaufort city docks. That can be a challenge due to the swirling currents and fast currents. We carefully prepared our exit and Ann backed out against the incoming current without a problem. The one thing you have to be careful of it to grip the wheel firmly., If it slips out of your hands, then disaster can strike with the wheel hard over. 

We're on the fuel dock for the night, very convenient to come into

The rains cleared around 10:00 and the rest of the day was fine with little winds. We had no problems with the shallows of Watts Cut and Ashepoo- Coosaw Cutoff since we went through with 5 to 6 feet of tide. Still, reduced to MLLW, it was around 4 to 5 feet MLLW at both areas. 

We called many of the marinas in Savannah but they were all full! I then tried the Savannah YC but in addition to a $4/foot fee, they wanted a letter of recommendation from my yacht club stating I was a member in good standing before they would consider allowing me to dock. It seems like they were rather full of themselves and certainly not very welcoming. 

We are on a mission to reach Jekyll by Wednesday night so we can ride out the coming front on Thursday with predicted 20 to 30 kts winds and a 100% chance of rain. Friday is predicted to be better so we'll continue on to Fernandina and dinner at Pepper's!

Beaufort SC - We visit with friends

The sunrise at Steamboat Landing anchorage

I took Hoolie to shore this morning with the second great sunset in a row! We are really enjoying the spat of good weather but it's due to end on Thursday with a cold front coming down from the north. We are going to rush along faster than we planned to make Jekyll by Wednesday night to ride out the storms. 

It will be a beautiful house

Meanwhile, we enjoyed a visit with Scott and Cathy who are building a new house. We toured the construction, it's going to be beautiful. It's due for completion by January. We look forward to visiting on our way north and seeing it all finished. 

Do drop by if you're in the area and have a chat

We often get visitors along the way that drop by to say hi. It's fun to meet people that enjoy the water life as much as we do! If you're around, drop by too.

We will leave early Monday to make for Savannah, then the Crescent River anchorage, followed by Jekyll Island on Wednesday to beat the front headed our way. We plan on two days there to let the winds die down some before heading south once again, this time to Fernandina. 

Steamboat Landing Anchorage - at anchor

 

The famous octagon gazebo is still there! It's been a landmark forever.

We have two choices we like from Charleston: one is Steamboat Landing and the other is B & B Seafood. We called the second place since we love their fresh shrimp but they would not accept us until 5:00 or later. We would have arrived around 2:30 and we couldn't see waiting around until 5:00.

A big reason for stopping is the convenient public landing!

With that, we chose the Steamboat Landing anchorage which is one of our favorites anyway. It has a nice public dock which makes it easy to take Hoolie in and the depths where we anchor are in the 10 feet MLLW range. However, this time of the year, it's ferocious for nats but the visit with Hoolie was brief. On the boat, there are a few nats in the cockpit but we have nat proof screens so we're comfortable down in the main cabin. 

On Sunday we are headed through Watts Cut and Ashepo-Coosaw Cutoff. Both are in the 4 MLLW range so it ought to be interesting although we will have 3 to 4 foot of tide when we go through. We plan on taking a dock at Beaufort, SC and visit with friends during the day. It's off to Windmill Harbour the next day.