Savannah Georgia And Other Things You Couldn't Make Up

Our final voyage was 60 miles from Beaufort to our final destination in Savannah.

Why Did the Deer Cross the ICW?

Tidal currents pushed us into the Savannah area hours ahead of schedule so we

dropped a lunch hook for a couple of hours and had a quiet lunch on a small river

just off the ICW.

Bridges 101

As you transit up or down the Intracoastal Waterway, a number of bridges, both 
automobile and rail, cross the waterway.  

Many of the newer bridges we encountered were fixed span bridges with a clearance 
of 65 feet at mean high tide.  Our mast is 48 feet above the water so these bridges posed 
no problems for us.  Optically, however, as you approach the bridge you would swear 
that your mast will be taken off at the spreaders.

Other bridges open upon demand. 

The most common is the bascule bridge which is also known as a drawbridge. 

Swing bridges are also common.  They

pivot on a point at the center of the bridge to open and close.  There are a few lift bridges that are typically used by railroads.  They are generally left in the up position and close only for train traffic.  Some bridges open on a fixed schedule (every hour, on the hour, for example) and others open only upon demand.  You must radio the bridge operator and request a bridge opening.

Final Stop

Our final stop was the Sail Harbor Boatyard in Thunderbolt, GA.  Thunderbolt is a

suburb of Savannah that is on in intracoastal.  We checked in and began the long

process of getting ready to put the boat up on the hard for the winter.  We gave

 away some food to live-aboards at the marina some we gave to the local fire

station.  We cleaned the boat, took all of the sails off, drained the water tanks, etc., etc.

We stayed on the boat as we prepped it for dry land.  The second night at the dock,

tired from a full day's work, we had just fallen asleep when an enormous splash

jolted us awake.  We thought it must be a manatee or large fish.  As we continued

to listen, we heard our bow lines being jostled and the lifelines rattling.  I grabbed

a flashlight and scurried on deck in my boxers and tee shirt.  The next thing Susan

heard was me yelling, "Jesus Christ!"  As I peered over the deck, I saw an elderly

 gentleman lying on his back in the water between the boat and the dock.  His heels

were perched on the edge of the dock and his hands were grasping our bow lines. 

His head was just above water and he made no sound.  I yelled for him to give me

his hand and with one motion, I flopped him up onto the dock like a dead tuna. 

Susan asked him if he was okay, did he hit his head?  He said he was fine.  The

water was warm.  We helped him to his feet and he said, "I walked off the dock. 

I can't believe I just walked off the dock."  Then he thanked us and wobbled off

down the dock to his boat.  I followed him to make sure he got on his boat safely. 

Susan was making her way down the dock in her nightgown.  We once again

turned in for the night and both broke into uncontrollable laughter.

We spent our last night in the historic downtown district of Savannah.  It was our

first night off the boat in six weeks.  Our hotel room seemed very large.  We had a

nice dinner and caught Amtrak to Richmond, VA at 8 the next morning.  We picked

up our car in Virginia and drove up to DC and stayed for a few days with our dear

friend, Barbie.  Headed west with a stop in Tulsa to see my mother who is now

96  and then made the final push to the Mile High City.

Gratitude is now on the hard and shrink wrapped. Thanks for following along

as the crew of the mighty Gratitude forged on.  We'll look forward to picking

up where we left off next year.