After a great time in Hilton Head we headed off for Georgia, which has a reputation
for the most problem spots on the ICW ( interpretation: shallow and seldom dredged ).
It also has mostly mostly remote, wilderness waterways bordered by lots of marsh grass.
Georgia has the highest tides of all the areas with tides of 10 feet while we were going
through which, while nerve-wracking, can be used to advantage. An area that is dry
ground at low tide can be traversed at high tide if you are patient and time your passage
accordingly. This requires constant vigilance regarding the charts and the tide tables so
it has kept my mind occupied. I think it is a good exercise to stave off Alzheimer's. We
were able to traverse everything and only drug once, in Hell Gate. Don't you love the
names of some of these places. The mud bottom is so soft it has been described as
plowing through pudding when you touch.
We stayed the night at Kilkenny Creek Marina, a place with a large indigenous population
of no-see-ums. Before being chased inside by them we enjoyed watching all the Sunday
fisherman retrieve their boats from the river. Here because of the large tidal range an
overhead hoist launches and retrives the boats and drops them onto their trailers. They
have the system so well practiced they are nearly as quick as most people are capable of
when using a ramp. Most of the sport fisherman I've observed in the rivers and bays on
our trip have not been catching many fish like I'm used to seeing up on Lake Erie.
When leaving Hilton Head in the morning we were greeted by a pair of dolphins outside
the marina. So far on our trip we have seen more dolphins in Calibogue Sound by
Hilton Head than any where else.
Kilkenny boat launch
52 miles
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