5/21/2011 Week 2

5/21/2011; we left the Marina at 0700 at low tide and went out the way we came in.  Thank God for the GPS!  The channel out was amazingly easy and the connection to the ICW north was a dream as long as I followed the GPS. If you look on Google Maps and start with Jekyll Island you will be able to appreciate all the switchbacks one has to make as they travel the ICW.  I believe you cruise ten miles for every true 5 miles north you go. Then you come to the sounds.  Wow, huge bodies of water some three to five miles across and if it wasn’t for the great weather I wouldn’t be out there.  Today I crossed the Dobby, Sapelo, St Catherine’s, Green Island, Warsaw and Calibogue sounds.

The scenery is out of this world!  Marsh grass lands, like wheat fields, as far as you can see and very flat.  You need a raised helm to see over the grass.  The water birds are of every kind and I truly like seeing the Aspray and the young on the nest.  Dolphins and yes a few manatees are always in view.  I even saw a Manta type fish jump out of the water. 

I crossed through the Savannah River and the boat traffic was so bad I kept going north.  I even had a large fishing curser pass by on the starboard side without any warning, radio call or horn and his wake almost capsized my toon, that’s how close he came.  After a few polite words and some pointed body language from me, he slowed down and waved back.  After an 8 + hour day, I ended up at the Harbor Town Yacht Basin at the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island.  What a wonderful way to end another great day on the water.  The folks here are just great and the marina manager, Leslie was super and also gave me free dockage and the keys to the shower and exercise room. 

The one man band played until 9 pm and his music was very good and lulled me to sleep.  However, at 1 am a noise like I have never heard before startled me out of bed.  I looked back at my motor and thought it was coming off.  But what I discovered was the floating dock was rubbing against the wall.  Believe this if you will, but the tide here goes up and down over 8-10 feet.