June 2nd - Red Bird Creek, GA to Lady's Island Marina (Beaufort, SC) (72 miles)

Underway at 0735.  Entered Hell's Gate on a rising tide and passed through with no problems.

Saw these two parasailors enjoying a nice breezy day.

The mooring ball field at Beaufort, SC

Arrived at Lady's Island Marina at 1900 after a great day's run.

June 1st - Red Bird Creek

The weather forecast the night before called for high winds all day - 20 to 25 knots, with gusts up to 35.  As such, I decided to stay put.  I woke to wind howling through the rigging and it continued to do so throughout the day, so it was a good choice.  I kept the VHF radio on and heard other boaters on the water talking about getting beat up a bit while transiting the more open waters.

As I had a leisurely morning, I decided to cook an old fashion breakfast of country ham and pancakes.

I had one remaining package of country ham onboard (fearing I'd starve to death, my mom gave two of them to me before I left for the Bahamas) so I got it out and commenced to frying it up.

The ham smelled so good I was actually worried some of them Georgia swamp-rednecks would show up looking for some.

A fine breakfast for a windy day.  After breakfast, I spend the day working on articles and such.

May 31 - Altamaha River anchorage, GA to Redbird Creek, GA (55.2 miles)

Got underway at 0810 to arrive a Mud River on a rising tide.  Passed through with no problems other than...the enemy.  The horse flies were so thick, I was whacking them every 10 seconds or so - it was actually beginning to affect my navigation.  I tried to leave them be, but when I did they'd gather in strength till there was around 20 of them in the cockpit swarming.  It wound up being better to just get them as they landed on the underside of the canvas.

The killing field and Frank's Thunder rod - the "Purple Cobra"

Mini-crane and barge

Arrived at Red Bird Creek at 1615 to (again) wait for a favorable tide tomorrow morning to pass through yet another trouble spot, Hell Gate.  Used the left over Brats I grilled up yesterday evening for supper to cook up a pot of corn Chowder.

May 30 - Fernandina (Amelia Island), FL to South Altamaha River (54.6 miles)

Got underway at 0630 and headed north.  Crossed into Georgia at 0700 and that's when "the enemy" arrived.

The Enemy

Horseflies - I started seeing a few of these little bloodsuckers as I started passing the marsh islands that line Georgia's waterway.  They were a just a distraction from the monotonous motoring at first - they'd fly onboard and land underneath the Bimini, where I'd whack them with my trusty flyswatter.  If I only knew what the future had in store...

Water slide at Jekyll Island, GA

Passed by Jekyll Island, winter club and playground of the ultra-rich and famous back in the 1880s (you know the gang - the Rockefellers, Goulds, Astors, Goodyears, Morgans, Pulitzers, and Vanderbilts).  They wanted a place where they could rub elbows with their social equals while riding out the northern winters.  by 1942, the membership of the Jekyll Island Club controlled 1/6 th of the world's wealth.  In 1942, when a German U-boat sank a torpedoed a tanker in St. Simons sound (just north of the island) the government feared it was too tempting a target for the Germans, so the Coast Guard evacuated it.  The state of Georgia bought it for $675,000 in 1947 and it's now open as a tourist attraction.

Bubba Gump ship

Anchored in South Altamaha River at 1445.  Had to anchor early so I could wait for better tides to pass through Little Mud River, a notorious shallow spot just to the north.

Making Frank's Famous Chicken Salad.

I grilled up a package of bratts for dinner.