Saturday, November 29, 2003
We rocked last night when the tide came in with the wind to the north, and we
creaked when the tide went out. The current is very swift, and the tides
are 8 feet here. We waited awhile this morning for the wind to drop from
15 to 20, and for the slack high tide. Pearce tried to keep himself busy,
but he ran out of small projects. He declared the wind was abating, and we
should take advantage of the tide to help us up Port Royal Sound. We left
our dock of refuge and headed down Cowen Creek toward the sound. We could
see some very large cruisers headed north with spray over their hulls. The
spray went as high as Kibon's bridge and covered the lower windows with
salt. Not only couldn't Kay see out, she didn't care. Things were
flying out of nooks and racks that had never moved before as Kibon rocked
in the 15 to 20 knot wind and 4 to 5 foot waves. God and Pearce's talent
brought us the 7 miles down the river and across the sound. Pearce
admitted that the wind was a bit stronger than he expected, but once we were
committed we had to keep going.
We had planned to visit the Hanleys at the Landings dock, but with a late start
we didn't have time to go that far before dark. We arranged to meet at the
Outdoor Resorts Marina in Hilton Head. Jack tucked us behind the gas dock where we had
some protection from the wind and wake. Pearce needed a nap after his
exertions, and Kay settled down with a book. Later in the afternoon Ann
and Jerry Hanley drove over from Savannah, and we had a wonderful evening with
them.
Sunday, November 30, 2003
We had a peaceful sleep last night and woke to a calm morning. As we
walked up to the Ship's Store to get the Sunday paper, Kay pointed to several
cruisers that had probably left Beaufort this morning and had an easy crossing
in the light wind and seas. Pearce said, "I won't do it again."
We're heading south again, but this cold weather seems to find us. There
was a hard freeze prediction for the coastal waters last night. Luckily we
were plugged into shore power,  so we kept the heater going
and woke up toasty warm. We
passed by the rest of Hilton Head and crossed into Georgia. We could see
Savannah off to starboard as we followed the ICW. Several boats passed by
all dressed up in holiday lights and decorations. The holidays lights
parade must be coming soon. I had brought our extra tree lights and
Pearce's Santa suit for the parade in Boynton Beach, but I don't think we'll be
home in time. But anyway, Sunday is a great time to call children and grands...
Kay spent a while on the 'phone, as usual.
The marshes of Georgia are still golden, and the tides are still
spectacular. We followed the ICW as it wandered around the marshes,
crossed St. Catherine's Sound, and headed down the east side of Walburg Island
on the alternate route. We found a side stream off the river and anchored
for the night. Pearce watched the depths until low tide, and we went to
bed for a quiet, calm night.
Monday, December 1, 2003
 We headed out
this morning at the last of the falling tide, and made it safely back into the
ICW just in front of a sailboat that we passed yesterday. We stopped last
night just before sunset, so these sailors must get up at the crack of dawn (or
before) to put in their miles. That may be fine in good weather, but
during these cold spells, those sailors have a great deal of endurance and a lot
of sweaters and muffler.
 As
we travel along the ICW of Georgia, it crosses many sounds and rivers that lead
out to the ocean. When we came up last June we must have had good winds or
something because all of the crossings were beautiful. We admired the
shrimp boats and all the boating traffic heading out to sea or transversing the
sounds. Now we seem to be crossing each sound with the winds from the
north or west (or in between) and the tide is always coming in. So we
always have choppy waters -- not like Port Royal Sound -- but there are white
caps and bow spray. This is definitely not the time to be traveling.
Next year we need to be earlier.
We crossed Sapelo Sound,
Doboy Sound, Altamaha Sound, and St. Simon's Sound today. We came up the
Brunswick River to dock at Brunswick Landing Marina. We walked into the
historic town looking for dinner. The marina gave us a list of
restaurants, but they were all breakfast and lunch places. We were lucky
and found a wonderful place, the Oak Grill, where we had a fantastic meal.
We asked the owner,  Chad Butler, who is his great chef... "She's young, just
starting out... trained at Indiana University in Pennsylvania." Sounded
like Chad doesn't want another restaurateur to learn about his find! We found
the place early, about five, and were the first diners. By dessert most of the
tables were filled. A good spot to put on your map.
Tuesday, December 2, 2003
The weather prediction was for strong winds and rough water today. It was
quite breezy this morning, so we decided to stay in port. Kay went to the
Farmer's Market and came back with the boat bag full of vegetables and
fruit. Pearce headed to the hardware store to get a new valve for the
head. They sent us to another place about half a mile away. From there
we were directed to a plumbing supply store that was a mile away. Luckily
we were on our bicycles. We have the replacement parts, and Pearce will
install them the next time it leaks. One of the plumbing customers offered
to give us a ride to the grocery store, so we loaded the bicycles in the back of
his truck and took off to Wynn Dixie. Loaded with the rest of the fresh
food that we needed, we headed toward the 900 year old live oak (the Lovers Oak)
to see what a venerable tree looked like. We decided to head back to the
boat to stash the groceries and then go out for lunch.
 We
realized that the winds had died down, and when we listened to the weather
report we decided that we could safely head out. We cast off and headed
back to the ICW. Just past Jekyll Marina, we turned left at G25 and went
to Umbrella Creek and Dover Creek. We are anchored just off of the channel
where it enters the Satilla River. Pearce is testing his shrimp bait but
hasn't caught a fish for dinner. Kay bought two steaks at the store today,
so she's not too worried. The sun is setting and turning the clouds into
streaks of pink and red. Even the water is reflecting the DuBarry Pink of
the sky. We can see the lights of houses off to the west and the blinking
lights of the waterway marks. The only other lights are from the stars and
the half-moon. You've seen a moon strake, right? Have you ever seen
a planet strake? Venus was so bright in this lightless environment that we
could see her reflection in the very calm waters of the creek. Very
spectacular.
Wednesday, December 3, 2003
Our night was calm and peaceful, and we awoke to a beautiful sunrise. We
continued down Dover Creek, across the Satilla River, and entered Floyd
Creek.  There is a major fish processing plant on this creek, and we are
told that commercial boats use it. We only met one crabber, and the
passage was very good. There are a few very narrow spots, but they are
well marked and the depths are good. The signage has changed, but once
that is noted, everything is consistent. St. Andrew's Sound must have been
kicking up a good one, because we encountered whitecaps when we reentered the
ICW five miles below the sound. We only had a few good rocks 'n rolls as
we crossed the waterway, and then we turned south with the wind and waves behind
us. The ride along Cumberland Island was quiet, and we passed Kings Bay
Naval Station without any sightings of naval activity. We crossed the
sound and stopped at Florida Petroleum in Fernandina Beach for diesel.
Their price was $1.21 plus state tax and an environmental fee, so it worked out
to $1.304/gal.
The route down to Nassau Sound was fine. The guide books note that there
is a shoal extending further out into the sound than the charts indicate.
Kay, always the observant navigator from her warm spot in the cabin,
called up to point this fact out to Pearce. He had already seen the shoal
from his higher elevation in the bridge, but he was kind enough to thank her for
the information. Hey, two heads are better than one, right?  We
decided to anchor in St. George River where we had anchored on our way
north. It is a quiet place off the ICW traveled only by small fishing
boats, and it has a dock for dinghies to visit the Kingsley Plantation.
There was already one sailboat at anchor when we came in, and three more came in
after us. We were the only boat here last June, and we presumed that was
because we were late in the season. Now, here we are in December, and
there are four other boats with us. We thought we were really very late,
but I guess there are more boats coming down from further north. Our very
good news is that we are finally in Florida. We have 300 miles to home,
not much when you consider all we have traveled, but we are getting very anxious
to find our home port.
Next: Birthday in St Augustine --or-- back to Log Index
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Cruisin' The Loop Aboard Kibon