Back at a familiar place, hoping for (expecting) treats.

Northbound ’19 – Travel Day 11: Sunbury, Ga to Isle Of Hope, Ga

Conditions: Mostly sunny and very windy. Winds WNW 15 – 25 mph, ICW choppy/calm.

Distance traveled: 39 statute miles

Time underway: 3 hours 35 minutes

Average Speed: 10 kts

Max Speed: 20.6 kts

Fuel used: 43 gallons

After an extraordinary time at Sunbury Crab Company that we could not have anticipated, we had the luxury of a leisurely morning waiting for the tide to rise at one of the most notorious spots on the Intra Coastal Waterway, Hell Gate. It was 22 miles from Sunbury and we wanted to hit it no sooner than two hours before high tide per all of the advice we had received and information we had gathered. This meant shoving off at 1:30 pm which we pushed to 2:30 just to be extra safe. When we awoke there was a strong west-northwest wind blowing at 15 mph gusting to at least 25. The wind showed no signs of letting up when we saw our fellow cruisers off the dock before having the entire marina to ourselves for a bit. It was strange and unusual to hang out on the docks when we were ready to go but we knew waiting was the right move.

This was a Monday and with the restaurant being closed on Monday and Tuesday the property was particularly quiet. The four other boats we shared the marina with left hours before us. Kenny, who took care of us at the docks, came by with his dog on his day off to say goodbye. We also had a moment to see and thank co-owner Barney for their hospitality while he was working in the yard.

4/5ths of the OLOH crew eagerly awaiting departure.

The wind pushed us right off the docks at departure and we ran entirely from the pilothouse due to the strong winds and cooler temperatures of the day. It was actually quite civilized and we enjoyed being out of the elements.

Crew member Liz along for her last ride of this trip, doing the most important job on the ship.

It was a bit sporty and salty when we would cross some of the bigger bodies of water on this leg.

Boaters ahead of us shared their reports of going through Hell Gate with each other and we reached out to our new friends Ronnie and Gary from Island In The Sun after their transit to learn that they made it through without issue. We followed Waterway Guide ICW Editor Bob423’s route through the roughly mile-long tough stretch and even though the brutal winds pushed us off course a few times, we made it through unscathed.

Once we were through Hell Gate we had just shy of an hour to run to our stop for the night, Isle Of Hope Marina just outside of Savannah. This is where we spent New Years 2018 when the weather was much, much different…

April, 2019. Approaching Isle Of Hope Marina.

Once we were settled in and Jasper had been walked in the beautiful, surrounding neighborhood, we had a sad goodbye with crew member Liz who had to return to Florida. Thanks Liz. Simply awesome having this adventure with you.

View from the top… overlooking Isle Of Hope Marina and the ICW from OLOH’s bridge as nightfall takes over.

Our low-country home of Beaufort is next. See you out there…

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