Beaufort to Savannah GA - Isle of Hope Marina

With a plan to leave Beaufort, South Carolina at sunrise, I got up early and made coffee. I looked out to see that the harbor was clear of fog. I looked out again about 20 minutes later to discover fog was rolling in. Turns out we delayed our departure until about 9 AM. The wind and water were calm as we set out for the Savannah area on an estimated trip of about 6½ hours.

We cruised past Port Royal along the western bank of the Beaufort River and then past Parris Island to enter Port Royal Sound. Guide books had warned that the sound could be difficult during high winds and opposing tides. We were bucking an outgoing tide with calm winds. The trip was very pleasant. About a third of the way we were passed on our starboard side by a huge motor driven catamaran which I had noticed docked in Beaufort with us the night before.

The ICW took us into the a merge with the Chechessee River for a short period and then into Skull Creek running along the west shore of Hilton Head Island. There were numerous large homes along the shore line. Most had private piers extending into the waterway. As we entered Calibogue Sound we found ourselves again in marshland with forests in the distance. During this crossing we came upon a few ferry boats from Daufuskie Island, a golf course resort only accessible by water. As they approached we could see their huge wakes but they were very considerate and slowed down until well past us. Our travels then took us west of Daufuskie Island into Ramshorn Creek and then the New River on to Wells cut. As we came into the Wright River we noticed a huge sailing catamaran anchored just out of the channel. Joe commented that they must be waiting for the tide to start rising. We knew we were close to the Savannah River as we could see large ships above the tree tops just ahead.

Our experience with many large ships in the Chesapeake bay over the last eight years did not prepare us for Fields Cut and the Savannah River.  Compared to the bay, this river is really narrow.  It's barely wide enough for two large freighters to pass where Fields Cut connects the ICW to allow ICW traffic to cross the Savannah River.  We were aware that the Savannah River traffic was heavy as we had been listening to the radio traffic for some time on approach to the river. Now, to see these huge ships as we were about to enter the river was intimidating to say the least. We could not tell if the one closest to our shoreline was coming or going. As we progressed through the cut, the trees hid the ships from our view. Joe practically stopped Surprise as we got to the river entrance. We then saw large waves coming our way. We were puzzled for an instant. Joe suddenly said, “that has to be the ships wake”. “Well, then, let’s stick our nose out there and see what’s going on”, I said. Sure enough the ship was heading down stream. As we got pass the trees and bluff blocking our view of the river traffic, we were happy to see the other ship was traveling slowly towards us giving adequate time for us to cross.  Wow, what a relief. Joe gave the throttle a shove and we got the old girl across the river without encountering any other vessels. Shortly after, we were able to pass under a 21 foot bascule bridge (our mast has been measured at 23 ft.) Joe called ahead and the bridge master told him he had 34 ft clearance under the bridge at the time. I guess there is some advantage to low tide after all.

We made our way into the Wilmington River. We soon came to Thunderbolt Marina and immediately understood why nearly everyone we had met along the way had known about this marina. It was very big and the vessels docked there were huge. Our turn into the Skidaway River was a welcome sight as we were approaching our stop for the night, Isle Of Hope Marina. We pulled up to the fuel dock at about 3PM, pumped out and were pulled forward by the dock hand where we will stay during our visit here. We checked in at the office almost immediately and headed for a warm shower.

This marina is located in a sharp bend of the Skidaway River. The shore line is lined with beautiful homes, most having a private dock along the river. We walked to a local restaurant about 5PM. Along the way we passing the entrance to Wormsloe Plantation dating back to 1733, and also a "live Oak" tree filled with moss and many many buzzards. We enjoyed the Driftaway Café, the food and local patrons. It made us a little homesick. We were driven back to the marina by one of the employees. Many restaurants along the way provide this service to boaters coming through their towns.

Next - Adventures in Savannah