Did You Ever Have One Of Those Days?

SHIP'S LOG:

Current Location: Ft. Frederica (New Brunswick) Georgia 31'13.047N/081'23.777

It was supposed to be a easy day and it was . . . . for the most part. I made the trip from Jekyll Island to Ft. Frederica in about three hours getting here at 1:52pm. I found a spot and drop the hook and everything seemed fine. I planned it well, anchoring along the west bank of the river as suggested in the cruising guides and in anticipation of the wind shifting to the South West. Anchoring in these little river can be tricky as they are not very wide though they carry deep water up to the shore. Still it is possible to ground the boat if you don't take the wind into consideration. What makes it even more tricky with ABISHAG is that she loves to dance, that is swing at anchor. It is all the free-board which create a lot of windage for the wind to work on. Add to that the current in the river and it creates some interesting effects.

According to the proclamations from the boys and girls at NOAA, the wind this afternoon and tonight is "supposed to be" out of the southwest. As of 8:30, it ain't happened yet. The wind is out of South EAST and from the South but Southwest is a no show. Of course, there is also a chance of thunderstorms later tonight and tomorrow morning (30%) and as we all know, when they give a number, we gets the rain!

But back to the dance. . . . . I thought that I was in a good spot for the anticipated wind, but with it not showing up, I was too close to the shore. So I picked up and moved. Not satisfied with that, I did it again. And again. And again. AND AGAIN! Currently I am in a spot where I can swing in a circle , and I have, without getting into thin water. There in lies another concern, the water depth. Not the lack but the abundance. Currently I am in about 15 feet of water and there is still an hour til low tide. The tides in Georgia are bigger than they are anywhere else on the east coast and the next high tide, at 3:51 AM, will top out at 7.4 feet! Twenty-Two Feet will be the depth where I am sitting and for a nice and comfortable 6 -to -1 scope on the anchor rode, I need to set out 132 feet. That could put me into the bank even though I am anchored in the middle of the river. O well, I still have my Towboat/US Insurance and I haven't seen those guys in awhile.

The Gnats down here are incredible. Up in New England they are referred to as "No see 'ems" and they must have come down here to get away from the cold and the snow. My can of OFF has come in handy, but some local brew called "NO NATZ" works even better and smells much nicer as well. With all the marshes and swamps ahead, I bought two bottles!

I Nearly made a major mistake today. I was in a convoy of boats heading north out of Jekyll Creek. They made all the turns I had plugged into my GPS and I was getting complacent, just following along behind. If I hadn't been watching my GPS, I would have missed my turn off into the Frederica River. As it was I did pass it and had to double back. Once again I learned that you never follow anyone but follow your own plotted course. After all, like today, they may not be heading where I am.

The only decent boat names of the day: Finally; Out and About; Cat's Away; & September Rose.

A reminder that the Internet Access gets "iffy" from here on so bear with me on this.