May 15, 2014
The anticipated overnight rains waited until early this morning. They even delayed the delivery of the “free” Krispy Kreme doughnuts given to overnight boaters. I already had one cup of coffee before they arrived. The rains increased throughout the morning, giving me cause to appreciate our decision to remain in port today. Despite the bimini, the helm seat isn’t a dry location with rain and winds from astern.

We took showers again this AM, enjoying the marina’s ample supply of hot water and high water pressure. Invigorating, some of the best showers I’ve experienced on the ICWW. Later we did our laundry and cleaned up the boat.

It’s now about 1730, the rain appears to have ended and the skies are beginning to show little blue patches. The cooler temperatures and northerly breezes are sure to follow soon.

Almost forgot to mention this. Some very friendly cruisers from Hampton, VA., which we met in Stuart, pulled into the slip next to us. They are experiencing some drive line problems on their trawler, Luna Azul. They are now scheduled to be hauled out for repairs tomorrow. Tough luck, but they could not have picked a better place for repairs.

Location: Thunderbolt Marina, Thunderbolt, Ga. MM 583
May 14, 2014
If you blog readers are getting tired of this time, tide routine, believe me I’m sure tired of experiencing it and writing about it. We have time for coffee and some breakfast before departing this AM. High tide at Hell Gate is 0855 and we transit the area right on time.  A missing marker in the middle of the run adds to our angst, but we make it through ok.

The weather news is calling for thunder storms, lots of rain and increased wind this evening and all day Thursday. Add in my sleepless night before and we have the recipe for a short day and the security of a marina for the evening.
 
We motor on for either Isle of Hope or Thunderbolt. It seems too early to stop as we approach Isle of Hope so we contact Thunderbolt for reservations and are confirmed. The winds pick up as we approach the marina just as predicted. Docking is a little tricky as we approach the fuel dock but we perform well. After refilling jerry cans and then pumping out the waste tank, we undock and relocate to a more desirable inside slip. Again we perform well in the wind and current. We must be living right today.

We do quick showers, have a little lunch and then I abandon Donna for a much needed nap. Donna roamed the internet on her Kindle while I slept in the v-berth. A couple of hours later, we reversed roles.

Based on the expected weather, we elected to stay a second night. An evening of scattered rain showers and lousy TV finished off the day.

Started: 0815
Stopped: 1230
Distance traveled: 24 miles
Location: Thunderbolt Marina, Thunderbolt, Ga. MM 583

May 13, 2014
Another beautiful morning greets us. We’re not complaining, but it has been quite some time since we have had threatening weather.  We know the luck will end soon.

Today’s destination is somewhere close to Georgia’s third trouble spot, Hell Gate. Again, boat speed, tidal currents and timing means we will have to anchor south of the spot and wait to pass through at high tide tomorrow.  There are a couple of creeks near Hell Gate and we chose Redbird Creek.

The trip to Redbird was typical of the Georgia ICWW. We arrived at dead low tide and anchored in 8 feet of water. At the next high tide we had 17 feet of water under the boat. I increased the anchor scope, monitored our position for a while and then retired for the evening.

Shortly after midnight, the anchor alarm went off. A quick check of the chart plotter confirmed we were moving ever so slowly. I increased scope again, and then a second time before the anchor held. The water was screaming by the boat at an incredible rate. I kept checking our position on the hour and the anchor held fine even when the tide shifted from low to incoming high. It was a long night with little sleep.

Started: 0745
Stopped: 1620
Distance traveled: 45 miles
Location: Redbird Creek, Ga. MM 607

May 12, 2014
We were fortunate to have the rising tide in Jekyll Creek this AM. We planned to wait until almost top of the tide so we could transit Jekyll Creek safely. However, we got underway later than planned. After a hot, sweaty night we both wanted showers. Then I decided to fill a jerry can with diesel even though I really did not need to. That was a disaster…a newbie with his trawler was ahead of me at the single pump. He kept adding “a little more” over and over. It was 0830 when I finally got my measly 5 gallons back to the boat and got moving.

It was a beautiful day on the water except for adverse currents. The tide timing sets us up to be approaching the second of Georgia’s skinny water trifecta at low tide, the infamous Little Mud River.  To time passage with the high tide, we stop and anchor a couple of hours in Buttermilk Sound. We resume the trip and shortly find a boater aground near the south entrance to the trouble spot.

The boater rejected assistance, choosing instead to wait on the still rising water. We passed through Little Mud with no problems and continued on to our anchorage for the night in Back River. We were joined by two large power boats in the anchorage. Except for the passing of a couple of shrimp trawlers, the evening was uneventful.

Started: 0830
Stopped: 1730
Distance traveled: 35 miles
Location: Back River, Ga. MM 651