Hidden Harbor Yacht Club, which gladly accepts transients, is located on Troup Creek. This body of water intersects the AICW, immediately north of St. Simons Sound, near markers #237 and #238. The message below is copied from the AGLCA Forum.

This is a great little marina in the Troup [Creek] [known as Hidden Harbor Yacht Club] about 1 mile off the ICW. Plenty of water on approach and alongside. I figured to report to the forum on it. No fuel here but pump out available and 20/30/50A power with floating dock. The managers, Kev and Judith, could not be more accomodating and the facilities are the cleanest we have seen since Lake Michigan. There is excellent shopping close by and they have a courtesy car – a Mini Cooper S to get you there!
At $1.50/ft/day plus electric, it is great value for money and I recommend it as a stop to all Loopers.
Phil Johnston
Loopy Kiwi

I too stayed at Hidden Harbor Marina on the Troup Creek on April 8 [2013]. I would definitely recommend this marina. Kev and Judith go out of their way to make sure you are comfortable. They have a nice boater’s lounge, scenery is great, and for a buck donation you can do your laundry. Just off the ICW, so no wakes.
Ken Westby
aboard Roundabout

Click Here To View the Georgia Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Hidden Harbor Yacht Club

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Darien, Georgia - Click for Chartview

Here is a much detailed report of a popular off-the-Waterway side trip:

Those of you still in FL or just reaching GA should give Darien, GA some consideration. It is a quaint little shrimping town N of Brunswick and well worth the stop. About 7 miles off of the ICW, the town offers free dockage for 48 hours. Floating concrete docks are conveniently located right downtown and power is free also. There are 3 pedestals, each with twin 30A power. The free dockage is limited to the outside dock which can hold about 4, maybe 5 typical cruisers. There are 3 of us here now. The town makes this offer to attract cruisers of course and all of the town really makes you feel welcome. Great food within walking distance – we’ve tried Skippers, B&J’s, and The Purple Pickle so far, all outstanding. Fort King George is an interesting historic site and the town has great bicycle trails around the perimeter of the city and within. The historic Butler rice plantation is 1 mile south, Piggly Wiggly is 1.2 miles away, and a well-stocked Hardware/Marine Supply store is a couple of blocks away. With the storms rolling through, they are allowing us to stay an extra day without charge so we just want to put in a plug for a town that wants our business and is really making a great effort to get us here. We think the Blessing Of The Fleet is scheduled for next weekend so you might call and confirm availability for that time.
Wayne and Rhonda McManus
“Help Me Rhonda”
44 Gulfstar

Click Here To View the Georgia Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Darien City Docks

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Frederica River flows east and south from the AICW marker #229, and re-intersects the AICW at marker #241. Over the years, we have received MANY conflicting reports here on the Cruisers’ Net about shoaling at both the Frederica’s southern and northern intersections with the AICW. Many have gotten through without a problem, while others reported thin water.
I suspect that the tides have a lot to do with what’s going on here. The tidal range in these waters is greater than 6 feet, so it’s easy to see that if your vessel and enters or leaves the river at mid to high tide, chances are you will not have a problem, as interior depths are generally good, except possibly on the inside shores of some bends in the river.
The reason for spotlighting attention to this river is the real possibility of anchoring within sight of the Fort Frederica National Monument. As of two years ago, there is dinghy access from the anchorage to the National Monument, and, I can tell you from personal experience, this historical attraction is well worth your time. By all accounts, don’t miss the little movie presentation. It’s surprisingly well done.
So, the best advice is to time your entry and egress for mid to high tide. With this plan, you should be able to visit the Frederica River anchorages (follow links below) with a minimum of difficulties.

Has anyone recently anchored in the Frederica River opposite the Fort? Also has anyone traversed the entire length of the river? Comments on Cruisers.net indicate some shoaling on the North end. Other comments indicated this as a good anchorage but are not too recent.
Maureen Mezei

No problem in the Frederica River if you follow the channel. Like any “soft bottom channel”, DO NOT GO DOWN THE CENTER OR FOLLOW THE MAGENTA LINE! Take the outside of the turns as the tide flows “out”.
We went through the Frederica River at near low tide three weeks ago. In the “channel” no less than 12′ of water, in the center many dry sand bars. If you run the ICW through marsh channels of northern Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina in the center or on the Magenta line you will also run aground at low water, read the banks, study the tide chart and determine if the current is coming up “in”, or going down “out”, then you can determine what side of the channel you want to be on, works every time.
Chuck Gorgen

Chuck’s advise is excellent. the last time we were in there the northern entrance was about 3 1/2 feet at low tide. Don’t know about the southern entrance.
Chuck Baier

Stay to the SW side of channel, outside curve, as you leave or enter ICW at north end. You’ll find shallow water in center to inside of curve. Steep drop off on outside curve, so find 6-8′ of water and come back towards center and follow curve. Should be able to follow 6-8′ depth at the radius of curve shown on your chart. There’s probably more water further to the outside of the curve, would expect near 12′ based on depths we found in the rest of the river, but quickly goes to nothing, which you will see at low tide and not at higher tides. 6-8′ of water is plenty for any of us to get through.
Chuck Gorgen

Click Here To View the Georgia Cruisers’ Net Anchorage Directory Listing For the Frederica River Anchorages

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of the Frederica River Anchorages