Safely Home

As we've been making our way south we've listened on the radio as the number of cases of Covid-19 escalated in the U.S.
While on the water we felt quite safe ..... at arm's length from the problem, so to speak but we knew eventually we'd have to attempt to make our way by car through the hot-zones to get home.
For the past while we've been attempting to find a boat yard where we could get the boat hauled out to store and co-ordinate a car rental.  Much to our dismay we found some of the yards were already full and many of the car rental agencies had closed, as had the restaurants and hotels.
We finally had luck at Tiger Point Marina, Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, Florida.
Enterprise car rental agency agreed to deliver a car to the dock there.
On March 31st at high tide, slack water, Sea Star was lifted out of Egan's Creek.
Barry rode back with the "Enterprise" employee as she returned to her office.  She told him she had been required to show her work documentation that day to justify to the Police Officers at the Georgia/Florida border her "movement on the road" was job related.  She also told Barry he was the first person she'd transported who had worn a mask and gloves.
We sterilized the rental car, loaded it with our luggage and the boat gear that was going home and left Florida at 5:00 p.m.  We napped in 2 rest areas and ate only the cereal I'd brought with us from the boat.
It took 18 hours to make our way from Florida's 90 F (33C) degree temperature to our car we'd left behind in Virginia.  When we arrived at our initial departure point in Virginia (Reedville) it was 39 F (4C) degrees ..... exactly the same high temperature as the day we'd left 5 weeks before.  Good thing we left when we did and didn't hold out waiting for spring.
We returned the rental car to downtown Richmond at mid-day.  We were shocked to find it was a ghost town.
We arrived at the Canadian border, Fort Erie at 11:20 p.m. on April 1st and cleared in to Canada.  We were the only car in the area.  There was 1 lane open .... it was "manned" by an elderly, kindly gentleman (no mask).  He told us we were to go straight home and to stay there for 2 weeks.  We were to make no stops along the way.  He said if we were "caught" outside of our home in the next 2 weeks we would be subject to a 1 Million dollar fine and 3 years in jail.
33 hours after we left our boat in Florida, we arrived home ..... totally, completely exhausted but so very glad to be safely home.

Tiger Point Marina and Boat Works - Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, Florida

Bridges - 44 and counting

On the Intercoastal Waterway between Mile 1 in Virginia and Key West in Florida there are a total of 191 bridges of assorted design:  bascule, float, swing, train, lift and free standing. 
During our travels from Mile 1 in Virginia to the Georgia/Florida border we've passed through 44 bridges.  Florida, between the Georgia border and Key West has a total of 147 bridges. Some of them we simply float under while others we need to contact the bridge operator on the VHF radio and ask for an opening.  We've waited up to an hour at times, but most open more frequently or on request.
Some of the bridges are doubled....one for traffic, one for trains. 

Sounds Abound

Sound:  Wikipedia: A sound is a large sea or ocean inlet, deeper than a bight and wider than a fjord; or a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land.

On March 28th we passed through Doboy Sound, St. Catherine's Sound and Sapelo Sound.  The next day we passed through Altamaha Sound, St. Simons Sound and St. Andrew's Sound.
As we made our way through Cumberland Sound to Amelia Island we were approached by the Coast Guard.  They insisted we make haste to clear the area as a warship was coming in from the sea.  We did what we could and mustered a whopping 4.2 knots.  Two massive Navy ships came out to guard the channel.  A submarine came in as well.
We "hastily" motored on past the Navy's degausser.....a strange looking "garage" in the water that's used to neutralize a ship's magnetic field. 
Our passage through the sounds is ever exciting.  Our resource information points out areas in each sound for fishing.....including for sharks should we wish to try our luck.
We found sounds and inlets were places of gorgeous beaches.  Most were punctuated with a beautiful lighthouse.  We've promised ourselves we'll return someday to explore the beaches of Jekyl Island and especially Little Cumberland Island.  We were truly enamored by their beauty.
We had a great ride surfing with the tidal flow out into the Atlantic Ocean at St. Andrew's Sound but were dreading the long slog that lay ahead against the tidal current up the Cumberland River.  Much to our delight we were able to put the head sail up and sail all the way to our anchorage that night in Delaroche Creek, off the Cumberland Dividings.

Georgia

The portion of Georgia that we see along the Intercoastal Waterway is winding rivers through marshland and sounds (inlets).....not too much else.
On March 27th we passed our first manatee habitat warning sign as we coasted into Georgia.
While motoring along a small winding stream on our approach to Savannah we were surprised to come "face to face" with a Cosco container ship.
As our view is mostly across low marshland the large ship appeared to be approaching on the stream but it was actually on the nearby Savannah River. 

Unfortunately on the afternoon of March 29th we found ourselves aground....stuck in the mud! at M684 ICW, just north of the bridge at Jekyl Island.  Even more unfortunate, we had 5 feet of tidal water UNDER us and it was FALLING!
Barry did a stellar job of getting us free (sadly he's had plenty of practice).  He put the head sail up to try and list us over to move forward.  He was just in the process of hoisting the mainsail when 2 power boats happened by.  Barry asked them if they'd put up a large wake which they did and it was enough to bounce us out.  Yeah! Thanks guys, free again.
Georgia is currently experiencing record high temperatures.  The highs are in the low 90s F (30s C)....very comfortable boating weather.