Captain Healey’s excellent description of his passages through St. Andrew Sound has been prompted by the lengthy discussion (see referenced link below) of the Waterway’s dogleg turn at Marker #32 and he offers an alternative route to avoid Marker #32 where the water can get very rough because of its proximity to the open ocean.

Hi Claiborne,

Reference: SSECN link: /important-markercharting-confusion-and-increased-shoaling-on-aicws-passage-through-georgias-st-andrew-sound-st-m-690/, dated August, 2012.

I guess I missed this discussion when it was hot. At the risk of “getting myself in trouble,” I confess that I do not go east as far as R”32″ when we transit the area of St. Andrews Sound. Instead, we skirt the eastern end of the charted shoal that extends westward from the mouth of the Satilla River towards the inlet. That shoal is labeled “Horseshoe Shoal” on the chart. I know my path is off the charted magenta line, but as we all know, the magenta line is only a guide, and often wrong as waterways have changed since it was first created.

I have attached two screen shots (Vector and Raster chart views from Coastal Explorer). The screen shots show both our “preferred route” (black line) and 4 of our tracks (light red lines) as recorded over the past several years. The tracks are dated: 4/23/ 2008, 5/16/2009, 11/9/2011 and 4/24/2012. In settled conditions, we go out at Doboy Sound and come back in at Fernandina or Jacksonville. That skips a lot of Georgia shallow water, and it’s easy-out, easy-in. That’s why there are some migrations that don’t show tracks.

To my personal knowledge, the depth of the “shortcut” that I’ve shown has been stable over at least the last 5 years, and generally carries 3′ – 4′ more water than charted, adjusted for tidal range at the time of our passage. We have transited that route at several tide stages, and I’ve never had occasion to worry about depth. We draw 4-1/4 ft, and have never seen less than 7.5′-8′ in that area. My one concern would be if seas were up from the east. In 2′ – 3′ seas, at low tide, I’d just swing a little farther east around the tail of Horseshoe Shoal. Or, take the route through Floyd’s Creek. In any case, it “is not* necessary to go out to R”32” before turning south to the ICW off Cumberland Island.

I am not advocating or encouraging others to do what I do. Every captain has to decide what’s right for them. But, this is what I have done and it has worked well for us. We’ll be headed south in another 3-4 weeks. I will let you know what we find.

Hope all is well! Jim

Peg and Jim Healy aboard Sanctuary
Currently at Rock Creek, Pasadena, MD
Monk 36 Hull #132
MMSI #367042570
AGLCA #3767
MTOA #3436

St. Andrew Sound - Click for Chartview

Jekyll Harbor Marina lies along the easterly banks of the AICW’s passage through Jekyll Creek, immediately south of the 65-foot fixed bridge. These good folks are a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, and one heck of a friendly stop!

Cruising News:
New manager @ Jekyll Harbor Marina. Scott Todd has assumed the position of Marina Manager and is determined to deliver the best service on the ICW. The marina is looking forward to many improvements and updates as Scott and his team work hard to make JHM the place to be. Jekyll Harbor Marina is a Clean Marina and will welcome transients and long term boaters. Enjoy the nice weather and a safe harbor this winter as you travel the ICW.
Sonny Reeves

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s Georgia Marina Directory Listing For Jekyll Harbor Marina

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Now, here’s a note from a satisfied customer of a boatyard (St. Marys Boat Service) that I’ve somehow managed to miss knowing about for the past 30+ years. After seeing Captain Sipe’s note below, which originally appeared on the T&T (Trawlers and Trawlering) mail list, I e-mailed and asked for more specific data on this yard’s location. Captain Sipe promptly replied, and placed this position at 30 44.628 North/081 31.518 West, on the eastern shores of North River, north of the pulp and paper mill overlooking the western banks. North River itself runs off St. Marys River, a short hop east of the like named village.
Sounds like this place may be a good one to know about!

Just a note . . . about my experience at St. Mary’s Boat Service.
I made the run from Brunswick Landing Marina to St. Mary’s after spending 3 months at BLM to have Maerin hauled to replace the transmission coupling, do the bottom and buff the hull. I had visited SMBS [St. Marys Boat Service] in June to look into having the haulout done when I completed my project on a 46 GB Classic at BLM. Rocky, the manager told me to get in touch about 2 weeks prior to my anticipated arrival to arrange for a date. He was most helpful in accommodating my needs, and although he was at capacity, made room for me and assured me he’d be able to help me out. He was as good as his word, and I arrived in the morning on a high tide. The North River is fine for my 5 ft draft but can be a bit skinny at low tide, and the haulout well is nearly dry at low. I arrived just after the high, and tied up on the end of the well. He had originally planned to haul me late in the day, but hustled some boats around to get me hauled shortly after my arrival.
The whole experience was outstanding. The care with which they handle the boat was impressive. I was hauled, pressure washed and blocked by 2PM. They require dust collection for sanding, and they provide a portable dust collector and sander with sanding discs for DIY use,
included in the cost of the haulout. I needed some help with tools for the coupler replacement, namely a jack and blocking. Rocky provided a porta-power with different attachments, and told me if I needed some manpower I needed only ask.
I was there for 10 days, and completed all the work I set out to accomplish. There are a few sets of Biljack scaffolds available which I utilized for buffing the hull, and when all was completed, he made sure he was ready to get me back in the water promptly, today- Sunday! In addition, I needed to return my rental car to JAX, so he followed me to the airport and brought me back to the yard. Wouldn’t let me pay for his fuel for the trip.
All in all, I’d heartily recommend the yard for anyone needing a place to haul and do their own work, or have them do it. They have 2 travel lifts, the largest is 50 ton. The haulout well is about 19 ft wide, and about 12 ft at high tide. Rocky says they can do about 65 ft. length. Customer service is the objective there, and I don’t know what I’d have changed to improve the experience I had, other than perhaps temps lower than 97 and a little less rain! The cost of the haul and 10 days blocked was less than $1K for my 43 foot boat. Quite reasonable IMO.
Oh, perhaps the question as to why I ran to St. Mary’s when BLM has a yard with a 50 ton lift? Absolutely no DIY.
Steve Sipe
Solo 4303 “Maerin

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