Catamaran Delivery, Days 15 and 16: Isle of Hope, GA to Jacksonville Beach, FL
Some say that Georgia is the worst part of the ICW, to be avoided at all costs, supposedly plagued by interminable twisty canals, shallow water, and boring days.
We ran its length in roughly two days, and I can say from experience that this is not true. In reality, it was highly varied, full of beauty, and assuming a modicum of skill, not overly challenging. There were perhaps three sections of note (Hell Gate, Little Mud River, and Jekyll Island), and given good tide we piloted through all of them without incident. It is certainly easier to do so with the help of Bob423’s tracks, and arguably essential, but to skip this section would be a shame.
Isle of Hope (which I wrote about previously) was a pleasant stay, and afforded us time to explore Savannah. From there, we pushed hard for Brunswick, and made it in just under 12 hours. At times, with favorable current, we made over 10kts in a 41’ catamaran, leaving before dawn and enjoying a quiet, peaceful day on the water.
As we work our way south, the light, the scent on the air, and the birds change; the ICW itself widens through GA, and after the swamps of the Carolinas, it feels much more oceanic here. Multiple times per day, we pass through large sounds, and the motion of the boat changes from steady motoring on flat water to the roll of ocean swell.
We reached Brunswick Landing Marina at sunset. I have visited before by car, looking at sailboats we might purchase next, and it was an excellent opportunity to explore the marina a bit. I failed to appreciate its size when visiting by land; coming in from sea, one can see the massive cruise ships, research vessels, and over 300 slips that make up the marina proper.
The dock staff were incredibly helpful and friendly, and we tied up and went exploring. Unlike many marinas, Brunswick offered not only clean showers and restrooms, but a yacht club (with free beer!), a massive lending library, and free bikes.
We then wandered downtown, a surprisingly Western experience - I was reminded mostly of small town Colorado. There were theaters, small antique stores, restaurants, a co-working space, and a weird giant lady’s leg; what more could a tired sailor ask for? (Sushi, perhaps, which we indulged in deeply.)
We rose early again, and motored south towards Jacksonville Beach in heavy fog all day. I’ve less to say of this part of the trip, as our visibility was limited to only a few feet around us. It’s clichéd to call it ghostly, but few other words seem apt; my eyes kept playing tricks on me, conjuring other vessels and obstructions that weren’t there, and the captain and I took turns with hour long watches, the limits of concentration.
The fog mostly burned off by early afternoon, at least within our direct path, and we made it to a small marina (Jax Beach Marine) by 4pm or so, despite a strong current (5kts!) against us in the St. John’s River. Jax was not particularly nice, but it was convenient, and we tied up on the fuel dock knowing we’d be out around 7am to catch the tide for the next day’s beaches.
In the evening, utterly exhausted from two days that started before 5am, we opted to stay in, eat charcuterie, and watch Cocktail, the critically panned (but fun) 1988 Tom Cruise bartender/capitalist critique, including (weirdly) a variety of scenes shot in Jamaica.
Onwards, onwards, ever onwards.