Thursday, January 19, 2012

Savannah, GA SM 576 to Thunderbolt, GA SM 583

The day following the arrival of the captain and wife from NB, Canada, Oasis left Savannah at 09:30 to continue her journey. Sunshine and only sunshine for today, and with only 6 degrees C in the morning, the couple surely appreciated the meter climbing up to 18 degrees C in the afternoon. Today was a very short trip. Thunderbolt, a small town five miles on land from Savannah, is on the Wilmington River, right on the ICW. The cut across South Channel Savannah River is very shallow and Oasis rubbed  sandbars twice on her way to Thunderbolt. In Georgia at low tides, there are places, you have to be careful. Due to lack of funds, the State of Georgia do not upkeep the ICW...
Oasis was docked at Thunderbolt Marina at 11:45. The next day and for the next few days, the couple met his cousin and wife again and chatted about old times, relatives, families, etc... They all had a wonderful time together. They even taxied the captain and first mate to see around Thunderbolt and do groceries. Just good samaritans and Bourgeois blood!  Due to fog and very low tides, Oasis and crew were forced to stay in Thunderbolt longer than expected, so they took advantage of their free time to update their blog, relax and drink wine.

Here it comes... The first mate was not too thrilled to encounter this huge tanker in the Savannah River, but the captain was excited to cross big tankers.
Even when you see these huge vessels coming towards you, you think there is never enough room for the both of you, but here in the Savannah River, it was wide enough.
Traffic in the Savannah River. In the far distance, another tanker coming Oasis's way!
There goes another big tanker and Oasis appreciated that he did not make too much wake!
Birds on the edge of the water!
Sam Varnedoe Double Bascule Bridges at SM 580. Notice the overhead power lines after the bridge.
Going under a bridge or overhead power cables, you always wonder how close the mast is to the structure or cables. The clearance here was 85 feet. Lots of room!
Such calm waters, reflections was everywhere in the water.
This was a cemetery along the ICW. Can you see the cross in the middle of the picture?
Marina along the ICW just before the bridge.
Port side of ICW before going under the State of Georgia Memorial Bridge at SM 582.8.
Same bridge, after going under. The first mate is always impressed with their magnificent structure.
Morningstar Marinas: Bahia Bleu Marina on starboard side pass the bridge just before Thunderbolt Marina.
The captain listening to music and drinking wine!
















Visiting Thunderbolt!

Thunderbolt Marine is a very secured place. They had a security guard 24/7 and even gates to enter the premises.
These live oaks are huge!  
Walkway along the Thunderbolt Marina.
Oasis at final destination at the marina.
These dry out buds are from a flowering tree. Actually, the tree was very pretty without any leaves or flowers.
This sailboat was at rest for the winter. The owner had gone to the Caribbean for the last 20 years and wanted to take a break from the winter sun. Very nice boat!
The couple went for a walk around the vicinities and were amazed by the trees. You can see the immensity of the tree just by the size of it's trunk.
Nice tree! The purple buds are not fruits, they were hard shells. They contained the seeds. Very picturesque!
Along the walkway around the marina, a view of the State of Georgia Memorial Bridge in the far distance.
A Cactus!!! Really? The first time the captain and first mate sees one on this voyage. They must be getting a lot closer to the hot weather.
Walking along River Drive, see the height of those trees.
Thunderbolt Town Hall.
Even though it's winter down here, there are still beautiful flowers in bloom.
Trees in the middle of River Drive. On the right, Tubby's Tank House, a restaurant where Jean Guy & Roselind ate a couple times. They had the best blooming onions!
Sailboat Beez Neez. A couple from UK. They been traveling all around for quite some time now. You can visit their blog on beezneezblog.



No comments:

Post a Comment