Palmetto Moon with Jim, Su and Lazy Cat Alex have just traveled from Georgetown, SC To Brunswick, Ga. Palmetto Moon cruises at 8.5 MPH and draws 4.5 ft. Here are the issues and observations of their travels:

4-Port Royal (MM-539.5) to Kilkenny (MM-613)
Fields Cut (MM-573.5 to 575.5) 1.5 hours before low tide
North entrance slightly favored Green Side We saw 7 – 9 feet under us
South entrance entering the Savannah river
Using center of channel We saw 3.5 feet starting just before R-50 and lasted until in the Savannah River
Hell Gate MM-601.8 to 602.2 2 hours after low tide We saw 6 feet using center of channel
This info is what we experienced in our travels. As always you are the captain of your vessel and should use this as info only. Safe travels.
Palmetto Moon

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s “AICW Problem Stretches” Listing For Hell Gate

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The dredging of 2009 is slowly being overcome by shoaling through this perennial problem stretch, making Hell Gate another section that requires mid-to-high tide passage for vessels carrying 4ft or more draft. With his 6.25ft draft, Capt. Pascal is very alert to depth changes and his is the kind of vessel you would hope to be following through these trouble spots!

Definitely more shallow, by a couple of feet, again on the same lines I usually run thru there.
MM602, Hell Gate, 8′ to 9′ MLW thru most of the cut but some readings as low as 5′ to 6′ MLW around R90 and G89. Had 8′ of tides so I tried poking around for better readings, no luck. I usually pass about 40′ from R90, and about 30′ from G89; this time around it s definitely shallower by about 2 to 2.5′ compared to earlier this year.
Capt. Pascal Gademer

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s “AICW Problem Stretches” Listing For Hell Gate

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To This AICW Problem Stretch

The AICW follows the narrow, man-made canal known as Hell Gate between the Vernon and Ogeechee Rivers. These waters have been an “AICW Problem Stretch” for years. Fortunately, dredging during the summer of 2009 had kept depths decent until December of 2010 when reports of new shoaling began. Looks like the surrounding shallows are once again beginning to creep into the channel. Effective immediately, cautious captains will begin to time their traversal of Hell Gate for mid to high tide.

May 9th, 2011
Northbound, I passed a little closer to G89 than on previous runs and found better water, never less than 9′ MLW.
I passed about 40′ from R90, then 30′ off G89 and made the slight turn to stbd towards G87 about 100′ north of G89
at the southern entrance, stay on centerline and dont’ cut the corner close to the red, especially with an incoming tide which will push you too far to the red side. as soon as you are passed the red, the current eases off.
Pascal aboard MY Charmer, 70′ 6+ draft

Morning Star transited Hells Gate in GA this morning at slack low water. We passed each mark by about a boat length and found 5′ in one spot.
Regards, Randy Pickelmann aboard Morning Star

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s “AICW Problem Stretches” Listing For Hell Gate

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To This AICW Problem Stretch

The AICW follows the narrow, man-made canal known as Hell Gate between the Vernon and Ogeechee Rivers. These waters have been an “AICW Problem Stretch” for years. Fortunately, dredging during the summer of 2009 had kept depths decent until December of 2010 when reports of new shoaling began. Looks like the surrounding shallows are once again beginning to creep into the channel. Effective immediately, cautious captains will begin to time their traversal of Hell Gate for mid to high tide.

Sanctuary and crew transited Hell Gate at 1500 yesterday, 4/20/2011. We are three days past full moon on celestial high and low tides. At our transit time, our chartplotter tide table showed us with plus 0.8 ft of tide, headed to negative 1.1 ft. The tidal range was greater than 9′.
In the Hell Gate channel, we saw 5.6 ft of water in the green quarter at G “90,” which is at the slight bend at mid-cut. Due to the current in that area, we were slightly east of the centerline, but only slightly. Don’t know if Red quarter would have been better, but where we were, at -1.1 ft, we’d only have had 3.5′ of water; not enough for us.
On Tuesday, the weather offshore was good, so we went out at St. Simons and back in at Doboy Sound, to overnight at the Duplin River. That avoids Altamaha Sound and the Little Mud on a falling/low tide. From Doboy Sound, we went out again on Wednesday, headed for Tybee, but had to come back in at Sapelo because of SE short-period waves, which were on our beam and made the ride uncomfy.
Interesting, from Tybee to Jax, there are inlets every 15 miles that allow for safe exits if the weather deteriorates. Doboy and Sapelo are well marked. Don’t know about the others. Because of the tidal ranges in GA, though, and shallow offshore depths (40 ft at 6 miles) the tidal ebb and flood currents are strong. Plan accordingly. Also, running in 15 ft of water nearer shore can result in experiencing lesser wave size, but dodging shoals for some may increase anxiety. A personal trade-off. As the water depth on the ICW continues to deteriorate and dredging declines, these offshore runs may become more and more necessary.
When crossing the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas, I’ve usually heard advice that winds with a “North” component are to be avoided. Yesterday, I learned that for offshore travel along the GA, SC coast, waves directions/short period swells with an “East” component are to be respected/perhaps avoided.
Peg and Jim Healy aboard Sanctuary, Monk 36 Hull #132

Went through Hell Gate going north at 1 hour after low tide on Monday May 2nd, 2011. Entrance was skinny. I recorded 5.9 feet which left me with about 1 foot of clearance. Once I got through the opening, the water deepened quickly but I took it slow and watched my depth and channel all the way through.
Captain David

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s “AICW Problem Stretches” Listing For Hell Gate

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To This AICW Problem Stretch

The dredging of 2009 is slowly being overcome by shoaling through this perennial problem stretch, making Hell Gate another section that requires mid-to-high tide passage for vessels carrying 4ft or more draft.

Came through Hell Gate with Sea Angel NC44 6′ draft on 3/25/11. Entered south end of Gate at 10:45 with 3.2′ of water above MLW. Stayed center of channel and lowest water was at the Nun on the south end: 8.2″ (<5′ at MLW). This was confirmed by Sea Tow boat operator hovering in the area with whom I spoke before entering the Gate. Rest of passage saw no less than 9″. Mostly 10 to 15″.
Skipper Ed Grygent

March 28 2011
Went through Hell’s gate about 1.75 hour before low tide. Corrected for low tide at Egg Island Tidal lowest reading was 7 feet near the square red and white checkered sign.
Skipper Stephen Starling

March 25th travelling northbound with 4.8 draft, Nova Scotia fishing trawler. Approached Hells gate with caution,. set up mid channel between red and green at the south end, depth sounder read 10 feet. We bumped 5 times over something very hard, thought we had lost our connection between engine and transmission. Then all good for rest of passage. Shook us up somewhat we were heading for anchorage and the tide was up 1 foot.
Skipper Judi Knight

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s “AICW Problem Stretches” Listing For Hell Gate

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To This AICW Problem Stretch

Click Here To View Earlier Reports on Hell Gate

The AICW follows the narrow, man-made canal known as Hell Gate between the Vernon and Ogeechee Rivers. These waters have been an “AICW Problem Stretch” for years. Fortunately, dredging during the summer of 2009 has kept depths decent from then until December of 2010 when reports of new shoaling began, as noted by the presence of a temporary red marker in the channel. Looks like the surrounding shallows are once again beginning to creep into the channel. Effective immediately, cautious captains will begin to time their traversal of Hell Gate for mid to high tide.

Submitted on 2010/12/11 at 6:42pm
Went through Hell’s Gate heading south today at near high tide. No depth problems. There is a new temporary red marker just prior to Daymarkers R92 and G91 that moves you to the G91 side, rather passing evenly between them.
Captain Larry Hall

At 1400 hours today 9 Nov 10, we passed through Hell’s Gate going South. Corrected for low water at Eggs Island tidal station we had between 4.9-5.4 feet past 87 and just before the first pair of markers at Hell’s Gate. The distance of low water was very short and we were favoring the red side. Cannot say what depth is between center line and green.
Captain Stephen Starling

12/10/2010
We came through Hell Gate very slowly at 11:55 AM, 45 minutes before dead low. The lowest we saw was 6.5 ft.
Susan Parker
2011/03/09
We passed thru Hell Gate (Mile 603) today 1-1/2 hrs. before high tide and didn’t see less than 11 feet.
Skipper Larry Thackston aboard M/V Peach

2011/03/10
We came through at near high tide heading south with no problems. Follow the advice for mid-high rising tide and you should have no problems. (we are an s2 30 ft. Sailboat with 5 ft. draft)
Captain Mark

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s “AICW Problem Stretches” Listing For Hell Gate

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To This AICW Problem Stretch

Captain Bob Poovey has thoughtfully provided us with reports on several AICW problem stretches along the South Carolina and Georgia portion of the Waterway. This particular segment deals with the “Hell Gate” portion of the Georgia Waterway. This short, but problem plagued stream runs from the Vernon River to the Ogeechee River, and it has long been one of our “AICW Problem Stretches.” However, this portion of the Georgia AICW was dredged during the summer of 2009, and, as Captain Poovery’s observations below confirm, depths seem to be holding for the moment.

Hell’s Gate
Came through this location heading south Monday, Oct. 25 at 1:35 PM (3.5 hrs. past high tide). Lowest depth observed was 11.3 ft. abreast of Green “89″. Starting at Red “86″ to Red “92″ depths varied from 11.3 ft. to 19.0 ft.

Click Here To View the “AICW Problems” Entry for Hell Gate

Click Here To Open A Chart View Windows Zoomed to the Location of Hell Gate”