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Northbound ’19 – Travel Day 10: St Simons, Ga to Sunbury, Ga

Conditions: Sun and clouds, windy and mostly warm.  Winds SSE 10 – 15 mph, ICW calm.

Distance traveled: 67 statute miles

Time underway: 6 hours 50 minutes

Average Speed: 10 kts

Max Speed: 19.4 kts

Fuel used: 77 gallons

On the evening of our arrival in St. Simons we were joined by Sean’s girlfriend, the lovely Liz, who was hopping on for a couple of days.  Her value as crew was quickly realized as you will see in a picture below.  We awoke to a strong easterly wind pinning us against the dock courtesy of mother nature and a newspaper and fresh chocolate chip muffin on our swim platform courtesy of Morningstar Marina.  We enjoyed a leisurely morning of Jasper walking, route planning and engine checks as we killed time until our 12:30 pm departure, a delay necessary to time out a rising tide at two problem areas we knew we would encounter along the way.  In an area with a six-foot tidal swing, a couple of hours can make all the difference.

Heading back to the boat after our final walk with Jasper before we headed out.
Pinned in place. OLOH awaiting departure.

Because of the high winds, the crew thought carefully about the departure plan with Tim at the ready on the stern with our big-ball fender to assure we’d stay off the dock as we pivoted away.  OLOH has both bow and stern thrusters but we were reminded on our landing in Cocoa that those tools have limits and “an ounce of prevention…”  Once we were away we rejoined the ICW and it was a relatively easy and smooth run in a stretch of the waterway that takes you through a beautiful, winding maze through nature.  We negotiated the trouble spots carefully and without issue as we passed through stretches with names like Buttermilk, Doboy and Sapelo.  We all had to give a little smile as we passed through the notoriously shallow Little Mud River when, without my usual soundtrack planning, Blondie’s The Tide Is High came up on our playlist.

Our newest crew member was eager to be assigned as many tasks as possible. But this most certainly wasn’t her most important job.
THIS was Liz’s most important job!
Vast stretches of marsh…and in the middle of it all a little house living off the grid!

Because of our necessarily late departure, choosing our destination was a bit of a challenge.  While we would have liked to have made it to Savannah, that would have made for a much longer day and challenged us to hit another problem area further north on just the right tide.  There are not a lot of options for dockage on this stretch and because we knew there was some potentially severe weather coming we did not want to anchor out.  Our fellow journey-people from Arietta arrived at St. Simons on the morning of our departure and mentioned they were going to stop at the docks at the Sunbury Crab Company the next day.  We had heard about this place before but since we had never passed through this area we never really considered it.  It is also about a seven-mile detour off of the ICW.  Once we realized that wouldn’t matter given the need for another late departure from wherever we stayed, we gave them a call and the lovely proprietor, Miss Elaine, told us to come on down.  Best decision ever.

On approach to Sunbury Crab Company. It’s the set of docks after where you see the sailboats.
There were only a few other boats passing through and stopping at Sunbury. We had some great conversations with all of them. There is an easy bond with people who also made a decision to stray from the beaten path to enjoy this kind of a very special place.

The view for miles.
Part of the magic of this place is that Sunbury Crab Company doesn’t try to be what it is. It is simply authentic in every way.

We now have a new favorite place on this planet and will be giving Sunbury Crab Company a proper, full write up of its own in the near future.  It is us.  Magical in its authenticity and simplicity with incredibly kind and warm people in a beautiful part of the country that we were unlikely to have ever found were it not for our boating adventures – which is precisely what we seek out there.  We already can’t wait to come back. [Cruisers Note:  Sunbury Crab Company is about seven statute miles northwest of St. Catherines Sound on the Medway River.  Navigation is straightforward and simple from where you leave the ICW between reds 114a and 116 with plenty of deep water in a wide channel, but be sure to consult your chart or, better yet, the directions on Sunbury Crab Company’s website to become familiar with the path and approach].

Kenny who handles the docks in his “office.” Sunbury Crab Company is lucky to have Kenny as their “do-guy.” He does a little bit of everything, all with a warm smile and a terrific, friendly attitude. Thanks for everything Kenny.

The authenticity comes from the top.  A.J. with our hostess Miss Elaine who, with her husband Barney and other family members, created a place of which she says, “if you’re not comfortable here then it’s simply not for you.”  We couldn’t have been more comfortable.
Admiral says, “I want YOU to come to Sunbury Crab Company!”

A perfect place to take a lay-day to wait out the forecasted severe weather before pressing on to Savannah.

See you out there…

 

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And that concludes your OLOH instructions. M/Y OLOH back to 1-6.

 

This Post Has 7 Comments

  1. Welcome to Osprey Marina! I’m in the houseboat next door. Your blog is interesting and entertaining! Safe travels!
    1. Thanks Charles! Really appreciate the welcome - our first time here. This place and its people are awesome. Cool houseboat, by the way!
  2. Good Morning from Ohio! Just catching up on the journey after a busy weekend. I have to stay I come for the pictures! The beautiful shots you get are unbelievable. I love the commentary of the journey. It brings a peacefulness to the beginning of the day! Thank you!
  3. Liberty is about to leave North Palm Beach after a few days catching up with friends. Our itinerary will be similar, subject to deciding the no Fernandina Beach dilemma. Looking at the photos, allow me to paraphrase an old saying, "Happy dog means happy life!"

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