Patience is Rewarded!!

Ahhh on the move again. I have learned to be patient while cruising. You cannot always do what you want to do when you want to do it. It just comes with the lifestyle. But – REALLY – 4 days in one week waiting on weather has been hard to take. I could really feel it yesterday when I wanted to get going but couldn’t.

Ahhh but patience is rewarded. Today we awoke to a “mill pond” – flat calm. Once on the river there was maybe 5 kts of wind and just a nice ripple. St Andrews Sound had about a 2 foot easy swell and a little ripple. It was nice – very nice. BUT there is always a snake in paradise that was Jekyll Creek today. The sailing directions indicate only 3.5 feet of water in some areas at low tide – remember I draw 5’ 3”. Well it just worked out that we would be right smack in the middle at low tide!! Prudence says to anchor and wait a couple of hours for the tide to rise. The marinas along it were all full – no one leaving just yet.

Well I thought yesterday I was losing my adventuresome spirit when I didn’t leave in all that wind or complete the alternate passage. Today I was going to try the unthinkable but with such mild conditions – If I bump I just stop and wait for the water to rise.

The creek is 3.5 miles long. We entered it and I traveled at a respectable 4 kts. Karen stayed glued to the navigation software and would CON me to the center of the stream. I adjusted for the shoals I could see. We did great!! Made it all the way. Never bumped and saw only 8.1 feet at the lowest point. Of course the moon affect had the MLW at 1.6 feet ABOVE datum which really helped.

We arrived at Golden Isle Marina in St Simons \Island and took a slip for the day. We immediately borrowed the courtesy car and went to the Harris Teeter Grocery here. Ohhh great selection and we loaded up on the fresh stuff. Then back to the boat for a late lunch and start the laundry -- it’s been 2 weeks. Karen stayed with it since there are only 2 machines and I returned to the boat to fill the water tanks, hose the top sides down and do some general exterior cleaning. I guess I’ll owe us dinner out at the restaurant at the Marina tonight. Hey we have been on the hook since Green Turtle Cay!!

Hopefully we will get away tomorrow and travel as far north as we can go before thunderstorms come in then the same on Monday. Hope to hit Charleston, SC by next weekend or before.

I think I’ll travel with the Canadian pack again. It was very lonely at Pine Island and Brickhill River. They are all moving about 20 miles north of us today but we should catch them tomorrow or Monday – weather permitting.