DAY ELEVEN -- JEKYLL ISLAND TO WAHOO RIVER ANCHORAGE

                    DAY ELEVEN -- JEKYLL ISLAND TO WAHOO RIVER ANCHORAGE

            Had a leisurely morning, then got to work and went to the marina to get their golf cart so we could return our friends' golf cart. (Thank you, Patty and Steve!) By the time we got back to the marina it was approaching eleven, and Janet noticed that the nice little waterfront restaurant next to the marina that had been closed the last two days was going to open at eleven, so we decided to have a quick lunch there before we got underway. My shrimp po' boy sandwich said that this was a good decision.

            We got underway at 1145 and ran for three and a half hours to the mouth of the Wahoo River, which breaks off the intracoastal just north of Sapelo Sound and was a recommended anchorage in a couple of the cruising guides. It was indeed a gorgeous spot, well protected and far from any signs of civilization. The salt marshes along the Georgia coast extend for miles and miles and there is very little land that is suitable for building. The intracoastal was very quiet -- we saw just four cruising boats and half a dozen local fishermen during our cruise. We didn't take many photos because we quickly realized that they don't do justice to the scenery. They just don't give an accurate sense of the scale. The salt marshes go on and on for mile and miles with lots of winding rivers and creeks and rivulets running through them. Many of the rivers that the intracoastal uses run 20 to 30 feet deep even though they are only a few hundred yards wide. And there is almost always a good current running one way or another with the 7-foot tidal swing. Very interesting waters. Just gorgeous. So glad we have the flybridge to sit up high and enjoy the views. 

            We saw this shrimp trawler along the way just inside one of the big sounds. Not sure if he was actively fishing or just cleaning his nets. Either way, he attracted a lot of birds.

            We ran the generator and the AC until bedtime because it was hot and humid, although there was a nice breeze all day and it was comfortable in the shade. Other than having dinner in the cabin, we spent the entire time up on the flybridge just watching the scenery. We saw quite a lot of dolphins all day -- and that was true as well at anchor. At dusk we saw a dozen wood storks fly close by and some dark low-slung animal rummaging around in the salt marsh about a quarter mile away, which we figured must be a wild boar. We confirmed that the next morning when we saw one close by clamber into the brush on Wahoo Island trailed by two piglets! We ended the day with a beautiful sunset.

            The only downside to the salt marsh country is that they have some nasty big biting flies. There aren't swarms of them, but it only takes one or two to be a nuisance. 

            These two pictures show the same scene soon after we anchored and about four hours later as the sun was setting -- and the tide had risen by about four feet. They give just a sense of why we were so happy just sitting up on the flybridge the whole time watching the scenery change. 

Janet here. The flies are big and they bite! When they sneak into the cabin, which they do often, my favorite way to get rid of them is to wait until they head to the window, then I grab the Black and Decker portable vac and suck them up. Works so well. Sometimes it's the little things that make us happy.