After several reviews through various weather/wind reports and tide charts, both of us give a thumbs up to cast off Jekyll Island and head to Kilkenny Harbor Marina in GA. There are a couple shallow areas per our route planner but we will be on rising tides or mid tide cycle. Given our 3.5ft draft Nauti Nerds should not touch ground. There is a fairly high percentage of rain and thunderstorms late in the day. Our planned run is 6 hours with a 7:30am start, all should work out well. It’s warm and muggy so all vent windows and side doors are open and a couple rotating fans are circulating air. Suddenly we are bombarded with horseflies!🪰 They are spastic and relentless. We close all vents and doors, activate the helm a/c, get out the fly swatter and switch on the thermacell unit. I racked up a horsefly body count but can’t keep up! They get the best of poor Alan who is on patrol while I have helm watch. He exclaims “oh, it’s soooo ON now, you buggers!” (Except that wasn’t quite the noun he used🙀) Not sure why but I found it comical and entertaining as he chased the pests around, having a good laugh for myself. They are nasty insects when they bite, take a chunk of hide with them and for me, a very itchy welt develops later.

We catch up with two vessels who are heading north like us. We play follow the leader for a while, then decide to pass since we are traveling at a higher speed. The clouds are forming, looking very gray and angry. It is only 1:30pm. All predictions we viewed indicated rain developing much later in the day. Far away random lightning is observed. It starts to rain as we prepare for arrival. We both wear our PFG (personal flotation gear). I venture out on the bow to put fenders out for docking, rearrange some lines (they are ropes until they are on the boat, then they are called “lines” 😉) and prepare to throw a line to the dockhand. It is raining and breezy. Kilkenny Marina is a long dock on our port side. Our boat requires a starboard tie to the dock since our steps are located there. Our Davit system blocks a port side exit from the boat.  Captain does a commendable job performing a 180 degree turn and snuggling up to the dock, stern first, due to the current direction. I am not the only one who approved. A small work boat had tied up just before us on the far side of where we docked. These guys were coming in from a day at work and complimented Alan.🤩 I don’t know what it is about boat docking but everyone on the dock always WATCHes those who are docking.  If you are at the helm, you HAVE an audience! No pressure….

We feed the electric cable out and plug in to the dock pedestal, throw the breaker, switch to shore power and shut down the generator – our standard arrival procedure. On the way to the marina office we notice tiny sidewinder crabs. They quickly scurry when you approach. I was able to get a photo since there was nowhere for this little guy to hide. They are probably about an inch or so long.

Happy hour on the boat is wine/beer and French bread with seasoned olive oil for dipping. Dinner is one of my famous salads. Afterward we go for a walk to find the on-site restaurant called Marker 107. There are some magnificent old live oak trees on property. However, we are clearly in the middle of nowhere! This marina does not have pump out, a laundry, restroom, or shower bathhouse amenities, but fuel and water are all we need.

In the morning, we have cricket guests on the outside of our sundeck doors. 🦗 My welts are at maximum itch. Spray on calamine it is! Stuff is magical but I am taking antihistamines day and night to manage the damage these dang insects have inflicted! As long as I am around, Alan is safe 😉 and I thought it was true love!!   Nope – I am insect repellant for him. 🤣 On the positive side, we are blessed with yet another spectacular sunrise.

Given the weather projections for the next few days, we have decided to stay put until Sunday. We could have picked an area with more entertainment BUT we always have a list of tasks on the boat. We have starlink which provides internet access and we both love to read. There is something to be said for solitude. 😍 Friday is date night and we are headed to Marker 107.  They have an incredible dessert called Honey Corn cake which is corn cake, candied pecan crumbles, vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. Oh my gosh, it is so good we return the next night for an encore performance!