Christmas in Georgia

Having thoroughly enjoyed our time in Savannah and the Isle of Hope, it was time to continue south through Georgia. Christmas was just around the corner, and we wanted to be somewhere near civilization.

Our first stop after leaving the Isle of Hope was on the Wahoo River. The day was filled with lots of dolphin sightings and we even got to deploy our staysail to augment the big diesel engine. Deploying any sail along the Intracoastal Waterway can a bit risky – think of it as sailing down an interstate highway winding through a mountain pass in heavy traffic!

We only deploy the staysail in fairly straight, wide sections of the ICW–usually river sections. The staysail obstructs part of the forward view from the cockpit and we have to keep an eye out for crab-trap buoys and other boats. Most of the navigation is by instrument–carefully following a chart line known as the Bob Track. The Bob Track keeps us off shoals and other shallow areas, but it doesn’t help us see small fishing skiffs or the occasional kayak darting out of marshy areas.

Wally’s Leg

Our daily jumps ranged from 30 to 35 nautical miles. At 6 to 7 knots per hours, that’s just far enough where we felt we were making progress south but short enough that we weren’t exhausted from pushing hard all day. We also had shallow areas to cross that required timing with the tides to make sure we didn’t run aground.

We ended the day in another anchorage with a great name – Wally’s Leg! Located just off the Mackay River, the anchorage is surrounded by marshes. We had a bit of an “oops”, as we exited the Mackay River when I managed to do a soft grounding. Something you expect along the Intracoastal Waterway! Generally, anytime you touch the bottom with your boat, it’s soft mud. A little reverse and off you go.

The anchorage at Wally’s Leg was completely calm and beautiful with an abundance of birds! No sign of Wally or his leg.

Jekyll Island

Both Gaviidaes arrived at the Jekyll Harbor Marina before noon on Christmas Eve. With last minute items needed for Christmas, we immediately rented a golf cart and zoomed into the small town for some last-minute provisions and stocking stuffers. Our priorities were lunch, liquor store, and then stocking stuffers.

After eating far too much at Corridor Z, a restaurant just behind the dunes on the Atlantic side, we all went our separate ways. Dan headed to the liquor store for wine and I scoured every possible store trying to find a few more stocking stuffers.

The Jekyll Market had everything Christmas related marked down by 50%. I scored a couple of silly Christmas bulb necklaces and other equally silly items for the stockings. Yes, I know – Santa stuffs the stockings but sometimes he needs a bit of help.

Howard and Kerri-Ann did not have stockings but found a couple of great ones at the Market. With the shopkeepers trying to chase us out, we grabbed a few last items and headed for the door.

Christmas Day

Christmas morning started with opening our stockings, which we had hung on a hand rail in the forward salon. Howard and Kerri-Ann joined us for the festivities, and we took turns pillaging our stockings. H&KA clearly did not get the memo that stockings are for silly, impractical items. As I dug through my stocking, I found a robust oyster shucking knife! Howard clearly hopes that I will find some oysters!

In return, Howard received his very own bag of pear-flavored Jelly Bellys! Kerri-Ann got a shark noise-maker bubble blower and Dan got freeze-dried Okra. We all sampled the Okra, it was interesting, but one bag was enough!

Exploring Jekyll Island

After the stockings and breakfast, the four of us hopped on our rental golf cart and set about exploring the sites on Jekyll. We stopped at the historic house–now ruins–of Major William Horton, the first English resident to settle on the island.

From there we went to the famous Driftwood Beach. It’s an amazing place with the remains of gnarled trees covering the extensive beach. All from centuries of erosion.

Christmas Dinner

We had found a small turkey breast at one of the grocery stores. Thinking we had found the perfect main course for Christmas dinner, we were dismayed that it turned out to be a smoked BBQ turkey breast. Sometimes you just make do with what you have! With mashed potatoes, a funny-tasting gravy, and sauteed vegetables – Christmas dinner was set. Fortunately, the company (H&KA) was excellent as was the wine!

After dinner, we all took a short nap and then bundled up in our warmest clothes to see the Christmas light display on Jekyll Island. Focused on the Twelve Days of Christmas, the lighting display was spread out through the historic area of Jekyll. A perfect end to a lovely day.