Day 320 - 322 May 6 - 8, 2023

Day 320 Saturday, May 6, 2023

Sunbury Crab Co. Medway, Georgia to Thunderbolt Marine Savannah, Georgia MM583

Happy Birthday Pam and Joe! 

Sunbury Crab Co. is on the Medway River about an hour off the ICW.  We planned for 5 hours of  travel that included an area called "Hell's Gate", 2.5 hours away.  We needed to reach there at high tide due to the shallow water there.  Our morning was calm, grey and cloudy with more dolphin sightings.  We had a little light rain but it didn't amount to  anything.   

We reached "Hell's Gate" around 10am as planned and didn't have any problems.  You can be sure that we were watching our charts and depths the entire way.  

We have been cautioned about traveling on the weekend due to all the recreational boaters who can be disrespectful or just unaware of other boaters.  We experienced a "fast pass" by a boater that sent us rocking and rolling.  A VHS radio call to the boat ahead announcing your approach and requesting a "slow pass" is the right thing to do.  The boat in front will move over, slow down and allow the other boat to pass at a slow comfortable speed.

We reached Thunderbolt Marine in Thunderbolt, Georgia at 1:15pm.  We refueled at $4.26/gallon.  Jodie and Rick on "Over and Out" were docked directly in front of us.  They are from Arkansas and had rented a car.  They were quick to invite us with them to church and any errands we might need.

We attended St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church.  Pretty church with a school and very welcoming parishioners.

 

Karma -- we watched a boat that had been recklessly passing others along the way (including Call Me Curly) get towed in by Tow Boat U.S.!   They had powered themselves onto a sandbar and damaged the boat running gear and props.

Day 321 Sunday May 7, 2023

Today we shared an Uber ride into Savannah with Sharon and Grant.  Thunderbolt is a suburb of Savannah, about 15 minutes away.  We took the Old Town Trolley Tour to see the sites then went in search of a place for breakfast.  That was a challenge; most places had an hour wait.  We put our names in for a table at 2 different restaurants hoping one would be quick.  We ran into Wendy and Colin from DeTour while waiting. 

They were docked at the Savannah City docks, just steps away.  We ended up at 2 Cracked Eggs after a 1.5 hour wait; really good biscuits but otherwise just okay.  

 Lots of Live Oaks.  Called "Live" because they never loose all of their leaves at once.

  

 Original cobblestone street with very steep historic steps.

 

Merchants could examine carts with deliveries from the "bridges" above.

 Padlocks on the bridge.

More exploration brought us to the Basilica of St. John the Baptist; absolutely beautiful.

  

  

 

Ironwork was a sign of prosperity.  The more iron, the richer the home owner.

  

 

 

I loved all of the gardens we peeked at through the gates.

One more treat for the day.  We stood in line for the BEST ice cream we have had so far on our Loop.  Recommended by Susan (Phil-N-Wild) we didn't mind the 20 minute wait in line.  Often the line can be an hour long. 

 

 

Leopold's has been open for over a century (1919) as a soda fountain.  Stratton Leopold, son of one of the original 3 brothers that opened the ice cream parlor, learned the business and then went on to work in Hollywood as a film producer.  He has worked on Mission Impossible 3, The Big Chill, and others.  The ice cream parlor walls display many of the projects and movie stars he has worked with.  I had to have a scoop of Honey Almond and Cream and one of Caramel Swirl.  So yummy.

 

 

Day 322 Monday, May 8, 2023

Today was a lazy, slow morning.  We borrowed the marina courtesy car and headed to Publix with Sharon to do some grocery shopping.   We met several other boaters later during docktails at the marina including Journey, Journey II, Wood Knot, Senza Fine' and Nepidae. 

Boat in a paint booth - we watched each day as they wrapped this huge boat to prep it for painting. That is the actual wrapping that you see.

 

Taco salad on the boat then cards with Sharon and Grant.  I WON!  Tomorrow we move on to Beaufort, South Carolina.  Sharon and Grant will stick around while they wait for a package to finally catch up with them.