We’ve been trying since April to secure a reservation in Florida for the month of December. Many, many phone calls, and numerous replies of, “Call back closer to the date,” “We’ll try,” etc. Last week we got great news, “Show up December 6, and you can stay a month.” Success! Now we have a safe place for the ‘Mare while we participate in family Christmas events before returning to the Bahamas.
Last year, we were in the mad dash of snowbird cruisers rushing south to either winter in Florida or head for the Bahamas. The pace, combined with the inherent challenges of cruising in Georgia – the tidal swings, shoaling, shallow areas, and the less than cruiser-friendly legislation – left us unenthusiastic about a repeat. Sigh. Can’t we just go offshore and skip Georgia? Nope. Heck, Bull Creek is a great stop, maybe there is something similar in Georgia? We have plenty of time to take our time. Let’s embrace it and explore!
We began with a 3.5-hour cruise from Bull Creek to Isle of Hope Marina, south of Savannah.
Isle of Hope Marina is right on the AICW, which makes for some interesting traffic passing by, like this bright, handsome tug.
After we availed ourselves of the marina’s loaner car to hit Wally World in Savannah for some warmer, fuzzy jackets, the sunny afternoon warmed things up enough for us to enjoy an afternoon stroll on Isle of Hope…without the jackets.
Since we have the luxury of time, it’s time for some gunkholing, SaltyMare style. The term gunkholing originated from small boats exploring out of the way coves and anchoring in the “gunk,” or mud. Cruisers now use the term more generically to mean seeking out the serenity of isolated anchorages over the crowds of larger, modern marinas and popular bays. A shallow draft vessel allows for going further up and into the gunkholes. Well, SaltyMare has a 6′ draft, so we can’t go as far up the rivers and creeks, but we can get off the AICW (think I-95) to explore the rivers.
After a pretty sunrise at Isle of Hope Marina, we waited for slack tide and headed further south down the AICW, scoutin’ and plottin’ and schemin’.
First side trip, the Medway River
Several cruisers have recommended we detour eight miles up the Medway River to Midway, Georgia, site of the once thriving port town of Sunbury. Founded in 1758, the coastal town played an important role fighting the British in Georgia during the American Revolution, and three signers of the Declaration of Independence have ties to the now-a-ghost town of Sunbury.
Finally – Sunbury Crab Company!
The area history is interesting, but the real reason cruisers make the trek is to eat at Sunbury Crab Company, established more than 20 years ago and featured in many magazines, including most recently, Southern Living Magazine as, “One of the South’s Best Seafood Shacks.” The whole family has embraced the endeavor. Husband Barney caught the dock lines while Elaine handled the warm welcome in the restaurant, and their grown sons did the cooking! Friendly, simple but surprisingly good fare make it a great stop.
Fort Morris State Historic Site
Since we liked the vibe, we decided to stay for a few nights to explore the area (umm…and, truthfully, to dine at the restaurant again). On Sunday, needing to work off some of that food, we planned a walk to the Fort Morris State Historic Site, just over a mile from the marina. We anxiously eyed the thermometer, vainly rooting for it to top 50 degrees. Alas, didn’t happen, but shortly after noon, we layered up and headed out anyway. Oh lord, look at those outfits!
One of our favorite tales from the fort’s history took place in November 1778, when one Colonel John McIntosh commanded the garrison. At the time, there were fewer than 200 men, mostly actual Continental troops, but a bunch of locals also. The British, led by Colonel L.V. Fuser, cruise up the river to land 500 ground troops supported by armed ships. Fuser makes his formal demands – the immediate surrender of the fort – to which our man McIntosh, in true American spirit responds, “Come and Take it!” you bunch of %$#@ Okay, Todd ad-libbed that last part, thinking history surely left it out. Anyway, what do the English do? That’s right, they leave! Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end there though. A little more than a month later, the British returned with even more guys and wiped the place clean. History has given Colonel McIntosh props for standing strong, and Todd gave him a sailor’s mouth!
Back to the present day, after several hours of exploring the museum, the earthworks, the displays, and the nature trails, the park ranger, Danielle, kindly offered us a lift back to the marina.
We enjoyed our time in Sunbury, but the time came to say goodbye to the pretty Brown-headed Cowbird who frequented our bow pulpit.
This morning, we cruised the eight miles back to the AICW and then backtracked north a bit for a short jaunt up Kilkenny Creek to check it out and what the heck, take on fuel. After which we cruised back just a bit south. We made very little forward progress, but we found a lovely spot to anchor for the upcoming holiday. Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!
Our Travels 