Dream Catcher

Today was a beautiful day! The last two days were chilly and overcast. We have resisted putting our fowlies on, even though we would probably be warmer. But - we both have been wearing four layers and gloves! Today - the sun came out brightly and warmed the air to 75 degrees. It was delightful. We actually sailed for awhile as well! This is our third night on the hook and Sharon is happy. Our anchorages have been quiet and peaceful.

Tonight's sunset

We left Wexford Plantation early Sunday and made our way south on the waterway again. This part of the trip has been a bit more planned as we have to be aware of the 10 foot tides we have been experiencing here in Georgia, particularly high and low due to the full moon. The waterway has not been as well maintained in lower South Carolina and Georgia, so we find we must take the narrow, thin water at high tide. Fortunately, high tide has been around 10 or 11 am, making it easy to leave early and get in 50 miles or so each day.

Today, we motored past Jekyll Island, pulled out the jib and sailed towards the ocean The pull of the ocean was strong, but we resisted and turned up river as per the plan. This is the last of Georgia we will see as we will pass into Florida tomorrow. It was a lovely sail up past Cumberland Island - an entire island that is National Park. We marveled at the sand dunes as we rounded the bend. They seem as high as Aquinnah's on Martha's Vineyard.

Little Cumberland Island Sand Cliffs

One of Sharon's favorite novelists, Mary Alice Monroe, has written several books that are set in the "Low Country" of South Carolina. Mostly on Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms - barrier islands off Charleston. She often mentions the smell of the "Pluff Mud." Never certain what she meant, we now know. As a kid, Sharon's family used to visit friends with a house on the Delaware Bay. To get there, you had to drive a long way across the marsh before you got to the row of small homes along the water. The smell of the marsh is the same that Mary Alice Monroe talks about. It is that special marsh smell. A combination of standing water, decaying shellfish, marsh grass and wet dirt. Here is a link to a wonderful article about pluff mud.

http://charlestonmag.com/features/pluff_mud

We have seen some great sights!