November 23, 2020 Monday

We had clear skies with variable winds from the north-west. We headed for the Savannah River crossing watching the ships moving along the river on AIS and above the trees you could see the ships stacked with containers. As we followed Fields Cut there was a small two masted sailboat sailing out toward the shipping channel where an inbound and outbound container ship were converging just south of a large dredging operation which was restricting the width of the channel. The sailor ran up to drop the headsail and then back to the tiller. The wind was very strong in the open area of the river and it was an impressive display of boat handling as he headed into the wind and dropped sail in the shadow of two massive ships.

We crossed the Savannah River after the two ships passed and continued on the ICW and we passed the small sailboat, Stary Night from Nantucket, and she appeared to be single handed if you don't count the skinny grey dog on deck.

Next came the Causton Bluff Bascule Bridge that is being replaced with a new high-rise bridge which is a good thing, one less bridge. The bad thing is only three of the four sections open leaving only half the channel width to get through. We knew of a sailboat that had been de-masted here and we saw a YouTube video of a power boat knocking off the fly bridge we assume at this same location. Because they are replacing the bridge no one is working to fix the bascule bridge, it was in the same condition when we passed here last spring. We made it through without issue but it feels like a disaster waiting to happen as we squeezed through the opening.

We continued past Thunderbolt marina where a huge facility can repair the numerous mega yachts lining the docks. The tides and currents are strong in Georgia and our speed reflected this going from slow to fast and back again as we passed the large homes in this suburban area of Savannah. This area keeps growing as the wealth of the south does but eventually, we passed out into the open marsh lands again with few homes and lots of wind. We experimented some with the headsail to get a boost here and there as we enjoyed the incredible views under the bright falling sun.

We anchored off the ICW in Walburg Creek off North Newport River in the lee of Saint Catherine's Island. The island is preserved for research and has only a few buildings on it, the rest is heavy forest land. The breeze was sufficient to keep away the biting gnats as we sat in cockpit enjoying a beautiful sunset.