July 4 – Day 4 – Thunderbolt Georgia

32°1′30″ N 81°2′49″ W

We are now docked at a marina in Thunderbolt Georgia which is about 20 minutes from Savanna (by car).

We will stay here tonight, go sightseeing in Savanna tomorrow & the continue our journey north the next day.

The marina here only has a few slips for transient boaters. It’s primary business is looking after the maintenance needs of all sizes of boats – including the huge one on the other side of the docks from where we are tied up. Talk about feeling inadequate in the shadow of this behemoth. But I love our little boat & am very grateful to have it.

Our trip today took us almost 12 hours. We left the dock at Two Way Fish Camp at 7:00am & tied up in Thunderbolt at about 6:30 pm. Our journey is certainly not physically demanding but the heat & humidity sure tires you out. I have been drinking 2-3 liters of water each day while underway & am still thirsty after we tie up on the dock. G&Ts sure hit the spot after the engine is shut down & the lines are secure.

Lots of interesting sights along the way. We saw a many black & grey dolphins/porpoises today. Not exactly sure what type they are but they are beautiful to watch. They are almost always in groups of 2 or 3. I keep trying to get a photo of them surfacing for a gulp of air but can never seem to time the camera shot right.

This part of the ICW has lots of grassy marshlands & boat speeds are restricted to protect the manatee that live in these waters (photo above).

Fortunately for us the speed restrictions do not hinder our progress as our “top” speed is below what is required.

We noticed that the traffic on the ICW increased as we got closer to Thunderbolt & Savanna. The properties along the rivers also got much closer together (& bigger – wow!).

TouringSavanna tomorrow. Should be fun. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow night.

Cheers!