Robert Sherer is author of 2015 ICW Cruising Guide: A guide to navigating the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. See /?p=150181. SSECN is grateful for Captain Sherer’s willingness to share his knowledge and experience with our readers. Jekyll Creek is home to SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, Jekyll Harbor Marina.

I’ve been through Jekyll Creek a dozen times and although there is a channel with 5.7 MLW depth, the problem has always been how to find it. This time through I found a good fit using ENC charts as displayed on the iPad app, Charts and Tides. I would think that any app that used NOAA ENC charts would display the same route (my laptop with ENC charts showed the route correctly).

At Jekyll Creek just south of the bridge

Sitting at anchor just south of the bridge on 4/22/216, we were astounded when we saw two huge tugs with several hundred feet of dredging pipe go through Jekyll at dead low tide, one tug on each end of the pipes. I followed in my dinghy. The mud stirred up was incredible. They stopped multiple times and rev’ed up the engines and plowed through. It took 20 min to round G19. In other words, they created the channel and successive runs is what keeps the channel open.
After they passed I got in my dinghy to measured the deepest spot by G19, R20 and R20A, going side to side with a portable depth sounder and found that 80 to 100 ft off each mark was best, at least now after the two tug plow team.
Route notes:
– Do not hug any marks, stay off R20A, R20 and R19 by 80 to 100 ft.
– Garmin charts are useless here but NOAA ENC charts work well.
– The depth readings were taken the day after two tugs passed (plowed!) through.
– A GPX file of the route is available here or go to http://tinyurl.com/hvugdss

Route depths:
Bridge 10.6 MLW, use as a check on general water depth, the bridge height gauge read 65 ft (it was near high tide when I passed through but all readings have been corrected to MLW)
Heading north:
– 1/2 way 6.7 MLW
– R20A 8.3 MLW
– 1/2 way 6.2 MLW
– R20 6.6 MLW
– By docks 9.2 MLW
– 1/2 way 8.1 MLW
– G19 5.7 MLW (80 ft off )
– At shoal mark 7.6 MLW
– G17 9.1 MLW
– R16 7.8 MLW

Deeper the rest of the way north.

I don’t claim this is the best route but it worked on 4/22/2016 for 5.7 MLW.
Robert Sherer

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