Saturday, April 27, 2013 – Cumberland Island (Mile 710) to Wally’s Leg (Mile 666):

            We had to get up early this morning in order to go through St. Andrews Sound at slack tide and Jekyll Creek at high tide.  We weren’t the only ones with this game plan as a Grand Banks who was anchored near us left just before we did, and then later we heard a sailboat on the radio who was anchored in Cumberland Island with us also and must have left a little bit after us.

            The wind died down during the night, but by the time we left the anchorage by 7:15 a.m., it was piping up again and the waterway was a bit choppy.  It was a sunny, bright day however, and this made traveling a little more enjoyable.

I guess this is one way to get to work!

            As we headed up Cumberland Sound we started to hear some chatter on the radio between the two boats ahead of us about conditions in St. Andrews Sound being pretty bumpy and perhaps it would be a good idea to take the alternate route starting at Floyd Creek. 

            I’m thinking this is going to be another stomach-churning, nail-biting day.  “Bumpy” conditions in St. Andrews Sound (you will recall, this is where we have to go out into the ocean for a bit)?  You might as well tell me that we are going to have to negotiate 20’ seas.  The “alternate” route – I look at the chart and there are places I can’t find any water.  Yikes!

            Well, we listen to the chatter, and the first boat is telling the second boat that he has done this route before, and it’s really ok if it’s high tide, which it is.   So we think, “OK, this will be an adventure.”  The second boat in this parade radios the first boat that he has never done this before, but he would like to try it and to please keep in radio contact with him if there is anything he should be aware of as he follows along.  We get on the radio to the second boat and let them know that we will also be in the que, and we also hear the sailboat behind us say he wants to do this route also.

            So, we turn left at Red mark #40 from Cumberland Sound and head into Floyd Creek.  The water is coffee-colored here (as is most of Georgia), but it is deep so far – 20’.  It is beautiful in here, peaceful and serene, and pretty much out of the wind although it still gusts from time to time.  You have to flip to the back of the chart book to the “inlets and side channels” page or use the big chart book to follow the chart in here.

Weaving around through the grasses

            Several seagulls appeared to be having quite a disagreement as they followed our boat in here squawking and carrying on something awful as they chased and dive-bombed each other.  Maybe they were displeased at the parade of boats that may have disrupted their breakfast.

            At A24 and 25 you turn into the tiny Floyd Cut, which takes you into the Satilla River where you head up and at A17 turn right into the tiny “Land Cut.”  From there you turn right into Dover Creek and at A14 turn left into the “Dover Cut”.  You wind around in here until you come to A8 and A9 and turn right into Umbrella Creek, then turn left at A6 into Umbrella Cut which takes you to Jekyll Sound and from there into Jekyll Creek.  (You all know this is not to be used for navigation, don’t you?)

There would be no water in here at low tide!

            You cannot do any of this at anything but HIGH TIDE!!  Don’t even think about it at any other time.  We usually saw plenty of water (20 feet) in most places, but there were a couple of spots where we saw 5’.  At low tide there would be no water in these places!  It was well worth the side trip to do this.  The channel made twists and turns as you weaved in and out through the green and gold marsh grasses.  It was just lovely, and I would recommend this to anyone on a sunny day at high tide for a nice little diversion from the “tried and true” path.  It also helped that we only draw 4 ½ feet!  The boat that was leading the rest of us through here did radio to us when we would be approaching a very shallow area, so we were prepared!

            Once we got into Jekyll Creek we headed up to Brunswick River.  Jekyll Creek certainly looked a lot different at high tide than it did when we came through here in November at almost low tide.  No nail-biting this time!

In Jekyll Creek - there is a picture of this boat at sunset earlier

            Now we head into St. Simons Sound which is not a problem at all which made me wonder if St. Andrews Sound might have been ok after all, but I’m glad we went the route we went.  Than we head into the Mackay River and into Wally’s Leg to our anchorage for the night.  Wally’s Leg looks much like the alternate route we took today – a relatively wide body of water for a creek with banks on both sides lined with various marsh grasses and other plants with birds chirping all around.  As the water recedes with the tide, little birds hop along the exposed banks looking for morsels not available at high tide.  Hmmm, we came in here and anchored in 13’ of water and now we have 6’ of water.  Oh well, that’s a foot and a half more than we need.  Yikes!  Here’s hoping we have hit low tide!!

Wally's Leg

            All in all it was a good traveling day with no glitches or hair-raising incidents, unless the tide falls a little farther in here!  Here’s hoping we can keep it this way for the rest of the trip back!