Start of Our Mini-Cruise

After a long winter of Wind Dancer sitting idle, we are ready to travel. Her shakeup sail to Charleston and back for the race revealed no major issues. We left with no clear plan beyond Cumberland Island. Our first stop Thunderbolt Marina, and a motor through the intercoastal for a meeting about new cushion covers. We enjoyed the little town of Thunderbolt and stayed two days before setting off on our first destination St. Simons Island, Georgia.

The Brunswick entry channel is long and full of current. There we encountered our first and worst storm. Lightning, thunder, gusts over 30, and buckets of heavy rain.

St. Simons was just as charming and just as hot as we remembered. The dock master kindly allowed us space at the fuel dock when we arrived at 6:30 after a 12 hour sail, but we had to move to a slip without power the next morning. We borrowed marina bikes and biked through much of the southern end of the island. St. Simon was just as charming and just as hot as we remembered from our previous trip. The lighthouse, the town dock, the busy stores, ice cream shops, restaurants, all blended to make a great stop. Fortunately, a late afternoon storm cleared the air and lowered the temperature to allow comfort without air conditioning and a beautiful evening sky.