Georgia on my Mind

Back out on the Atlantic Ocean for a cruise past Savannah, Georgia and up the Skidaway River to the Isle of Hope Marina.  We met Gregg and Mary, residents of Dutch Island, for dinner to renew our friendship that was initiated back in April 2019 when we stopped for a few days to provision and play pickleball.  We had hoped to stay an extra day at the marina but, since there was no room, we elected to continue south on the ICW and anchor in Big Tom Creek, another of those remote but very peaceful spots.  Next day found us winding our way on the ICW rivers and we chose to anchor in Duplin Creek near the inlet to the ocean.  We caught a favorable window to cruise outside down to St Simons Island on a sunny day.  As we sailed into the wide St Simons Channel inlet to the island, we saw a most remarkable and sad sight of a huge ship on its side!  We learned that the ship had run aground at 1:30 AM back in September while carrying 4200 cars.  The pictures do not provide the massive size of this ocean going vessel on its side. The salvage operation was so intricate it would take 2 years to break up the ship in pieces and haul it away as it could not be safely refloated.  Thank God that all crew was rescued from the ship with a fast and efficient response from local marine authorities.

Jekyll Island

When we were traveling north on our year long journey, we avoided the waterways along Jeklyll Island, Georgia due to reports of extensive shoaling.  This time, with weather dictating our route selection, we cruised along Jekyll Creek to a marina where we docked for several days.  We were completely unprepared for the incredible beauty and historic significance of this island.