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Savannah, Ga to Wilmington, NC

4K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  Dolby 
#1 · (Edited)
I just purchased a 1978 Hunter 33 in Savannah Ga. It will take some work to get her ready to make the trip to Wilmington but I am aiming for the end of June. I do not plan on sailing much if any, just motor up the ICW. If anyone with knowledge of the area is interested I could use some guidance up to at least Charleston. I have been told that the ICW can get very shallow for a 5'10" draft sailboat in some areas.

Or maybe I could get some feedback on reasonable start and end points along the way for the trip. I have no clue on the times it should take to get from place to place.
 
#2 ·
About a week from Savannah to Wilmington (Wrightsville Beach). If you get crew, you could motor up on the outside in three days.
 
#3 ·
the icw in that area can be a little tricky,just make sure to stay inside the channel markings,also good anchorages are few but lots of marinas with trans.dockage,beaufort has a nice free anchorage and if you have a boat problem near beaufort,peter gamble at march harbour boat yard will take good care of you
 
#5 ·
Second the Tow Plan

No first hand experience to offer but I second the tow insurance. My parents came through there a few weeks ago and made a small navigational error, and got VERY stuck as the tide went out, sat on their keel for 8 hours, and then got yanked out. They are experienced and know their way around but the channel marks do get moved regularly so pay close attention and listen to the mariner updates before you head through there. They missed one. Not to scare you, but their bill was over $1000 but they were covered less a small deductible-lesson learned. They draw about 5 ft on an Island Packet 38.
 
#7 · (Edited)
What's wrong with the sails? Why not sail up on the outside and motor if no wind? It's an easy trip with experienced crew.

Tony
As far as the sails go, I don't trust them for ocean use yet. From what I can tell the main has UV damage and is most likely as old as the boat. I have to spend $ on safety items, new engine hoses, new hose clamps throughout the entire boat, electronics, and dock fees right now. So, a new main sail is not doable for a couple months. I do plan to take the sail to a sail-maker to get a professional opinion on the condition of the sail and if it can be and is worth repairing it I might have it available to use before I head out.

I do want to get her to NC asap though to save on driving from Charlotte to Savannah, and I have family in Wilmington to help me out.

Also the cost of "hiring" an "Experienced Crew" to hit open water is a bit more then I can spend at the moment.

This is all in the planing stages at the moment and I was just checking to see if anyone here would be willing to tag along for the day between stops and share any knowledge of sailing and tricky spots along the way.

Or, if anyone could suggest good places to stop along the way that I could meet some of the SailNet community in the area and give tips for the next leg of my trip, that would be great too!
 
#8 ·
I live in Charleston but have not done much time in the ICW except up to about Capers Island and down the Stono to Limehouse Bridge. There are lots of great anchorages if you go outside, though. You could probably anchor every night if you had good wind. It's usually SW 10-15 that time of year, occasionally swings around to the NE for a few days. I sailed Charleston to Hilton Head and back last summer and had a blast.
 
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