Wednesday, March 27, 2024

day fifteen - crossing into Florida


Cast off at 7:35, light north wind and a helping ebb tide.  Making 2.7 on a pretty morning.


Light wind comes and goes, sailing, motor sailing.  8:20 on St. Andrews Sound.  8:25 turn at Red 30, 8:30 round the shoal.


Feeling more wind but now have an opposing tide.  8:45 at Green 35 crossing a tide line with swirling waters.   9:45 Cumberland River.  A little wind but not enough to work against the tide, motorsailing.


10:30 Brickhill River.  Sailing, motorsailing as wind comes and goes. Finally more wind and sailing, 2.4 to 3.0.  Cruiser anchored out, I sail nearby but don't see anyone on board.


11:25 better wind, 3.7.  Live oaks and Spanish moss to port, mud banks and marsh grass to starboard.  


12:10 The Dividings with the Cumberland River so close I could throw a rock to it but can get there by water.  Shoals exposed by low tide.  A powerboat slows down for me, so close I can say "thank you" to the captain.  



1:00 leaving the Brickhill River, low tide and very shallow, both cb and rudder touch bottom.  Raise both and the north wind blows us across the shallows.  Cumberland River, making 2.9 and getting warmer.  1:30 doing 3.5 against the flood tide, then 4.1 with wind over the port quarter.  More wind, 5.0 approaching the submarine base.  Chilly sitting in the shade of the main.  This stretch of water is confusing to me.  Navigation aids and range markers for the submarines.  A lot of red and green across the river.  I check Navionics to see I'm out of the channel and over the shallows.  Turn to the southeast for deeper water.  Some of my confusion is explained as I realize the red and green markers have switched side.  Now I get it.  



3:40 plenty of wind at St. Mary's River.  Gusting up as we cross into Florida.  I think about rounding up and tucking in a reef, but keep the full main.  


Doing 4.2 on calmer water inside of Amelia Island.  Less wind and easier sailing.  Round up and bring down main and jib off a marina, want to see if I can top off my fuel can.  They tell me their pump is out of order.  No problem, I still have plenty of fuel.  


Slip across the Amelia River behind a marsh.  Two local boats anchored out, otherwise have the anchorage to myself.  Anchor down 4:30.


29.87 NM
 

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

day fourteen - sunshine and a fresh breeze


Calm night.  Wind slacked at sunset.  Wake to the sound of the rushing ebb tide.


7:10 raise anchor and set sails as the current carries us down Jove Creek.  7:20 on the Mackay River, 6.2 and most of that coming from the tide.


7:40 wind drops off, making 2.6, then 3.3 as the breeze fills back in.


Southwest skies clear, northwest skies have a few high clouds as the end of the front slides through.  The tide is pulling crab pot floats completely underwater.  8:10 under the bridge.


8:15 the sun feels warm and oh-so-good.  Slip out onto St. Simon Sound.


Round the red marker for the shoals and turn towards Jekyll Creek.  9:00 sail across a tide line.  9:15 making a steady 2.9 approaching the creek entrance, blue skies all around.  


Choppy confused water at the mouth of Jekyll Creek.  Mudbank to port and jetty to starboard, I'm not quite sure of what the tide is doing. I start the outboard and motorsail for more control into the creek 9:40.


Just around the corner calm water, feels like slack low tide.  Full sail with wind on the stern, 3.6.


10:05 making 4.3, still water around the piling at red marker 19 confirms slack tide.  I call ahead to the marina to ask about a slip for the night.

Me:     Good morning.  I’m on the creek about a mile north of you.  I would like a slip for the night.  Maybe two. I’m on a 19’ yawl.  I’ve stayed there before, I should be in your system.  

Lady at the dock house:   Very good.  Could I have your email so I can look you up in the system?

I give her my email.

Dock house:   Is this Steve Earley?   I don’t see a 19’ boat in our system.  All I see is your 30’ boat SPARTINA.  

Me:   I’m on SPARTINA.  It is a 19’ boat.

Dock house:  It says here that it is a 30’ boat.  

Me:  That’s because you are going to charge me for a 30’ boat.  That’s your minimum size so I pay for 30’ for a 19’ boat.  

Dock house:   ….(long pause)….oh.... I see.  Yes we have a slip for you.  

Me:   Very good, thank you.



10:30 pass under the bridge, round up and bring down the main and the jib.  Motor to the dock where two dockhands help with the lines.  Tied up at 10:40.


A quick lunch then laundry, battery charging, getting rid trash.  I use a golf cart to run to the convenience store for a few gallons of water.  


Sit by the pool with an iced tea and catch up on the logbook.  Two appetizers - seared tuna and crab cakes - for a light dinner.  A beautiful sunset on the creek.


10.55 NM

Monday, March 25, 2024

day thirteen - lost in space



Windy, rolling night on Crescent River.  Steady and strong north wind was 90 degrees to both flood and ebb tides.  Still slept ok.  Sail off anchor 7:30 under mizzen and jib.


Low overcast, cold, wearing dry suit and several layers.  3.7 to the Front River.  7:40 round up and raise double-reefed main, 4.0.  8:00 a gust and gps shows 5.4, then back to 4.4 as the gust moves on.  8:35 crossing the top of Doboy Sound.  8:55 making 1.2 in the confused water above Commodore Island.  


9:10 a tug and barge coming up the channel.  More commercial traffic on this sail than all my other sails down here combined.   Cling to the red side as tug goes by.  9:20 past Commodore Island, 3.0 kts.  


Look closely at the gps and Navionics as twice I've made wrong turns just below Commodore Island.  Two years ago with the bright sun rising to the east I mistakenly turned east only to find myself surround by marsh.  Last year I followed a marker to the west only to realize I was heading up the Darien River.  9:45 making 4.5 through the narrows to the south finding the markers to be small floating markers with shoaling on the red side.  


9:50 less wind, 4.1 through the marsh grasses.


10:40 round up in a gust.  10:50 Red 198, entering Altamaha Sound. A series of strong gusts, round up and bring down the double reefed main.  Making 5.2 under mizzen and jib.  Choppy, confused water on the way to the Altamaha River.  


Heavy dark grey overcast and chilly, 11:30 4.5 and then 5.1 with gusty winds at Green 213.  In the last hour we've sailed south, southeast, southwest, northwest, southwest and then south again.  With the low clouds and no hint of the sun I seem to have lost my sense of the direction.  I've got a compass and gps but I'm just following red and green markers.  Sail through tiny Buttermilk Sound before realizing it, then past Fridaycap Creek before recognizing one of my past anchorages.  


12:40 past Wally's Leg, my anchorage last year, and my sense of direction seems to be coming back to me.  1:50 turn north under power into the wind and into the ebb tide into Jove Creek.  Drop the anchors but quickly see we are sliding backwards in the full ebb. 


 Motor back north and position SPARTINA in shallower water, put the anchors out - the 5 lb plow, 10 feet of chain, and 10 lb mushroom anchor as a sentinel - and wait to I feel it bite into the mud.  Run out plenty of scope then watch the gps to confirm we are holding ground.  Anchor set 2:00.


A hot cocoa to warm the afternoon.  Skies beginning to clear but I am hearing from friends in Florida of a large storm crossing the state.


I check radar to see that it is sliding just south of us.  Skies begin to clear.


After dinner, I look south and see the storm's clouds glowing in the evening light.  I check weather one more time to confirm the weather will stay south of us.  It will.

 

24.95 NM

Sunday, March 24, 2024

day twelve - a back door


Sail off anchor 7:10 with double reefed main, solid east wind.  Overcast, making 4.1 down Kilkenny Creek.


Looking over the marsh I see a tug and barge heading up the Bear River.  7:30 slip out onto the Bear River and a second tug and barge coming up the river.  I cling to the red side to give it plenty of room.  Doing 4.6.


7:50 making 4.8 with a helpful ebb tide, round up and shake out the second reef.


8:10 enterting St. Catherines Sound, 5.2.  8:25 round up and shake out the second reef, full sail.  That helpful ebb tide is now as opposing tide as the ICW turn southwest up the sound.  Good wind but again the ebb we make just 2.8 kts.   Looking at the gps I see we are sliding across the sound directly to a little creek that seems to cut behind an island and join the North Newport River just above Johnson Creek.  I use the Navionics app on my phone to zoom in and trace the creek from the sound to the river to make sure there are no shallows to block my way.  There are none, and the chart shows deep water and a couple of anchorages on what is marked Walburg Creek.  It will be a quicker, easier to work my way south.


8:50 making 4.3 as we sail across the tide instead of directly into it.  Slip into the creek with St. Catherines Island to port and Walburg Island to starboard.  Making 3.2 as we tack up the creek.  


At a bend in the creek is seems we cross the head of the tide, the current is with us and easy sailing.  10:05 out of the creek onto the North Newport River.  Sail onto Johnson Creek 10:15, 4.8 4.8 with a helping tide.  


10:45 sailing the narrow creek with mudbanks and exposed oyster reefs either side.


11:15 light rain.  Noon follow the sand spit out onto Sapelo Sound.  More rain.  4.3 leaving the creek, now  3.2 against the tide.  12:20 feels like the tide has turn, crossing a shoal with a flood tide.


Wind on the nose, making 15 minute tacks up the sound with a helping tide.  Rain finally stops.  


2:15 leaving Sapelo Sound, entering the Front River approaching the end of the flood tide.  3:15 can feel us working against the beginning of the ebb tide, 2.0 on the winding river.  4:05 motorsailing against the ebb.  Anchor down on the Crescent River 4:35.  

Cleaning up after dinner I hear an engine.  A small power cruiser comes up the river and anchors nearby.  


31.88 NM

 

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

day eleven - going nowhere fast


Wake to a windless day.  Forecast gives little hope for a breeze.  Lincoln Creek is a fine anchorage, decide I'll stay put for the day.


An easy, relaxing cool morning.  I catch up on email and the news.  Approaching 9:00 there is an unexpected hint of wind, and just then a text from friends on PHLYER, a boat I had met on last year's trip, telling me they may be passing by soon.  Gear stowed, sails raised at 9:05.  


I reach the Bear River just as PHLYER and a companion boat pass by.  Distant waves and shared texts, they head on south.  And the promise of wind is a promise unkept.  SPARTINA drifts with the tide.


Back to Lincoln Creek.  Sails down, boom tent up.  And I drift off to sleep for a late morning nap.


 3.0 NM

Sunday, March 17, 2024

day ten - a couple of Red Stripes


Wake to a clear, cool morning.  As I tuck away the sleeping gear I feel the tide changing.  SPARTINA swings with the fresh current.  Not a breath of wind.


7:15 under power.  Weather app says it is 50 degrees but feels colder.  7:40 at Red marker 40 the sun breaks through and I enjoy the warmth.  Turn into the Skidaway River to see a large power boat coming down the channel.  On the bow is a woman waving and I instantly know it is Kelli.  We had met very briefly in Island of Hope last year, and she later sent me a beautiful photograph of SPARTINA.  We had texted about meeting in IOH this year but she had texted me a few days earlier she had to leave to deliver a boat.  So instead here we are waving across the water.  How nice.


I make Isle of Hope at 8:25.  Motoring at idle speed we make our way down the Skidaway to the Moon River.  Still no wind.  Motoring out of the channel I drop anchor and take a nap, hoping for wind when I wake.  10:25 light winds and under sail, sliding sideways in the current.  Motorsailing.  The Vernon River at 11:20, try sailing again but can't make way against the flood tide.  Motorsailing.


1:00 through the cut behind Raccoon Key.  Wind fills in and finally sailing!  See a tug and a barge come through the cut behind me, radio the captain that I will hold my course on the red side as he goes by us.


Making 2.3, then better wind at 1:50 and do 3.9.  Blue skies and white puffy clouds, wonderful sailing as I listen to some music over a blue tooth speaker.


2:00 enter the deceptively named Florida Passage, Florida still being a long ways away.  2:15 working against the tide and making 3.1.


2:35 off Redbird Creek, confused water as tides collide.  The head of the tide must be at Redbird Creek as the tide is now with us and making over 6 knots.


I call Kilkenny Marina to see how late they are open so I can top off the fuel can.  He tells me 5:30.  The entrance to Kilkenny Creek is just across the channel.  Drop main and jib and motor to the marina.  Docked 5:05, top off fuel.  As I got to pay I notice a couple of Red Stripe beers in the cooler.  Back to SPARTINA and motor down the creek, turning to starboard at Lincoln Creek.  Anchor down at 5:30.  Dinner and a couple of Red Stripes to celebrate my birthday.


 31.17 NM