Month: June 2016

This short day’s run was awesome, spent the morning and first part of the afternoon still exploring Savannah.  Since this was only a 21 mile run, we left River Street around 2:30pm. The current was ripping, seemed to be at least 4mph.  Heading down Savannah River was fast and easy, 1,000 Rpms had me going 12mph with the flow of the river.  Leaving Savannah River we took Fields Cut to Wright River. From here we followed a USCG tug and barge all the way through to Ramshorn Creek, then Cooper River which empties into Calibogue Sound directly across from Hilton Head Island.

Charles Frasier had a vision when he developed Hilton Head Island, that was for families and visitors to come and be able to look up and see the stars.  That’s why there are no neon lights on the island.  The island is now 98% developed and yet one can always look up and see the stars; they also have a huge number of sea turtles who still come to the island to nest.   Hilton Head Harbour Town Yacht Basin is a great spot with free shuttles to the beach and resort amenities access as a marina guest.  Hilton Head Island is part of the Lowcountry region, the Harbour Town Lighthouse and Museum marks the southwest tip.  We had some great food here and got to swim in the Atlantic.   Mike Drake, a great friend of the family, who lives here, came to see us and Pura Vida.  It was awesome to spend some time with him, and he shared much nautical wisdom and local knowledge of SC.  It was also cool to see his 02 7.3L F350, one of the last good diesels around, almost at 300k. Hopefully this can be my next truck when he wants to sell it.  We had a great meal at Quarterdeck right on the marina and shared some great wine and views.  My really good friend, Tyler Crochet, had his friend Scott drive him down from Charleston today so he can ride back to Charleston with us.  Tyler has been living in SC for 5 years now, it sure was great to see him, and we have a fun time ahead of us.  Courtney has been great to have aboard, she has been with me since Amelia Island and has been a great help.  Her grand dad has done the loop twice and has taught her good boating knowledge, its been a treat.

 

 

We departed Kilkenny Marina around 8AM Monday, tropical storm Colin had us in light rain and overcast skies the whole day.  Getting back to the ICW from Kilkenny we took Bear River then went through a narrow cut called Florida Passage that took us onto the Ogeechee River.  To get from here to the Vernon River you have to go through Hell Gate a shallow passage that takes you to Skidaway River and finally the Savannah River.  The Hyatt has a good, long dock for boaters that want to stay for a while and enjoy this cool town.  There are 3 other marinas on the main drag, and you have to call in advance to get reservations.  We did this leg of the trip during high tide because Hell Gate is literally Hells Gate during low tide.

Right before sunset at Kilkenny Marina

  

Savannah is so rich in history.  It was established in 1733 and was the first colonial and state capital of Georgia.  You would probably need a week here to see everything.  Trolley tours are a good way to see the city. they can let you off anywhere and the drivers are good at talking about the city.  Dave from the UK was my favorite guide.  There is a lot of commercial traffic on the Savannah river at night, it rocks the boat, so a good fender system is a must.  Savannah is the second largest port in the US for export.

Rainy Commute

River Queen

Pura Vida at dock

Model ships at the Maritime Museum and real ships, you can see two passing each other and how tight it is.

Streets were originally paved with ballast rocks from the ships coming into port.  They have preserved this on river street.

Last, but definitely not least, I got to see my long time friend Kathleen Westbrook, her boyfriend Caleb, and precious Bailey.  We all had a great meal together.

 

Todays cruise went great, Leaving Morningstar Marina at 8am we arrived at Kilkenny Marina around 1:40PM.  The tide was with us for half the day today then against us for the other, I kicked the CAT motors up to 2150 RPMs to try to do as much of the Georgia ICW as possible during high tide.  We were making 15knots with no current then down to about 12-13kts when it started flowing against us.  My engines are workhorses, you can’t beat a mechanical Caterpillar, not the fastest but damn their reliable.  Scenery today was beautiful marsh lands with some that had good hard ground where remote homes were built and trees seem to flourish on these banks where soil is good.  We cruised the Troupe Creek East then Mackay River then little Mud River (most of these narrow caution spots have range markers so you can use these to line up and stay centered in the channel) then hit the Sapelo River then made it to St. Catherine’s Sound where we got on Bear River then Kilkenny Creek.  Today was like a maze of rivers I had a fun time.

Kilkenny Marina is located in Richmond Hill Georgia, I love Henry Ford and when I heard he had a historical connection to this area I had to find out more.  Fords home was built on the sight of Richmond Plantations.  Fords holdings eventually totaled 85,000 acres of agricultural and timber lands, which is now owned by the state of Georgia or ITT Rainier, a timber company.  Henry also built a number of public buildings here like the Kindergarten which is now the Richmond Hill Historical Society, and a chapel that now houses St. Anne’s Catholic Church.  Both are located on Georgia S.R. 144, also known as Ford Avenue.  The Ford Plantation has been turned into a luxury resort that is supposed to be very nice!  When it was suggested that the town be renamed “Ford”, Mr. Ford declined and instead Ways Station was renamed “Richmond Hill” after the sight of Fords home on the banks of the Ogeechee River.

Pura Vida docked at Kilkenny Marina

they sell shrimp here and this Blue Heron eats good

check out their unique way of launching boats here at Kilkenny. due to the 8′ tides

My crew has made great meals for me and taken very good care of the boat so I am very grateful to them.  Leaving our anchorage we headed back to the ICW and took it north through St. Andrews Sound  which takes you into the Atlantic slightly and then back to the ICW there are shoals here and thats why you have to go so far out.  We then passed Jekyll Island, this ICW section goes through Jekyll Creek.  We hit this area at low tide actually 7′ low, the ICW depth is 12 in this area so we only had 5′ under the boat and the trench was super narrow.  We idled through this area, it was only like a 2 mile stretch of skinny water then back to 12-23 ft.  Well Cumberland Island is in GA and this means i’ve done the whole Florida coast, feeling very happy about this.  Georgia has these huge tidal swings though and areas where it gets very shoaly from all the current moving so this will be a good area to refine my ICW skills even further.

This was a very cool place to stop, Morningstar Marina is a great establishment dock master Mitch takes the best care of his boaters and the marina.  St. Simons is located on the southeast Georgia coast, midway between Savannah and Jacksonville, St. Simons Island is both a seaside resort and residential community.  It is the largest of Georgia’s renowned Golden Isles (along with Sea Island, Jekyll Island, and privately owned Little Simons Island). Visitors are drawn to the Island for its warm climate, beaches, shops, restaurants, historical sites, and its natural environment.  Bubba Gracias is a awesome spot to get Mexican American food and relax in a nice very friendly atmosphere.  Try the bbq burrito or the cali club tacos, they both hit the spot for me.  This is a great island for bike riding and walking, there is a natural canopy provided by the live oaks that are very large.  We met some very friendly people here that we look forward to seeing again.

We left Amelia Island around 1 PM Thursday with the destination of a anchorage off  Cumberland Island.  Welcome to Georgia’s largest barrier island and one of the most spectacular natural habitats in the Northern Hemisphere. The greatest and most lasting value of the Island is its ability to change us. It is a place of transformation. It is this intangible feature that seems to be the most important benefit which Cumberland Island has for its guests. This spiritual quality is what, year after year, its visitors, residents, and Park Service employees seem to believe is its most important contribution to our people.  In the early 1880s, Thomas Morrison Carnegie and his wife, Lucy Coleman Carnegie, came to the Island and established the family’s presence, which exists to the present day. In the 1960s the human population began to diversify somewhat as the land started to leave the exclusive holdings of individual families, and the evolution of the National Seashore began.

The horses which roam freely on Cumberland are feral, meaning that their ancestors were once domesticated. Legend has it that they were originally brought to the Island by the Spanish. However these particular horses’ ancestors arrived, they make a very pleasing vista for the visitors of Cumberland. They are one of the most sought-after sights by visitors coming to Cumberland.

Cruising to Cumberland Island was pretty and laid back, these short legs of the trip are great because we can go extra slow and just take in all the beautiful flora and fauna.   Cumberland island has 2 good anchorages, one right off the island at the north east corner which allows great access to the island and the other is on Floyd Creek which is more protected.  We used both anchorages.  Floyd creek has strong current so you stay pretty straight and is a safe spot, with a depth of 14ft.

The mate was a mighty sailin’ man,
The Skipper brave and sure.
Five passengers set sail that day,
For a three hour tour,
A three hour tour.

 

Memorial Day weekend was great in Jacksonville, I met a bunch of great people while staying here at  Beach Marine.  People watching at the boat ramp on a busy holiday weekend is always great, lots of funny boat drama from the weekend warriors.  My buddy Andrew Gund from home has been living in Jax for a few years now and had a few great meals with me and stayed aboard Pura Vida one evening.  I met a really cool guy named Mason while being here he has a nice 34′ sailboat, he’s been busy with work and surfing so he has been renting his sailboat as a condo on Airbnb.  Mason Masters and I share a lot of the same passions like being on a boat loving the water and enjoying nature, long story short I talked him into riding with me for a few legs of the trip and that he did!

We departed Beach Marine Wednesday June 1st, the temp was pretty warm and it was feeling good to get back on the ICW and make some wind blow through the flybridge.  We had also recruited three females that were excited to see what living and cruising on Pura Vida was like.  Our crew now consists of Mason, Kasey, Bridget, and Emily.  Kasey is from a boating family her mom and dad ran boats for many years as a couple.  Bridget and Emily were actually renting Masons boat for a night they are very cool girls, both roommates from Athens GA.  Emily is a Firefighter EMT and Bridget is a gymnastics teacher.  Felt vey lucky to have them aboard for a short while and they got to test out the pullout couch that I’ve never even pulled out lol This short 28 mile zig zag through the ICW took us north crossing over the St. Johns River into the narrow Sisters Creek, then passing Nassau Sound and arriving at Fernadina Harbour Marina which is on Amelia Island.

The 6 and 7′ tide swings they have here are crazy, all the docks have to be floating and when it is coming up or is going down the tidal currant is very powerful.  Amelia Island is very cool they have a lot of restaurants and things to see and do all in walking distance.