Georgia Low Country

We left Saint Augustine, Florida and crossed the border into Georgia.

Our next destination was going to be Brunswick Georgia, but that was a two day trip for us. So we dropped anchor outside of Amelia Island and  spent the night.

Once again it was an uneventful night of anchoring, just the way we like it.

The next morning we continued on to Brunswick, Georgia and docked at Brunswick Landing Marina. Brunswick Landing Marina is very close to downtown Brunswick.

Brunswick was established in 1771.  It was named after the German duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, reflecting the British colonial ties of the era.

The town was laid out in a grid pattern similar to other cities in the area like Savannah.

Brunswick served as a strategic port due to its location on the Atlantic coast and proximity to deepwater channels. Early economic activity centered on shipping, timber, and agriculture, particularly rice and cotton plantations supported by enslaved labor, which shaped much of its development.

During the Civil War, Brunswick’s port was blockaded by the northern navy and later abandoned by Confederate forces, leading to economic stagnation. However, the town recovered in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a key hub in the lumber and naval stores industries.

By the early 1900s, Brunswick had become one of Georgia’s major ports, rivaling Savannah in regional importance.

World War II marked another turning point for Brunswick with the establishment of shipyards that built Liberty ships for the war effort, similar to many waterfront towns and cities around the US.

(Side note: the factory I worked at in Sunnyvale, California built many of the triple-reciprocating steam engines that powered the Liberty Ships during World War II. The engine room scene in the movie Titanic featured one of those engines.)

This military-industrial expansion brought a surge in population and infrastructure development to Brunswick. Post-war, the town diversified its economy with tourism, fishing, and manufacturing, although it still relies heavily on port activity.

We only planned on one night at Brunswick but when we got there, the dockmaster offered us an extra day for 30% off and a potluck Easter dinner. It was a hard sell. We looked at each other and agreed to stop for an extra night.

We had been pushing pretty hard to get up the coast as we still needed to make Libbie‘s tennis tournament in Kiawah Island.  Fortunately the calendar afforded us an opportunity to take an extra day, and we took advantage of that.

I had some maintenance to do on Selkie. While I did that, Libbie hopped on a bike and got some groceries from the local Winn-Dixie.

There was a 49 foot sailboat next to us that was from Minneapolis, Minnesota. It had just returned from the Bahamas.

We were interested in the couple because Libbie and I had originally met in Minneapolis and were curious about their story. As we got to know them, we soon became fast friends.

There’s something about having a common interest like boating and being able to tell stories and discuss issues associated with things you like to do.

Naturally, as they were from Minnesota we knew they liked to play cards. Libbie and I were looking for somebody to play with other than just playing gin between the two of us.

Besides, I was tired of losing to Libbie in gin most of the time.

We played a round of Euchre and another card game and had a great time.

For the potluck, Libbie made a fresh fruit salad on Easter Sunday.

We went over and had some good fellowship with a bunch of folks from the Marina.

We also enjoyed walking around the town. Brunswick has a nice little downtown right close to the marina.

We left Brunswick the next morning and headed to Delegal Creek Marina on Skidaway Island just outside Savannah, Georgia.

We had been invited to the marina by a friend we had met looping on the Ohio River two years ago. His wife and he lived on Skidaway Island. 

He owned a Kadey Krogan 39 two years older than Selkie. So we were very interested in each other‘s boats. We were looking at what each boats particular unique characteristics and features were.

The weather transiting to Skidaway Island proved to be beautiful… in fact the weather since we got on Selkie 10 days before has been amazing with moderate temperatures and low humidity. 

We have enjoyed going through the ICW in Georgia Low Country. There’s a lot of wildlife to see between including dolphins and birds.

Coming into Delegal Creek Marina was interesting.

The marina entrance has a narrow channel between big shoals that are hidden by the high tide. You have to rely on the buoys and other navigation aids, even though it looks like there is plenty of margin on either side. 

There isn’t.  

Navigating the entrance involves making a hard 160° angle turn at one point in a narrow channel.

Luckily, we had 6 feet of extra water under the boat due to the high tide and as a result, we were able to successfully enter the marina to dock.

Our friend who invited us to the marina was there to catch our lines.

He got us settled, and we visited a bit. 

We had not met his lovely wife yet as, although she was an experienced boater, she had not been with him on the Ohio. Unfortunately, she had a knee replacement about eight days before our arrival.

They wanted us to come over for dinner, and we had a good time.  His wife was a real trooper, but it was obvious that the knee was still bothering her post surgery, so we did not stay long.

However, while there, they pointed out a Painted Bunting, a very colorful bird that lives in the southeastern part of the US. It might sound odd to some, but seeing a Painted Bunting had been on my birdwatching bucket list for decades.

I was thrilled to finally see one.

The next morning our friend showed up to help with some chores on Selkie. It was great to have an extra pair of hands that knew a Kadey Krogan 39.

Libbie helped where she could, but when she could no longer help she went off on a bike ride and explored Skidaway Island.  Her scouting proved fruitful for later when we were on the island ourselves.

That night we had dinner out at a country club. The Marina had access to a complementary golf cart and we use that to get to our restaurant. It was a lot of fun driving a golf cart around the island.

Our friend was generous in that he lent us his truck to go to downtown Savannah the next day to meet up with a high school classmate of mine, someone I had not seen since May 1976 when we both graduated for my high school.

He was touring the area with his wife and in-laws and they invited us to join them in downtown Savannah for a tour. We gladly accepted.

As usual, when I saw my classmate for the first time after almost 49 years, it was hard to recognize him at first.  But as the morning wore on, we got reacquainted, and I remembered why I liked him as much in high school.  We enjoyed getting to know each other again.

We toured some sites together, had lunch and then said goodbye. It was a lot of fun. As with all old friends I hope to see him again.

Coming back to the marina, we tidied up Selkie. We started watching the wild boar across the channel from the marina, munching on crabs for dinner after the tide went out.

As the sun set, we could see sheet lightning off in the distance due to distant thunderstorms. It was a beautiful evening.

The next morning, our friend came down to the marina to help us cast off. We said goodbye.

Saying goodbye to folks you like but may not see for a long time, if ever, is a bit melancholy for me.

But that’s life. I would rather say goodbye to good people instead of not ever knowing them at all. And we’ve met many great people on our journey called the Great American Loop.

We continued on to our next destination, Hilton Head Island where another high school classmate lived.

More on that later.