ICW Day 35/36/37 – St. Mary’s, Georgia
ICW Day 35/36/37 – St. Mary’s, Georgia anchorage, 7 nm, statute mile 712.3, 844 total miles
Short run from the Cumberland Is. anchorage to St. Mary’s for the annual cruisers Thanksgiving gathering. When we arrived there were over 50 boats in the anchorage with more anticipated to arrive within the next couple of days. Learned a lesson about anchoring in deeper water. Depth almost 28 ft. did not put out enough scope to get the anchor to set. Eric from Reflection II jumped on board to get the anchor set. Enjoyed a nice lunch in town with Eric and Corrine and came back to discover that I had anchored too close to another boat and had to move right before dusk.
Spent the next day working on the boat and the dinghy motor and finally have the dinghy running! Went ashore to join in the oyster roast festivities at Seagle’s Saloon. An old sleepy town that caters to the cruising community.
Thanksgiving Day 
The day began with bright sunshine and the promise of 80 degrees. The guys went in to set up for almost 150 people and we were able to reserve the back patio for the Sail to the Sun group. They were concerned about having enough turkeys so we all decided to come in a bit early around noon. I baked some brownies to contribute to the feast. Turned out to be a wonderful afternoon and gathering with plenty of food! Songs were sung and group pictures were taken. We said goodbye to Mike and Fern on Elan, Steve on Second Wind, and Kevin and Margaret on Osprey. It was fun to take part in this tradition which evidently has a long history. 
ICW Day 34 – Cumberland Island GA
ICW Day 34, Monday November 21, Cumberland Island, GA anchorage. 25nm, statue mile 710.7, 837 total miles.
Easy run from Jekyll to Cumberland Island. No bridges! Anchored well north of the Sea Camp dock in a protected area. Jack and Diane picked me up (dinghy motor still not working…) and we visited the island and hiked over to the beach. Cumberland Island is a national seashore park with historic buildings, miles of wide beach, camp sites under the Live Oaks all strewn with Spanish Moss, and wild horses. Pristine area with hiking and mountain biking. The pictures tell the tale.
ICW Day 34/35 Jekyll Island, GA
ICW Day 34/35, Sat/Sun November 19/20, Jekyll Island, GA. 13nm, statue mile 684.4, 812 total miles, 14 gal fuel. Took a slip in the Jekyll Island marina.
Left Fort Frederica early to catch the lower tide under the two bridges on the way to Jekyll Island. Touched bottom on the way out, but made it through ok. We continue to learn so much about the towns, islands and history along the way. Mary Grace and Frank Stitch invited me to join them on a tour of the historic Jekyll Island Club. It turns out is was one of the most exclusive private clubs in the world in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s with only 50 members including JP Morgan and the Rockefellers. A winter getaway for 3 months a year. The old clubhouse is a beautiful old hotel and a number of “cottages” have been restored but only two are open for guests.
Enjoyed a nice dinner with the group at the Driftwood Bistro the first night. Sunday the 20th was our anniversary. Ken and Laurie, Jack and Diane, and Mike and Fern joined me over at the Crane Cottage for a nice meal. Would like to come back and play golf here.
ICW Day 33, Fort Frederica Anchorage, Georgia
ICW Day 33, Friday November 18, 43nm, statue mile 665.9, 799 total miles.
The big concern today is making it through the Little Mud River before low tide. Only 4.5 feet at low tide. And if we do not make it through today, we will have to wait all day tomorrow to make it under the Jekyll Island bridge. Woke up to fog, and had to wait… almost 2 hours. Wally and the rest did not think we would make it through the Little Mud River, so made plans to anchor prior to the river. We finally got underway around 10 or so. I moved up behind Valentine. Once the fog cleared it was a beautiful day, and making good time we realized the faster boats could make it through the Little Mud River, so we pushed ahead. 10 feet of water in the river and we were good to go. Very happy to make it to Frederica.
Anchored with Valentine, Let It Be, and Elan in the Frederica River off of the historic Fort Frederica. Deep, narrow, and winding river, and yet another interesting place. Tried the dingy and it was hydro locked again! I can’t believe it. Rode around the anchorage with Jack and Diane. Cooked a cheeseburger for dinner and enjoyed a quiet evening.
ICW Day 32 – Walberg Creek Anchorage – Single Handed!
ICW Day 32, Thursday November 17, 44nm, statue mile 619, 756 total miles, Walberg Creek Anchorage, GA
Welcome to Georgia. Hard to believe. Sailed past Harbor Town on the way out of Calibogue Sound, but could not get a good picture of the 18th hole.
Single Handed! Terrie left with Frank and Sharon Taverna this morning to fly home for Thanksgiving, and I set off from Windmill Harbor single handed. We decided to go outside in the ocean to bypass a shoal area and a couple of bridges. By the time we were all underway, the whole fleet went outside. Another wonderful weather day. The ocean was almost like glass. We came back in through St Catherine’s Inlet south of Ossabaw Island and continued south on the ICW. A quick turn left and we were in Walberg Creek. Lots of room and I was able to set the hook without any trouble.
Ken and Laurie from Mauna Kea rafted up with me, and I cooked some steaks on the grill for us. I had been looking for an opportunity to thank them for all of their help. A quiet night…
ICW Day 29/30/31 Windmill Harbor Hilton Head Island
ICW Day 29/30/31 Windmill Harbor on Hilton Head Island, November 14/15/16 20nm, statue mile 558.4, 712 total nautical miles, 12 gallons fuel.
Lovely run down from Beaufort to Windmill Harbor on Hilton Head. What a place. You have to go through a lock to enter the marina which is also the home of the South Carolina Yacht Club. One of the members put together a whole list of activities and arranged for us to have use of the yacht club. We had to anchor outside of the lock with the super moon low tide to wait for the tide to come in. 6 boats locked in. Very cool. I have included a video of a small boat locking in.
Pizza party the first night at a locals home. Frank and Sharon rented a car and took us on a tour of Hilton Head. Lots of trees down and some marinas damaged. Harbor Town marina was seriously damaged and will not open again until the spring Dinner at a local low country restaurant on the island. The next morning we went on a tour of the plantation and some of the homes, beautiful. A potential permanent home for Reflection in the future. That evening one of the 
original developers of Hilton Head and the developer of Windmill Harbor gave a talk about the history of Hilton Head, fascinating.
ICW Day 27/28 Beaufort SC
ICW Day 27/28 November 11/12. 36nm, statue mile 536.3, 692 total miles.
Left Steamboat Creek for Beaufort on a cool morning, headed to the Beaufort Town Docks. The docks are right in town within walking distance. We enjoyed a snack and beer at a local pub and walked through this interesting town. We enjoyed a seafood dinner at Plums restaurant in a cozy booth. Frank was checking out all the places to eat.
Sunday was another football day, so while Brad was catching up on some work, Frank, Terrie, and Sharon walked through town and found the home where the “Big Chill” was filmed. Another cloudy and cool day. A local spot, Luther’s Rare and Well Done, had the Broncos game on so we went there for a couple of beers and lunch. Two of the gentlemen sitting at the bar with Brad and Frank recommended Emily’s for dinner. A great recommendation. The Steak Au Poivre was wonderful.
ICW Day 26, Steamboat Creek, 496.7 statue miles, Halfway!
ICW Day 26, Steamboat Creek SC. 29nm, statue mile 496.7, 692 total miles.
We left Charleston this morning for Steamboat Creek. And made it to the half way point in the trip! Hard to believe we have been that far. It had gone by so fast…
Frank and Sharon on board to anchor out. Cooler than normal, but still a nice day.
Veteran’s Day! Thanks to all veterans for their service.
ICW Day 23/24/25 Charleston SC
ICW Day 23/24/25 Tues, Wed, Thursday November 8/9/10. 14nm, statue mile 464.5, 627 total miles.
We have always talked about visiting Charleston. We have finally made it. We stayed in Charleston Harbor Marina across the Cooper River from Charleston proper on Patriots Point. The USS Yorktown and Laffy are jus
t next door. We went into town each day. Walking and lunch the day we arrived, since we left so early to clear the bridge. Dinner the second day after a big provisioning trip. And a tour and carriage ride on the third day. Beautiful place. I’ll let the pictures tell the story.
I also had a chance to go back up the mast to replace the VHF antenna, but upside down. We now have long range VHF and AIS!
And last but not least, our friends Frank and Sharon Taverna joined us on our last evening in Charleston. They will be with us for a week.
ICW Day 22 – Whiteside Creek, SC
ICW Day 22, Monday November 7, 43 nm, statue mile 451.3, 613 total miles.
We left Georgetown for Whiteside Creek just north of Charleston. Cool and a bit windy. Covering 43 miles means we can catch the bridges just before Charleston close to low tide!
Whiteside Creek was out in the middle of the salt marsh. Very surreal. To add to it, the group organized a dinghy raft up party behind Osprey. What a cool group!
