Isle of Hope

 

Well, we made it to the Isle of Hope Marina outside Savannah.  It was a grueling trip in the ICW.  I forgot that Georgia has miles of coastal wetlands with many tributaries to the Atlantic Ocean.  Most of the inlets from the ocean are not safely navigable for boats with a 5’ draft, so we were constrained to the ICW for this leg of the trip.  Georgia has up to a 10’ tide, so currents are extreme, and the ICW in some spots is as low as 3-4 ft at low tide.  During one stretch we encountered 4’ depths, and we draw 5’!  That was in the aptly named Mud River. 

The ICW over here is just a series of small canals connecting to natural water bodies, such as rivers and sounds.  The small, dredged canals are usually the trouble spots, as the Corps does not keep up with dredging.  The route is often serpentine, as it follows rivers with bends, etc.  So, we can only travel about 60 miles a day before we wear out.  We broke the trip by anchoring in the Wahoo River two nights ago, which is miles from civilization, but has spectacular scenery (except for the ever-present sandflys). 

Trish and Walter arrive tomorrow, so we pick up a car today, and will provision and then explore downtown Savannah.  Next stop is Beaufort, SC and then Charleston where we will visit cousin Gayle. 

Sunrise on the Wahoo River. 

Isle of Hope neighborhood.