Walburg Anchorage, to South River Anchorage

Day 52, Friday, November 18, 2016

You can monitor my trip at the link: Second Winds Progress Live

We awoke to a thick dense fog.  We could see no other boats in our anchorage and also we couldn’t see either shore.  Our goal was to get underway early but it was

Sweet Pea in Walburg Anchorage

9:45 before we were finally able to weigh anchor. The fog lifted quickly and all of the 10 or so boats headed out at once. 

The river in which we were traveling was heavily congested with floating plant matter that appeared to be stems from the swamp grasses that line the marshes.  As I was heading out, I accumulated a big bile of the stuff against my keel, motor and rudder.  I stopped a couple of times, backed up and flushed the material from the boat.  The last time I did it, I inadvertently backed over the painter of Damn Dink Too and promptly killed the motor.  I had to sget into the dink to unwind the rope.  I knew better!  Should not have done that

Shrimper with his nets partially out.  Seagulls everwhere

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Again today, the seas were absolutely flat.  At one point we had a slight breeze so I unfurled the jib but is hung limply as I motored along.   

We are currently traveling through the swamps of Georgia and I didn’t see nearly as many of the extravagant homes that I have been seeing in the Carolinas.  The area in which we are traveling is really beautiful in its own way. 

I was surprised to see a common loon

Since we left late, there was no way that we were going to make it to our designated anchorage so Sweet Pea’s skipper and I picked a spot to in which to anchor at about 5:00.  As we were pulling in, I was following Sam when I realized that we were being drawn onto a shallow shoal.  I began crabbing away but the water carried us over the shallow water.  All at once, I realized that Sam’s boat stopped and swung sideways in a strange way.  She had run hard aground.  I swerved around her but the current continued to carry me onto the shallow water.  I finally got free of the shoal and turned back assist Sam.  We threw her a line but with my little 9.9 hp motor pulling wide open, I couldn’t budge her.  We discussed her dilemma and decided that the best thing to do was to call Tow Boat US to come and pull her free. Luckily she has insurance or the fee would have been astronomical. 

Sweet Pea hard aground after the tide went out.

We moved off to the side in deeper water, dropped our anchor and prepared dinner of brats and mashed potatoes while we waited for the tow boat to come.  He finally arrived about an hour after he was summonsed.  By that time, the tide had gone out and Sweet Pea was listing probably 30 degrees.  The boat guy threw her a line and was able to drag her off the shoal.  As she was being pulled, her boat listed over so far that the rails were actually in the water.  The tow guy pulled her into deep water where she dropped her anchor and settled in for the night.  The tow boat operator had her check all of her systems before he departed.  It seems that her boat is no worse for wear. 

I worked on the blog and read for the remainder of the evening before I headed for the V-berth.