I stopped at Jekyll Harbor Marina for the night. My friend Phil from the Bahamas recommended the stop and I'm glad he did. When I finished docking the dockmaster said "you'll love this place, there is nothing here." And he was right, it's a beautiful island that is very quite and peaceful. They like to refer to the marina as "the Mayberry of marinas" referring to the small town in Andy Griffit's tv show years ago.
Jekyll Island was once the playground for the wealthiest families such as the Rockefellers, Morgans, and Vanderbilts. The private resort is gone but there is miles of bike and walking paths, tennis courts, and other leftover amenities from the glory days. The Marina has free bikes to use on the paths, a free loaner van for shopping on the island, free laundry facility, free wifi, and a very nice restaurant on the marina property.
Tomorrow I will try to cover 50 or 60 miles. How far I get depends on how I hit the tide current. The current determines how fast you travel. I like to keep my engine at about 2500 RPMs and that gives me 5.3 knots. If the tide is against me I only get 3.5 knots but if it is with me I get 6 knots or better. Therefore you try to time your voyage so the tide is favorable most of the time. At any rate, tomorrow night will be an anchor out night because Georgia has very few marinas on the ICW.
Sounds like a couple of days of easy traveling was just what you needed. Did you write down information from your friend and fellow travelers or are you going from memory? Do you get a chance to pass any along to travelers you meet going the other direction on the ICW? WE had to order a new motor for Lioba’s VW Passat. It seems the 4 cylinder they put in the ‘o6 and ’07 can’t handle the turbo and a lot of them have had to be replaced. They quit putting that engine in after two years. No used or rebuild available so had to go new. Severson’s is paying $4500 and I have to pay $3500, could have been worse. Have a car with no miles on motor so we will have to drive it for 6 years instead of 3.
ReplyDeleteJohn
I have a chart book that I use in the cockpit and use it to take notes in. The notes come from fellow cruisers and the Internet (www.activecaptain.com, www.cruisersnet.net). The local info from cruisers is the best and we exchange notes on the dock and while on the water. We use the VHF to warn each other of "skinny" water and recommend favoring one side or the other. I made it through Little Mud River today using info from my friend Don back at Daytona Beach. He had just been through there and had a wealth of info through Georgia.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about Lioba's car. I think you made the right decision because that will still be a very nice car 6 years from now. Too bad VW didn't pick up the whole deal since it was their screw up. German engineering, ......hummm.