Cruising Georgia coast

[Wavehiker]

Hi everyone, new member, first post with a question. I just bought a home on Skidaway Island to be used Nov to April. The question is is it worth it to bring my 45' sailboat down from the Boston area for the winter. Is the weather conducive for daysailing. Are there any places to go cruising for 3-5 days other than going to the Bahamas for a longer cruise. Thanks

[Steadman Uhlich]

Howdy and Welcome Aboard the Forum.

I don't have an answer for you based on cruising out of Skidaway.

But, there are other coastal islands and Savannah and Hilton Head and Beaufort (SC) and Charleston and Hatteras and St. Augustine and other places too.

There is a WIKI linked on this forum too, and it has some cruising guides. Look for the tab at the top menu bar for the Wiki.

Bon Voyage!

[dearmstr]

We live in Isl of Hope Marine on a 36ft Sailboat and we go for day sails and are planning to go for overnights. There is Ossabaw and Wassaw. St-Smions and Jeckel. PM me if you like and we could talk more about local sailing.

[skipmac]

Your from MA and ask about the weather in Georgia. I can 100% guarantee that the worst winter in GA will 100 times better than what you experienced last year.

Seriously, GA winters, especially along the coast are variable. When a cold front comes through (what starts as a nor'easter in New England) it can get very cold and very windy. Occasionally teens for a day or three, very rarely single digits. Then a few days later you could see 50s-60s at night and into the 70s daytime. Repeat this pattern at random intervals of a day or two or week or two, depending.

The fronts are pretty predictable. Look at what happens in Midwest to northeast and you'll be seeing the results in GA a day or two later. So a typical winter you will have plenty of nice weather that may last up to a couple of weeks..... or not.

Bottom line, the odds of getting in some nice short trips are almost certain. One caveat, the ICW in GA gets quite skinny in places but there is a significant tide. Some spots you will need high water to pass unless your 45 has a very short keel.

[skipmac]

A couple of additional comments occurred to me.

First, the trip down is great fun itself. I've done most of the sections of the ICW in FL, GA, NC but made my first trip all the way from RI a couple of years ago. Had a deadline so made it in 15 days to Brunswick GA. If I had had the time I would have taken two months.

Also, the marshes of GA have a unique beauty well worth seeing.

[geoleo]

zillions of knats

[Seymore]

Originally Posted by Wavehiker

I just bought a home on Skidaway Island to be used Nov to April. The question is is it worth it to bring my 45' sailboat down from the Boston area for the winter. Is the weather conducive for daysailing. Are there any places to go cruising for 3-5 days other than going to the Bahamas for a longer cruise.

Yes, it's worthwhile to bring your sailboat to Savannah. The temperature generally runs at 60 degrees in the daytime and goes down to 40 degrees at night. There'll be some 70 degree days and about three hard freezes at night. It snows for a couple of hours every three years.

I dunno about sailing to places for 3-5 days. They just don't do this that much here. You can day cruise to other towns and restaurants and things. Cruising would be mostly tooling up or down the ICW. If you're used to sailing out and in of sounds, well, the opportunity's here, feel free.

In Boston you haul in November and launch in May. You can spend that time sailing around Savannah. I think Savannah is just about the farthest north you can do that.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by georgetheleo

zillions of knats

Not to mention gnats.

And no-see-ums, and skeeters.

But not really a problem in the winter.

[cheoah]

I'm from NC and I've kept my boat in GA for winter. Spent several weeks at Cumberland Island and surrounds, based out of St Simons. Depends on what you enjoy, but I would most certainly bring my boat to GA from MA for a winter or more. Bugs are no big deal, and as others have said, there's often a bunch of 70 degree days in winter.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Wavehiker.

[Hudson Force]

The Vernon and Wilmington Rivers that border Skidaway Island have strong tidal currents. My favorite sailing areas are usually those where the currents are less than half a knot unless I'm in a large bay or open ocean. Restricted spaces in rivers with strong currents just don't make for good sailing in my opinion. The Wassaw and Ossabaw inlets that access the ocean from these rivers are passable, but I've only used the Wassau Inlet myself. Both have large shoal areas and are without easy, short, well-defined channels.

Call me spoiled by the better places for sailing, but I just cruise through Georgia to enjoy the people, the food, the wilderness anchorages and the ports. The boating is great, but the sailing is marginal.

[AnchorageGuy]

Georgia often gets a bad wrap from cruisers. But it is one of our favorite sections of the ICW. There are several sounds that make for excellent sailing. Get a set of current charts and review them for options. We did a blog post specifically on the Georgia ICW. Maybe it will help, The Trawler Beach House: Should You Avoid The Georgia ICW? and a couple of posts on a transit through Georgia, The Trawler Beach House: Just An Old Sweet Song Keeps Georgia On My Mind and The Trawler Beach House: If It's Monday, It Must Be Florida . Hope this helps. Chuck

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by AnchorageGuy

Georgia often gets a bad wrap from cruisers. But it is one of our favorite sections of the ICW. There are several sounds that make for excellent sailing. .................. Chuck

Although Chuck and I disagree about the quality of sailing (that's sailboat sailing) among the Georgia sounds, we also enjoy the Georgia ICW and transit it regularly without difficulty.

This is the view from a favorite anchorage of ours at Buckhead Creek:


This is the view from a favorite anchorage of ours in Florida:


I like them both, but I get a better night's sleep in Georgia.

[Seymore]

Originally Posted by Seymore

Yes, it's worthwhile to bring your sailboat to Savannah. The temperature generally runs at 60 degrees in the daytime and goes down to 40 degrees at night. There'll be some 70 degree days and about three hard freezes at night. It snows for a couple of hours every three years.

In Boston you haul in November and launch in May. You can spend that time sailing around Savannah. I think Savannah is just about the farthest north you can do that.

One more thing. In Savannah the winter breaks on March 16th. Like clockwork. I mean, on March 15, it's a droogly crisp 57 degrees and on the 16th it's a warm sunny 72 degrees, the azeleas are out all over and it isn't Spring, you've slid into Summer.

You think I'm kidding. You'll see.


There are no mosquitoes in Savannah itself, and this year there've been no no-see-ums, which are usually fierce. The city sprays with helicopters.

[CarlF]

Skidaway is a great place to keep a boat for the winter. Good cruising both North (Hilton Head is only a day, Beaufort two) and South (Brunswick, Jacksonville). Lots of beautiful anchorages and no crowds in winter. The water is warm so reverse cycle heat from the A/C will keep the boat pleasant at a dock with power. Even in mid winter you can get a stretch of sunny days in the 60s and 70s.