We returned to Brunswick, GA in early February to find that TOSCA had been nicely polished up for our arrival by her local caretaker and was ready to embark on the next leg of our adventure. Brunswick Landing Marina turned out to be a great place to leave her. On Thursday, February 7, to ease back into things, we made a quick hop over to St. Simons Island - lovely spot (photo at left) where we had had lunch back in December. Morning paper and muffins delivered to the boat at 7:00 a.m.!
Then, it was on to the Sunbury Crab Co. on the Medway River, a few miles off the ICW. We didn't have a chart for the approach, so Alex phoned ahead to the marina and was given what proved to be excellent local guidance - we made it without any problem.
Sunbury Crab Co. is rather isolated, but it's a destination restaurant for locals from Savannah and other areas. The place sure was hopping on Friday night and we had a great meal, with a welcoming glass of wine thrown in by our hostess Elaine. We know the oysters were fresh - we saw Elaine's son bringing them in from the boat and shucking them just before dinner.
Saturday, it was off to Isle of Hope Marina on the Skidaway River, just short of our destination at Thunderbolt/Savannah. This was a great stop, with a fabulous nearby restaurant recommended by the marina - the Driftaway Cafe. In fact, so good, we returned next morning for Sunday brunch.
We make sure we're always flying our AGLCA (American Great Loop Cruisers Association) pennant along the way, but so far we've only seen a couple of others.
We make sure we're always flying our AGLCA (American Great Loop Cruisers Association) pennant along the way, but so far we've only seen a couple of others.
As we approached Savannah, the alluring openness of the vast Georgia marshes started to give way to more frequent, and larger, houses.
With the change in scenery, some people must have been distracted! These folks are hard aground - nothing to do but wait for the tide to turn.
But Alex stayed alert and we had no problem.
Safely and securely tied up at the Hinckley Yard in Thunderbolt/Savannah GA on Sunday, February 10.
Our stop at the Hinckley Yard was to get some routine work done. Among other things, Tom made a new locker shelf that is such a work of art, Alex insisted he autograph it. Turns out, Tom has a BFA degree and is a bit of an artist - he included along with his signature a sketch of a "lady" that is probably best kept in the locker!
I found a little pool of oil atop one of our twin Detroit diesel engines. When I drew it to the attention of our mechanic, he said: "Nothing to worry about boss. Detroits are well known for leaking. They say if you take a picture of one and hang it on the wall, by morning there'll be a pool of oil on the floor." I said: "You mean just like Jags?" "Exactly!"
Other boats showed a bit more neglect than ours. It looked like this one was growing its own oysterbed on the keel!
Of course, it wasn't all work. We explored the local restaurant scene at places such as Uncle Bubba's Oyster House, The Crab Shack on Tybee Island (as seen in the photo, with Matthew, our neighbor at Hinckley) and, our favorite, Wiley's Championship BBQ - worthy of an appearance on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. We also had a great evening at Jazz'd Tapas Bar.
For Valentines, we indulged ourselves with a night ashore at the historic Marshall House in Savannah and a romantic dinner at Bistro 45.
For Valentines, we indulged ourselves with a night ashore at the historic Marshall House in Savannah and a romantic dinner at Bistro 45.
Along the way, we have to find time for the routine chores of staying alive, like laundry.
We set out from Thunderbolt for Charleston on Saturday, February 16 but had to return to the Hinckley Yard due to what turned out to be, thankfully, a minor mechanical issue. So we decided to leave TOSCA there and to travel to Charleston by car.
We couldn't pass through Charleston without stopping at one of our all-time favorite restaurants, The Charleston Grill, which serves the best crabcake in the world.
Then, it was on to Myrtle Beach by car, where we spent two nights before flying back to Calgary on Friday, February 22.
Immediately after arriving back in Calgary, we had to attend an Oscars party in costume. We chose Charlie Allnut (Humphrey Bogart) and Rosie Sayer (Katherine Hepburn) from The African Queen!
We've now covered approximately 550 miles since leaving Gasparilla Island on Septmeber 19, 2012.
RSS Feed