Hiding Out in the Tall Grass

Wednesday morning rolled up cool and sunny, with a west wind mashing Viridian on the dock again.  There were boats in front and back of us, but we used the spring line trick again and were soon steaming north out of the Jekyll River and into St. Simons Sound.  The water in the sound was plenty deep as we crossed into Fancy Bluff Creek and wound our way into the Altamaha River that leads to Buttermilk Sound.  Forking off the Altamaha River and into Little Mud, we could practically see our anchorage miles away over the tall grass marshland.  This region of our journey reminds me of driving through Kansas flat and grassy, clear to the horizon.

We are taking care to plan our departures and arrivals based on the rhythm of the tides.   Tides here in Georgia can be 7 to 8 feet, and that should get your attention.  Along with big tides come big currents.  The currents can be helpful by giving you a downhill run, until you meet one going the other direction.  Speeds pretty much average out, and we arrive at our destination 5 or 6 hours later with some water left under our keel.

Our anchorage in North River -1 was pretty much like stopping in a hayfield in Kansas and dropping the hook.  The current was so strong that it dominated a 15 mph wind directly on our beam, but Viridian was rock solid like she was tied to a dock.  The big anchor with 125 ft of chain rode rolled out kept us secure all night as we swang with the coming and going of the tides.

After dark and even in the early morning hours, I would go out on deck to check on things. The night sky filled with bright stars went all the way down to the horizon.  The channel markers stuck up just enough over the tall grass in the surrounding marshes to provide a red and green blinking ring on the southwest horizon.  After seeing all was well, I climbed back into the warm rack, fell asleep to the sound of Old Glory flapping in the wind.

That's the news and here's a few views:

We are here

Today's Route from Jekyll Island, FL to North River -1 Anchorage, GA

North on Jekyll River, GA

Are we in Kansas Boo?

The cruise ship Savannah passes our anchorage in the AICW heading south

First Priorities 

Sunrise over North River - 1, GA