Southbound ’17 – Travel Day 23: Isle Of Hope, GA to Brunswick, GA

FROM: The Captain –

Conditions: Mostly sunny.  Winds from the west/northwest 5-10 mph. Seas – 1 – 2′ Period 9 seconds 

Distance traveled: 81.7 nautical miles

Time underway: 8 hours 43 minutes

Average Speed: 10 knots

Max Speed: 19 knots

Fuel used: 109 gallons

We didn’t forget to flip the calendar – but since this is a continuation of the journey we began at the end of last year it is still our account of Southbound ’17.

We came to Isle Of Hope Marina just outside of Savannah for three nights, stayed for six.  Our longer stay was primarily due to the weather (which we wrote about here) but the bonus was that we got to spend good times with great new friends and that eased the pain of the unanticipated arctic blast.

It was 22 degrees when we got our departure process underway at 7am.   There was ice on our lines, snow on our decks and we were just thankful that our shore power cord retracted without incident as it tends to be quite stubborn in cold temps.  We bid our friends on the sailing vessel Ripple and motor vessel Ranger goodbye and undertook the task that has been hanging over my head since before we arrived at the marina.

You see, the only slip they had available for us was all the way inside their very narrow fairway.  Not an issue when we arrived at slack tide as we pulled straight in, slowly and carefully.  But if you’re a boater you know what it’s like to plan a departure and go through it one or two hundred times in your mind in the days leading up to the actual event.  We had just a few feet on either side between OLOH and the boats lining the fairway.  We deployed extra fenders and were told that it is not uncommon for boats to lay along other boats (with their fenders) on arrivals and departures.  I don’t like that idea but got OK with it in theory.  We had about a one knot current at our stern which was better than at our bow and I am pleased to report that not only did our departure go smoothly – but our fenders never touched another boat.  Special thanks to Team Ripple for dockside assistance as well.  I’ll admit to a little lost sleep over this and a great feeling of accomplishment when it was all over.  As I’m still getting accustomed to the nuances of how OLOH reacts in different situations I was pleased that she went exactly where commanded and our YachtController system paid for itself yet again, allowing me the luxury to pilot the boat from what I felt was my best vantage point.

Once clear of the marina we backtracked a bit on the ICW and turned into the Wilmington River to make our way out of the Wassaw Inlet.  If you read and strictly abide by the Waterway Guide, you wouldn’t venture through this inlet without local knowledge.  The alternative as you head south from Savannah is to continue on the ICW where there are more of those “notorious” problem spots – at least three of major significance in this section – and we are always happy to avoid that stress.

The distance of our planned travel day to Brunswick, GA was roughly the same inside on the ICW or outside on the ocean using Wassaw and the offshore forecast was terrific.  Our friend Steve on Ranger encouraged us to head outside as they were planning to do, confident that passing through the inlet with a well-planned route near high tide would not be problematic.  He was absolutely right.  We went through right around high tide, followed the biggest water on the latest Garmin chart and never saw less than 17′ below our keel.  Our confidence was also bolstered by the fact that 200′ yachts regularly transit this inlet to get to the big yacht yard at Thunderbolt right outside of Savannah.

Once we were in the Atlantic we adjusted our course to 212 degrees and held it for the next five hours on our way to St. Simons Inlet.  With a modest swell and mild west wind we had the calmest ocean passage we’ve had since this adventure began.  It was a relaxed ride with lots of dolphin sightings and we were the only boat out there on our rumbline (a rumbline is the most direct line from point “A” to point “B” across the ocean or a body of water) taking us about seven miles offshore at our furthest distance out.

We passed St. Simons as we entered Georgia’s Golden Isle region and arrived at the St. Simons Inlet at max ebb with the current running at us at 2 1/2 knots which slowed our arrival to Brunswick.

It’s a very nice spot with extremely friendly service and an easy walk to the interesting, historic downtown.

Next stop – Florida!  See you out there…

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