A great deal of care and planning is needed to pass through Jekyll Creek. The muddy banks of the marsh along this part of the ICW have slowly collapsed, silting in most of what was already a narrow creek. This stretch has earned the dubious distinction as one of the three major trouble spots in Georgia, according to the Salty Southeast Cruisers Network http://cruisersnet.net/category/ga-aicw-problems/

Just south of the creek is St. Andrews Sound. Here the cruisers travelling to or from Cumberland must travel a considerable way east, towards and almost into the Atlantic for what might seem to some as halfway to Bermuda. The water to the north of the rounding mark, Red #32, has shoaled in as well. This makes timing the passage of both St. Andrews Sound & Jekyll Creek at a rising tide of half or better a bit tricky.

Our first hurdle, Red 32, was about 12 miles away and low tide there was scheduled for 1200. Hoping we could trust the tide tables, we departed our anchorage in Brickhill River at 1018. We weaved our way north on the river at only 1000 rpm but making more than 3 knots. Adapting Captain Chuck's philosophy of, "never approach a dock faster than you want to hit it!" to running aground, we took it slow. This turned out to be a good plan as we passed over many spots with less than ½ under Calypsos keel. Ykes, and the tide is still running out for another hour or so, but all went well.

We rounded Red 32 at 1330, 1 ½ hours into the incoming tide. As we approached from the south, breakers could be seen crashing on the shallow North Point of Cumberland Island. We however were in 60' of water motoring in near calm making 3.5 knots against the now incoming tide. However, as we rounded the mark the bottom shoaled quickly, and I mean quickly. In what seemed like seconds water depth went from sixty feet...twenty feet...twelve feet...EIGHT FEET!!! Gulp, all we could do is keep going. If we slowed down or lost concentration the incoming current would put us on the shoal, for sure. As quickly as it shoaled the depth came back to twelve feet and now we were flying north towards Jekyll Creek at 5 knots @ 1200 RPM.

By 1430 we entered Jekyll Creek but not before slowing for a faster moving British cruiser. We later learned that they we making their way north to Nova Scotia. We also found out that they had an 8' draft. Good thing we followed at a safe distance. We followed the recommendations listed by the cruisers net, again travelled slow, and made it through without touching once, honest!

We travelled west into the St. Simon's Sound to Brunswick Landing Marina. We plan to stay here until the forecasted rain & wind event pass this weekend.

Fair Winds & Quiet Anchorages,
Jeff & Wendy