The Georgia Coast Rally Updates (In reverse order)
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, April 14-16:
Monday was a fine sailing day from Darien to Shellman Bluff. With Favorable tides most of the day and
winds that worked well until we turned into the Julienne River (into the westerly wind) we made good time and arrived around
4 PM. The wind had increased to around 20+ MPH toward the end, so we motored into the wind after dropping the sails. I was
solo on the Jubilee, and so sister Beth Tumlin transferred to Jubilee from Compac "BT" to help bring down the sails and tie
them up. Shellman Bluff is best desribed as "laid back". We tied up at the dock in front of the Shellman Bluff Motel and walked
up the hill (blufff) to the motel where "Berta" checked us in. They don't take credit cards, and Berta said just leave cash
or a check in your room in the morning when you leave. Trusting souls. We did, of course. It was comfortable there, in walking
distance to the local cafe featuring seafood which was delicious.
Tuesday and Wednesday were days of wind on the nose and record-breaking low temperatures. Tuesday morning,
the Tumlins, facing 20 - 25 MPH all day made a deal with the Travis duo in which their Compac was bridled to the Olivia and
towed all day to Killkenny and then on to Fort McAlister Marina where they then pulled out at the ramp. Frank Pontious had
joined me on Jubilee in Shellman Bulff, and we motored to Killkenny Marina where we refuled: Total diesel consumption was
1.8 gallons. Dinner was at Fort McAlister Marina with seafood "topas" fried and broiled.
Wednesday, Frank and I departed Kilkenny Marina facing a day of 15 to 20 on the nose fron the north in a second day of
reecord-breaking cold (high 30s). We ended up motoring all day as there were on ly short intervals when it would have been
really fun sailing. Jim and Maureen Travis stayed in touch but were ahead of us all day. Frank and I arrived at Savannah
Yacht Club at 3 PM and were directed to the transient (green stripe) docks in front of the club. It was a beautiful day for
sailing if the wind had been from anywhere other than the north. Arriving at SYC we saw Chuck Carmichael from Virginia in
his Cape Dory Typhoonh who had arrived and was setting up. He said John Antweiller woukld be arriving soon with his new Cape
Dory Typhoon, purchased for last year's participant, Jerry Wadley. It looks like the weather will be fine for the rest of
the journey to Charleston other than some rain probable on Saturday.
Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13: Saturday's sail
from Jekyll Island to Darien was about as nice as it could ever be. We departed from Jekyll Marina at 9 AM with a favorable
tide and a following wind of 8 to 10 MPH. The favorable Incoming) tide was with us almost all day except briefly as we approached
Saint Simons inlet. The wind rose gradually to 15 with some periods at around 20 in the early afternoon. Temperatures again
were in the low 80s. We took a single reef in the mainsail on Jubileee and switched from the light air reaching genoa to the
standard jib. As we approached the Lower Altamaha River, with the wind a steady 20, the Compacs both dropped their jibs. Starting
up the Altamaha River in a westerly direction toward Darien and Two-Way Fish Camp Marina where we would leave the boats, I
realized that in two days of sailing I had not once tacked into the wind with Jubilee. We had had two days of reaches
and runs. Where the channel was tight and we were having to go directly into the wind, we cranked up the engine to ensure
that we could get out of trouble in case tacking became a problem. Even with the first reef in the main, Jubilee is a
bit overpowererd at 20 MPH wind, and any full-length keel boat can be challenging. Fortunately no problems developed, and
we all arrived at "Two-Way" (so named because you can go froim here a short distance and fish in salt water and in the
other direction and soon be fishing in fresh water) just before 2 PM. We did some work onn the boats and then
our shore crews arived and we all drove to Darien, about three miles north on U.S. 17.
Open Gate B&B is a very well located historic house that is owned and run by the mayor of Darien. We
arrived in the middle of the biggest event of the year, the annual Blessing of the (shrimpboat) Fleet. There was an art show,
live music, and a celebration atmosphere. A fireworks show was the evening highlight.
Sunday we slept late. The Blessing was done inn a boat parade in the afternoon. After the Blessing ceremony,
most watched the Masters golf tournement. I drove to Savannah to buy parts to repair Jubilee's spinnaker pole which broke
on Saturday.
David Hartman drove back to Florida, as planned, and David Beyer hauled out his Compac and returned also
to Florida as he and huis group had planned. So our group is reduced to my Flicka "Jubilee" (which I will sail solo Monday),
the Tumlins in the Compac "BT", and the Travis' in Olivia, their 33-foot motor launch.
Friday, April 11: Following breakfast at the Spencer
House B&B in St. Marys, GA, we went to Lang's Marina to start the day. The Shore Crews walked to the ferry that would
take them for a tour of Cumberland Island. The fog was so thick we decided to stick really close together. Jim and Maureen
led the way out of St. Marys to the ICW at 9 AM. There was hardly a breath of air, so we motored the first hour. The ferry,
scheduled for a 9 AM departure, waited until 10 for the fog to burn off. In the late morning the wind began to fill in
from the south and then the southeast, and our sails went up and the motors went silent. With the favorable tide we had averaged
over 4 kts all morning. As the wind developed, we moved faster through the water, but the tide turned adverse, slowing or
progress to less than 3 kts most of the afternoon. But it was a glorious afternoon. The wind rose to about 10 kts with puffs
to 12, and the temperature was again in the lower 80s. Almost all day we were reaching and running. The Tumlins put up the
Thistle class 'chute on the "BT" and chugged away from the others. Their spinnaker run lasted 3 or 4 hours. On my new Flicka,
"Jubilee", David Hartman and I launched the spinnaker that came with the boat only to find that it was about 15 feet too long,
obviously made for a much larger boat and useless to us. A shakedown cruise is always a voyage of discovery. This was the
only disappointment, however, as the boat performed wonderfully in every other way. We all arrived at Jekyll Island Marina
at about the same time, just a bit after five PM, as those who were behind took some short-cuts out of the main channel to
head off the leaders (Tumlins).
Thursday, April 10: Today was launching and rigging
in St. Marys, Georgia, just over the border from Florida. This is to be the pioneering journey of something that could become.
an annual event. My brother-in-law, Bill Tumlin, and sister Beth are sailing my Compac 16, the "BT". David Beyer has brought
his Compac 16 up from Melbourne, FL. I am sailing my new (to me) Flicka 20 for the very first time and have David Hartman,
an old friend and fellow Laser sailer is my team mate. Jim Travis and his wife, Maureen, have brought his "Olivia", a 33 foot
Danish-built classic motor launch, down from Beaufort, SC, to escort our little group back up the ICW to Savannah. The afternoon
was mostly getting the boats ready and doing the logistics of shuttling trailers and cars to places further up the ICW. Sunny
and in the low 80s.
Woody Norwood
