Our luck was with us as we neared the City Dock. There was space available near a power pedestal. We pulled in and got tied off. The dock takes a beating from passing traffic and it showed. The cleats all were either loose or pulled part way out of the dock. We tied to a combination of cleats and the ramp that is bolted into the dock. By the time I was done there was a spiderweb of lines keeping Tourist in place and every fender we own between boat and dock.
The city dock is known for not being the calmest place to dock because of all the river traffic going by.
The biggest culprits in the wake department aren't the above pictured vessels. It's the ferry's that run back and forth across the river all day and half of the night and seem to take pride in seeing how close they can come to the City Dock.
Of course we've been to Savannah before but either by car or when we have stayed at Isle of Hope with Tourist. Thus we made the decision to stay downtown. In keeping with our namesake (Tourist) we wanted to dine at Paula Deen's restaurant to say we've done that.
We were joined by a transplanted Galenian, Faye Clark who lives nearby.
Dinner was good but the company was much better. It was fun seeing Faye again and catching up.
After escorting Faye back to her car and saying goodbye we headed back to Tourist. As we neared the City Market area we heard music coming from the courtyard and went to investigate. We found two guys sitting on stools in front of a van playing and singing and sounding good.
The songs they were playing sounded familiar. Ah yes! Kansas. Turns out the guy on the left was Billy Greer, the base player for Kansas who was sitting in for a few songs. Once he stopped playing and returned to the audience Pam, being the groupie that she is asked to have a picture taken with him. Of course he said yes and kept my princess happy.
We stuck around for awhile before continuing back to Tourist.
Once the ferry's stopped running the waters calmed and we had a good nights sleep until 4:30 am when the first ship of the day headed out to sea followed shortly after by another one outbound and then an inbound vessel. By then the ferry's started running and we were into the new day. Staying downtown was a one time deal for us. We've done it and enjoyed the location but next time we'll stay out of town and taxi in.
11/2/12 Friday Time to go. Just one problem. Here comes a ship!
Once the big guy passed we pulled out and followed him out until we turned down the ICW. Not long after we went by Thunderbolt Marine, home to more than a few mega yachts.
A little further and we were passing under the Skidaway Narrows Bridges. Old & New. Unfortunately the new bridge isn't open yet. Seems they had an elevation discrepancy when they matched up the two sides. Oops!
78 miles after we left Savannah we dropped the hook in the Duplin River just off of Doboy Sound.
11/3/12 Saturday Another day of travel across various sounds and rivers. Through the marshes. Past Brunswick, Ga. and Jekyll Island. Kings Bay sub base and ending anchored off of Cumberland Island.
11/4/12 Sunday The forecast called for morning fog. Fortunately it missed us. It also called for seas of 2' or less. St. Mary's Inlet is an easy passage to the ocean so we made the decision to travel offshore today. Once past the long breakwaters we were greeted by friendly seas as we turned south. A long low swell with a chop of less than a foot on top. NICE! We set the auto-helm and headed towards the St. Augustine sea buoy. Along the way we passed the entrance to Jacksonville and crossed paths with a bulk freighter headed into port.
At the same time we were passing Jacksonville we could see a submarine further out to sea. Too far out for our camera but headed north to the inlet we just came out of. Other than the traffic around Jacksonville it was a quiet ride. Pam even got a nap in.
Once we hit the St. Augustine sea buoy we turned to head in to town. This is where it gets you on your toes since there isn't an accurate chart of the buoy locations due to the constantly shifting sands around the entrance. Thank God for binoculars! We picked our way from buoy to buoy and through the sand bars that flank the channel until we were inside headed to the Bridge of Lions.
Our travel day was complete when we pulled into Rivers Edge Marina. A little off the beaten path but calmer than the City Marina and cheaper. Oh. And with fuel delivered from the truck to the boat.
11/5/12 Monday Work day. Fix the anchor light. Wash the boat. Do laundry. Get groceries and visit West Marine. Our timing was off though on this visit. It's not Wednesday so we won't get to experience Karaoke night at Hurricane Patty's. We did get there for dinner though and it was good.
Hey, you guys blew right past us here in Brunswick! You need to slow down! :)
ReplyDeleteI know exactly where you're talking about when you talk about St Augustine now :-)
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