7:20 under power on the Crescent River, no wind and low dark overcast. An uncomfortable night with the rushing tides and noisy work on the shrimp boats across the marsh in little fishing village of Valona. Motor down the Front River. 7:55 sails up turning onto Old Teakettle Creek, motor sailing.
8:00 red marker "158A" shows an opposing tide. 8:10 a tease from the wind but still motor sailing. Look east across the marsh and see a couple of sailboats anchored on New Teakettle Creek, I make a note to remember the anchorage that I had never noticed before.
10:00 out on Doboy Sound, grey, cool and very little wind. 10:15 wind arrives, along with some rain. Sailing at 3.2 and looking for channel markers on the other side of the Sound.
Rain leaves quickly, wind remains. See the channel just above Commodore Island. Channel heads due west, and that is exactly where the wind is coming from. Round up near some old fish camps on the marsh, bring down main and jib, under power as the channel narrows and turns south.
Motoring south with Darien and Rockdundy Rivers to starboard, navigate through one of the narrower and shallower stretches of the ICW in this area. Follow the path, keeping Wolf Island to port, notice another possible anchorage on the Wolf River. Take note for a future cruise. Gusty and choppy, grey and cool now on the Mud River.
12:10, as the river turns east towards Altamaha Sound, round up and raise the jib. Downwind reach to red marker "198" and the open sound, round up and raise the main. Full sail tacking west into the wind, into the strong ebb tide.
At first making 1.3. Then 1.6, ten 2.0 as I get a better feel for the wind and water. Soon making 3.0 against the tide and I smile.
1:15 tacking at 3.3, making headway on one tack, giving up some of it on the next. A barge and tug come around the bend in the Altamaha River, I notice that I've seen more commercial traffic this year than other of my other sails south.
The water curves to the northwest, wind forward of port beams and I get a break from tacking. Then the channel curves southwest and more tacking as we approach Buttermilk Sound, marked as a Sound but really just a wide spot on the river.
Overcast breaking up, some blue skies and getting warmer. The warmth comes from the wind swinging south, more tacking with a long reach across the mouth of Fridaycap Creek. The creek marks the head of the tide, so now the tide is finally a helping tide.
Easy sailing coming onto the Mackay River. The sun feels good, and so does that helping tide.
Just past green marker "229" turn west into Wally's Leg, an anchorage from a past trip. There is a boat, an Island Packet, anchored there. I hail the boat and a man comes up from below. I ask him how much anchor rode he has out so I can anchor far enough away for when the tide turns. He motions ahead and I see where I need to go. I thank him. He tells me it is good to see a boat coming in under sail.
Anchor down 4:20.
27.07 NM
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