Georgia Georgia

We are working our way north at a leisurely pace, which is about 30 miles each weekday. We completed the entire ICW through Georgia for the first time. This completes for us all of the ICW between Norfolk and Fort Lauderdale. Through Georgia we have to travel during mid tide and higher since the tidal range is 8 - 9 feet. With our short travel days we just plan around the tide table. We have had to deal with an onslaught of No-See-Ums. These are particularly nasty insects since the screens which keep out almost all pests are not fine enough to stop the No-See-Ums. Any screen fine enough to stop them will also stop the air flow. It has been rare for us to encounter insects so we are not really complaining.

The wonderful aspect of the Georgia coast is that is mostly undeveloped. Much of it is as pictured. This picture was taken at high tide.

Return To The US

We had planned a return from the Abacos to Port Canaveral, which would have saved a couple days on the ICW. Our backup plan should the conditions deteriorate would be Fort Pierce. We left Great Sale Cay at 4 am and with strong breezes we were making a steady 7 1/2 knots. We usually assume a speed to 5 1/2 to 6 knots when planning our trip. As we approached the east wall of the Gulf Stream we realized with our good speed and with the added benefit of the Gulf Stream current we would arrive at Port Canaveral too soon and the lock would not be open. We decided to divert to Fort Pierce. Even though we would arrive at night we have been there before and felt we could navigate to our anchorage. We did get safely anchored but it was a challenge to say the least. Non of the day marks on the short stretch of the ICW were lighted and the side channel was also not lighted. With our flashlight and a careful watch of the depth we inched our way in without hitting anything or running aground. After several months of wide open seas it feels like walking on a rail navigating the ICW. We intend to stay on the ICW all the way north this spring. There are parts of Georgia we have not covered and some stops we would like to explore a little more now that we have some time.

We used both current analysis and sea surface temperature to plan our crossing route

Pictured is the sea current analysis we used to identify the location of the Gulf Stream. The color scale goes from blue with none or very little current to bright orange with current over 3 knots.