We took advantage of the free pump-out at Brunswick Landing before taking on fuel for the best price I've paid for diesel for years... $2.55/gal. We've used 150.8 gal since fueling in Hollywood, FL.
We departed Brunswick on an outgoing tide, so we raced down St. Simon Sound to the Mackay River, and then fought the current until marker 217 when we were headed down current again. Some of the places we'll pass today have 9.6' of tide! We crossed Buttermilk Sound, and Altahama Sound before arriving at the notorious Little Mud River at -1' of tide.
The reason the Little Mud River is so notorious, is it is shallow and prone to shoaling. Well, the best time to see where the deepest water is, is at low tide as it starts to flood. We came through with a half a foot to spare!
This part of coastal Georgia is lined with marsh grass. I love the marshes, they are gorgeous! There are lots of birds, and, especially in the summer, loads of big, biting flies. The flies buzzed the boat, frustrated by our new screens. I tried to get Ellen to take photos of the mud flats on the Little Mud River, but she claimed the flies attacked her when she went out on deck. I don't know how many species there are of huge biting flies there are, but horse flies, marsh flies, green heads (Louisiana), doctor flies (Bahamas) all bite when they land, and drink blood. I keep fly swatters positioned around the boat to annihilate any uninvited guests who enter when we open the doors.
We entered Rockdedundy Creek and turned into North River and crossed Doboy Sound. If I remember, when we come back through, I want to stop and explore Sapelo Island. Instead, today we continued to Old Teakettle Creek and Front River into Sapelo Sound.
Twice before I have anchored off Blackbeard's Island, exploring the creek up to the end, past the Fish and Wildlife dock. There is a gorgeous sandy beach at the entrance. Be sure to give the rocky shoal to the south plenty of room. We chose not to stop for several reasons. First, there were a couple of boats by the beach. Second, the dogs had just had baths yesterday. Hmmm. By the way, did I mention the flies?
We crossed Sapelo Sound into the creek that runs along the inshore side of St. Catherine's Island. The marsh grass has some higher ground mixed in, with more trees. We turned into the southern end of Walburg Creek, reading the water to get across the shoal that chokes the southern end. With +6' of tide by this point, it wasn't hard to do with our 4'4" draft.
At the point Walburg Creek comes close to St. Catherine's Island, it is beautiful. The ground is high, with thick trees, this really nice looking place, and deep, wide water. I crossed one 60' deep area, with much of the water in the upper 20's We saw two otter crossing the creek, but they weren't sure they wanted to let us any closer to take a picture.
There was one shrimp boat anchored to the north in the creek at the point we anchored, and we were later joined by another shrimp boat and two trawlers we'd heard earlier in the day talking as they travelled through the skinny waters of Little Mud River. We are all spaced far enough apart to afford each their own individual experience. Anchored tonight N31 40.653' W 081 09.510'
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