As we continue north we are adjusting to the AICW. There is constant shoaling and so keeping your “eyes on the road” is a full time job. We constantly glance between our electronic charts and the day markers in the channel to make sure we are in the best place when it gets “skinny” (shallow). We also need to monitor the tides and plan our travel through the skinny areas on a rising or high tide (tides can swing up to ~9′ where we currently are).
 The start of Hell’s Gate, a 3/4 mile stretch known for shoaling. Blue is deeper water, red is … well you do not want to be in the red at low tide. |
 They call it the Low Country for a reason. |
Our first stop on the way to Savannah was in Brunswick, GA. Your standard marina (but with free laundry!) however there is not much to report of things to do/see in the small town. Our second stop we anchored in Kilkenny Creek. This was a quiet and enjoyable stop for us for it’s feeling of being remote but also had easy access to/from the AICW. This is where we started to learn more more about insects in the south. So far Kent is the “winner” with finding and pulling out of him 2 ticks. Because no see ums and mosquitoes are not annoying enough … now we need to check for ticks after spending time in wooded areas.
 Anchored along the salt water marsh in Kilkenny Creek. |
In order to explore Savannah we decided to stay 2 nights at Thunderbolt Marina which is just south of downtown and an easy Lyft ride to the center of Savannah.
 Thunderbolt Marina delivers warm donuts to your boat each morning. Only polite thing to do is to devour them! |
 Heartbeat at Thunderbolt Marina, picture courteous of fellow Loopers passing by. |
First afternoon/evening in Savannah was a bit underwhelming to us. We walked around quite a bit and found a delicious and inexpensive dinner but other than we felt like we were missing something. We were not seeing what had been depicted in the movie Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil (we did our research on Savannah a few nights prior by watching the movie).
 Dinner of Low Country boil – sausage, shrimp, potatoes and corn with just the right amount of spice/heat. |
 Savannah’s historic historic district allows for ‘to go’ cups, soaking in the history with a beverage in hand is permitted/encouraged here. |
Our second day was much more inspiring. We took a hop on/off trolley around the city and saw what we had been missing the evening before. The trolley tours are narrated by the well informed drivers and we absorbed a lot of history in a short amount of time. After taking the trolley in St Augustine and now Savannah we have been converted into fans of these tours. They give us a layout of the city and then we set off on foot to explore on our own the areas that interest us. A trolley day ironically means we are easily walking ~10 miles.
 Favorite part of Savannah for us was the 20+ parks/squares that are throughout the city. All are shaded with the iconic oaks and Spanish moss. |
 Johnson Square was the first of Savannah’s squares and also the largest. |
 Cotton Exchange building (1872). This is 1 of 3 places in the world where the price for cotton was set. |
 Forsyth Park Fountain. This multipurpose park consists of 30 acres in downtown. Every year the fountain is dyed green on St Patrick’s Day to the Savannah’s deep Irish heritage. |
 The Mercer – Williams house (construction completed in 1868) is the site from Midnight of the Garden of Good and Evil. We toured inside and saw much of Jim Mercer’s antique collection. Unfortunately photos inside were not permitted. |
 This was all we were able to see of Bonaventure Cemetery as we arrived to late to explore the majestic grounds. A sculpture (Bird Girl) originally in this cemetery is the cover to Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil book. |
Next up for us will be South Carolina. Being from the west coast the fact that we are traveling through states so quickly is quite the change!