Strange as it may seem, the winding road through the low country is composed of a great many straight sections, which pose a challenge: Often, the channel that is deep enough for larger boats is a rather narrow strip through what looks like a wide open area...picture trying to stay in a fifty-foot wide strip of water through a mile-wide expanse of water...with cross currents...and wind...

The solution to this challenge is remarkably simple: A range, essentially two sticks, like the one in the picture. If you keep the two markers lined up, you are in the channel. If they aren't lined up, you can tell which way to go. In the picture, the channel is to port (left) of where the picture was taken. Today we had a lot of ranges as we wound our way down through the most remote part of Georgia before finally anchoring at the Cumberland Island National Seashore, where we will spend Saturday hiking and exploring and generally taking a break after several long days of driving the boat.

Along the way, we got to motor out almost into the ocean: In crossing the sound between Jekyll and Cumberland Islands, the ICW heads out and around a rather extensive shoal. Although there are sand bars that trip and break the true ocean waves, the route is still exposed and, as we were passing at high tide, the effect of the sand bars was diminished. For half an hour we motored out in three to five foot seas driven by 15-20 knot winds, rounded a buoy, and surfed back into Buttermilk sound. Anne and I thoroughly enjoyed it but, as we observed afterwards, five years ago that foray into the waves might have scared us...now it was just fun.