The alarm went off at 0600. We checked the weather and it was still looking good for an outside passage tomorrow so we made the decision to "stage" our jump. We weighed anchor shortly after 0700 and headed towards the ocean.

We had to pass one of the challenges along this stretch of the ICW, known as Hell Gate. It was advised to do this stretch during high tide as one of the markers is supposed to be dry at low tide. Seeing as how we run aground at the best of times, we decided it was a good thing to pass here when the tide was high. High tide was at 0600 this morning and we passed Hell Gate about 0800 with lots of water, all 9 feet of it!

We continued to Bradley River, which was just before the Ossabaw Sound leading to the ocean. We set anchor at 0915 and amused ourselves for a bit watching three dolphins along the marsh. Shortly after Jorge set to work installing the weather system. This involved riping the quarter berth apart so he could run a cable for the antenna. One good thing, I had a storage of food there and it gave me a chance to reacquaint myself with the supplies, some of which I had totally forgotten I had! The installation of the weather system went well and it was completed by suppertime. Now we have to activate it and learn the system.

The current was quite strong in the river, about 2 kts, and brought with it unwanted debris.

This floating tree hitting the boat could really ruin your day!

The weather averaged about 17C today with mostly overcast skies but no rain. It felt good to not have to wear jackets inside the cockpit for a change! Tomorrow the winds are supposed to be 5 to 10 kts from the NW and then W with seas to 2 feet. Tomorrow night and Tuesday morning are supposed to be pretty much the same although the wind is supposed to shift and come from the south. Hopefully it will be a good run to Fernandina Beach, Florida. Of course we'll double and triple check the weather in the morning and decide for sure our course of action then.