I had completely forgotten until I looked back at the old posts that I said so enthusiastically that Georgia was my favorite part of the waterway. My return through the state was in a couple weeks of mist, rain, and drizzle. Traveling in those conditions seemed more interesting at the time than sitting in the cabin for days and I was anxious to get back to see spring come to the Chesapeake. That didn’t work out quite as expected.
Anyway, the mists and fog seem to have obscured the delights of the state in memory as well. I can’t believe now that I’ve said so many times in the past few months that I might not go farther south than the Carolinas. It’s also hard to fathom how many ICW cruisers I’ve heard say things like, “Oh, we never go through Georgia, too twisty, it takes forever.” My friends from Portland have ended their migration in Charleston. If only they knew what they are missing.
A friend of mine who watches my SPOT told me yesterday that it looks like I am cruising in an angiogram.
Indeed it does. It is a fascinatingly intricate coastline with hidden places everywhere. It’s also as interesting in the vertical dimension having more elevation variety than most places further north. It also has big and interesting trees and more variety in vegetation even than Maine.
Best of all, like Maine, you are hardly ever more than a mile or two from a place you can anchor. None of those long, “Do or I haven’t a clue”, legs between possible stopping places that there are so many of behind me.
I departed under sail this morning but the early wind hadn’t filled in enough to keep me on the schedule I wanted for the tide so I motor sailed down to “Hell Gate” and then had a brief splashy buck with wind against the tide up the Ogeechee River to Florida Passage.
Once around the corner of the passage, the rising wind and course change let me roll out the jib and shut off the engine. It was fair lively by the time I came out into Saint Catherine Sound. There were a few gusts over 25 and, even after reefing the jib, the boat was working hard on a broad reach.
I anchored in Walberg Creek about noon with the intention of taking the dinghy ashore to walk around the wonderful beach at the end of the island. It was too exposed however to anchor close enough to a landing spot so I’m spending the afternoon on the boat.
However, looking back at last January’s posts, I see that I never posted the photos of the walk I took with Lee, Lynn and Maggie here. Aside from the wind, the weather today is practically identical so here are some of those pictures:
Anyway, the mists and fog seem to have obscured the delights of the state in memory as well. I can’t believe now that I’ve said so many times in the past few months that I might not go farther south than the Carolinas. It’s also hard to fathom how many ICW cruisers I’ve heard say things like, “Oh, we never go through Georgia, too twisty, it takes forever.” My friends from Portland have ended their migration in Charleston. If only they knew what they are missing.
A friend of mine who watches my SPOT told me yesterday that it looks like I am cruising in an angiogram.
Indeed it does. It is a fascinatingly intricate coastline with hidden places everywhere. It’s also as interesting in the vertical dimension having more elevation variety than most places further north. It also has big and interesting trees and more variety in vegetation even than Maine.
Best of all, like Maine, you are hardly ever more than a mile or two from a place you can anchor. None of those long, “Do or I haven’t a clue”, legs between possible stopping places that there are so many of behind me.
I departed under sail this morning but the early wind hadn’t filled in enough to keep me on the schedule I wanted for the tide so I motor sailed down to “Hell Gate” and then had a brief splashy buck with wind against the tide up the Ogeechee River to Florida Passage.
Once around the corner of the passage, the rising wind and course change let me roll out the jib and shut off the engine. It was fair lively by the time I came out into Saint Catherine Sound. There were a few gusts over 25 and, even after reefing the jib, the boat was working hard on a broad reach.
I anchored in Walberg Creek about noon with the intention of taking the dinghy ashore to walk around the wonderful beach at the end of the island. It was too exposed however to anchor close enough to a landing spot so I’m spending the afternoon on the boat.
However, looking back at last January’s posts, I see that I never posted the photos of the walk I took with Lee, Lynn and Maggie here. Aside from the wind, the weather today is practically identical so here are some of those pictures:
