40 to go..

40 miles to Florida, that is.

We had another long day today, 65 miles or so of beautiful winding canals, interspersed with open sounds that would lead to the Atlantic, should we miss a turn!
There were dolphins galore, always a fun sight, as well as multitudes of pelicans, terns and even a bald eagle perched on one of the canal markers.

Yesterday, we managed to luck into passing through a lovely little cut called 'Hell Gate' at high tide and slack water. Though only a couple hundred meters long, it is an area known for serious shoaling, with low water levels of only 4 or 5 feet. The 9 foot tides of Georgia are helpful for such situations, as we can use high water to our advantage to allow passage through 'skinny water'. I still find it incredible that we can sail, at high tide, over what is dry land at low tide, only 6 hours later.

Today, our timing was not so impeccable. We were approaching Little Mud River at exactly low tide. Though the charted depths through this area are 13', local knowledge has it that most of the "river" has between 6 and 8 feet of water, with a few spots of 5'. We slowed our speed sufficiently to arrive at the top of the river as the rising tide was at 1.5'. Moving as slowly as we could (3 knots with the help of the current) we inched down the river, and though at times saw only one foot of water below our keel, we made it through without touching bottom.

Tonight we are in a cozy little anchorage in the company of one other power boat. Though we have been in Georgia for 2 days now, we haven't actually set foot in it, as we have spent the nights at anchor. We plan to change that tomorrow with a visit to Jekyll Island.