We have polished off our trip to Savannah. It is far enough inland up the Savannah river that it is a bit off our normal path. In the past we have bypassed it because access by water has been problematic. There are no nearby anchorages, and while there is a free public dock, it is strictly first-come-first served. Arriving in the late afternoon and finding no room would be a real hassle for us. Fortunately, last year a new marina opened, the IGY Savannah Harbor. Very reasonable in cost ($1.69/ft/day) neat and clean.

Savannah has been a major port in the region since its founding in 1733. Today the downtown waterfront of the city is bookended by the container port upriver, and the bulk material port on the downstream side. A lot of large ship traffic runs on the river.

The Eagle

We had the good fortune to arrive while the US Coast Guard tall ship Eagle was in town and open for tours.

The dockside tours are pretty simple, you get to walk around the deck, with crewmembers available for questions. It is not everyday we get to explore a sailing vessel of this size and complexity.

And More About Boats

Located downtown is the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, it wasn’t on our itinerary, but the beautiful gardens around it drew us in. It was a surprisingly interesting way to spend an afternoon. The primary theme is centered on ships with a connection to Savannah. If you are an architecture nerd the building alone–with its long and varied history–is worth the stop. Overall, it is one of the better museums we have seen in a long time.

Overall Impressions

We weren’t as impressed with Savannah as we expected to be. That might be because we are on foot, and confined to the narrow strip of downtown along the river. It is a pretty town, with many parks and squares, and a lot of eating places. The restaurants we tried were varying levels of tourist quality. Nothing to write home about. If you are running on the ICW, you come right down the river here, and it is definitely worth the stop if you are looking for a small city urban experience. For us, it is not worth the trip up the river.

And next…

We arrived in Charleston Harbor and are anchored out off the historic Yorktown aircraft carrier museum. Our sail up here was a fitful one, with winds constantly changing from near calm to 14 knots. We must have raised and dropped sails at least a dozen times in the course of a day.

Tomorrow afternoon we will head over to the marina and get some of our shore logistics done. Weather permitting, we will be jumping from here to Annapolis starting on the 20th of May. Depending on our timing