Author: Phil

Thursday the 11th we departed Fernandina — nice stop — but, left in onsetting winds above 10 knots that kept us on our toes. Moved on to Pine Island anchorage, a 50-mile trip and anchored in 10 feet on a quiet and beautiful evening.

Next morning, the 12th we headed for Marineland Marina, one of our favorite stops, just 18 miles south of St. Augustine (another great stop). The weather finally warmed up to mid 60s and the sun shone all day. Loving it! Arrived in Marineland Marina midafternoon and moored in our now favorite slip next to the office. We enjoy a marina filled with long-range traveling boaters just stopping to replenish supplies and do some maintenance. We always make new friends each time we stop. Although we planned a two -day stop, the upcoming high-pressure blow lengthened our stay to 4 days. We’ll head out next Tuesday for points south after four nice days to points south. Below photo shows someone wanted to highlight the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine as we passed by! Not AI, but the sun and reflections. Also see a couple of anchorage pictures.

Had easy 40 mile run to Brunswick after pulling up anchor in Duplin River. The excitement for the day was traveling the last 10 miles through St Simon Sound. We made the turn towards Brunswick and in from the sea came a very large cargo ship headed the same way. BenjOllie easily proved she has some speed as we safely stayed in the lead of the Monrovian ship. After tying up we got ready to look at a 46 Grand Banks Carey found in an ad that really looked like a good deal. All the benefits of a Grand Banks but with more room. The next morning, we looked it over and are actively discussing moving up in size. We planned on leaving at noon after looking at the 46-footer, but a strong wind was blowing so we decided to stay the night and leave next day.

No hurry on the 10th as were only 40 miles from Fernandina Beach. We passed through another sound, St. Andrews, after passing Jekyll Island. The Sound, known for being as rough as the Atlantic that it connects to was pleasantly calm this trip. Next was a sunny warm trip along Cumberland Sound and the Navy’s Kings Bay Trident Submarine base and into Fernandina Beach for the night.

Just for fun I found that you can motor the Georgia coast from South Carolina to Florida and enjoy sites on the 115 miles trip, but there are even more things to see traveling the ICW that wanders 141 miles along the Georgia coastline. And it is nice to see the local towns decorated for Christmas like the main street in Fernandina Beach pictured below.

Over these days we traveled from Lady’s Island Marina to Safe Harbor Beaufort Marina (4th), then Herb River anchorage (Savannah) (5th) and finally Duplin River anchorage (65 miles south and just off Doboy Sound anchorage (6th and 7th).

Started the morning of the 4th with apple fritters and coffee—Carey’s spoils from Publix the day before. Once satisfied, we cast off on a short 30‑minute run to Safe Harbor Beaufort, the town‑owned marina right in downtown. By noon we were securely moored and ready for lunch.

304 acres of Beaufort are designated a National Historic Site and well worth walking around, as much of the original town has been saved and is maintained beautifully. We both needed a walk, and this was the place to do it. Many of the old buildings host shops, great eateries, and our favorite, the ice cream and fudge store.

Up Friday the 5th, I had a hiccup: trouble loading my next ICW track from Bob423, whose tracks are invaluable for safe navigation. After some persistence, the file finally uploaded, and we set off into a day that was more challenging than cheerful as the weather was dreary—overcast skies, steady rain, and fog that cut visibility down to half a mile over some notorious shoaled areas. Windshield wipers worked nonstop as we pressed on. By 3 PM, we dropped anchor in Herb River, just south of Thunderbolt, Georgia, a short ride from Savannah. At Herb River, one treat was watching a large 200+ foot vessel move from Thunderbolt Marina toward an ocean inlet. It had a red-lighted escort vessel keeping the path clear as it moved slowly for the inlet. See the picture below.

Continuing south, the day’s positive points were low winds and flat waters as we crossed Port Royal Sound, an Atlantic inlet.

Pictures below of Carey at Luther’s restaurant and a view outside Luther’s windows in Beaufort and the dreary fog and rain while underway from Savannah.

Morning of the 6th, from Herb River anchorage, we headed for Sunbury Crab House and Marina. We love the place, but overcast, rain, and fog made us change our minds. (BTW, George Cajigal and Polly Parks found this great stop about 10 years ago! Just south of Savannah and close to 95 in Richmond Hill.) Feeling comfortable on the boat; toasty and enjoying the travel down the ICW … why dock and tie up in the rain. We decided by-passing the tie up and expensive dinner at Sunbury and moved on to anchor at Duplin River, just inside Doboy Sound, a short hop from the Atlantic. Once there, we were joined by another trawler, a sailboat, and a catamaran. (Catamarans and trawlers seem to be the go-to boats these days, and very few sport fishing boats, at least on the waterway. Also, few Canadian cruisers this trip. Usually, about a third of the cruisers to the Bahamas have been Canadians.) We’ll stay another day, as more fog and rain are forecast for the area — a fourth day of dreary mess!

We heard reports of the coming east coast storm and watched closely as its path and strength were forecast. Luckily, we were on the far SE portion of the disturbance and only received rain and mild winds the night of 1 Dec and moderate rain while traveling to Beaufort this morning. It was our first dreary and rainy day … cold as well. Only a few boats on the waterway. Leaving Steamboat Creek at 7:30 AM, we made the 47-mile trip to Beaufort by just after noon and moored at Ladies Island Marina, another favorite of ours.

Our trip today illustrates how the ICW is interconnected by man-made cuts to natural waterways. We left Steamboat Creek to join the Dawho River, then Watts Cut (man-made) to the South Edisto River, then the 1/4 mile Fenwick Cut (man-made) to the Ashepoo River, then the Ashepoo – Coosaw Cutoff (man-made) to the Coosaw River, and finally Brickyard Creek into Beaufort. Referring to the ICW as “the Ditch” is such a misnomer. It’s a wonderful collection of rivers, sounds, creeks and, yes, a few man-made connecting canals … most often paralleling the ocean’s coastline and skirting more small towns than large cities.

Had a great dinner at Dockside Dec 2nd, our second favorite restaurant with the same name. We’re spending two days here to replenish food and wine and then move just 2 miles on the other side of town to the city marina in downtown Beaufort for a day of sightseeing and relaxing in that Landmark Historic district. We’re enjoying the slower routine of this year’s travel. On the 3rd we used the courtesy car to shop along with other boaters Peter and Edie. He keeps his boat at Capital Yacht Club or in Key West and knows Peggy Saylor. A small world. After the shopping spree Carey and I dined at the local dive bar, Fillin! Station, that came highly recommended by the marina owner. Loved it!

The first two pictures show BenjOllie at her slip at Ladies Island Marina and the looks of a marina that has an 8-foot range of tide at its lowest level. The next one is a selfie of us at the dive bar. The next picture shows how the ICW wanders through the US east coast from Charleston to Hell’s Gate in Georga.

Had to wait for mid tide at Isle of Palm (11 AM) before starting the trip to our next stop, Steamboat Creek anchorage, 40 miles south of Charleston due to shallow water around the Ben Sawyer Bridge. Finishing a book while enjoying the sunrise and coffee made for a fine morning. Weather was grand today, better than last night’s 40-degrees. We don’t like running a generator while anchored and sleeping so we enjoyed snuggling under plenty of blankets last evening, another fine activity. Warm weather today helped us enjoy the 35 minute ride through Charleston Harbor and following travels down Stono River. The country south of Charleston is beautiful, and we once we safely anchored we enjoyed a stunning sunset in Steamboat Creek. We stayed a second day, relaxing and enjoying the low country view. See pictures below.