32 04.2N 080 57.9W
Around the world with the Aqualunies
Jonathan & Gabrielle Lyne
Tue 14 May 2019 18:56
SAVANNA RIVER
O600 weighed anchor. Spent the day sailing and motor sailing and entered Savannah River at 18.00 hours. We anchored close to the ICW in the river for the night. Coming up the river and down the river before we found a place to anchor were two very large container ships which were both passing just where we were. We pulled in as much as we could to keep out of their way but were worried about depth and going aground, especially when the pilot called us up and warned us that as the ships pass we may have water sucked from under us!!! As it was we were fine and had 6 feet under us still. We found a wider area in the river to drop anchor for the night.
THURSDAY, 9TH MAY, 2019
SAVANNA CITY.
We came along side the following morning to a pontoon in the centre of the City. It is the only marina in that area that can take our draft.
We decided to take a trolly bus tour of the city. It is a beautiful city full of Georgian and Victorian period houses and hundreds of Green squares full of trees mainly oak and some large Exmouth Magnolia trees with Spanish moss hanging from them. Most of the roads are lined with trees as well. It is hugely pretty.
The city itself is full of art students from all over the world as it has a well known art college called the College of Art and Design (SCAD).
The city was originally built in 1733 by an aristocrat British man called General James Oglethorpe as an experimental settlement, one of the stipulations was no Lawyers, no Catholics and no Slavery. He built it on a grid plan on a bluff overlooking the Savannah river on the recommendation of an Indian Chieftain called Tomochichi and his Yamacraw tribe who became good friends of Oglethorpe. Oglethorpe had been issued with a land grant by King George II to buy and develop land. The city was laid out in a grid pattern of 24 squares around which were built homes, shops and churches. The British maintained control of Savannah until the Revolution most probably because the city had been presented as a present to Abraham Lincoln so it went through the Revolution unscathed. Savannah was mainly a Cotton trading city. Slaves were brought in to help build the city but sent back to other parts of Georgia after. Nowadays it has a huge container port further up river and is one of the larger trading citys in the USA.
Dinner that night was at CHIVE SEA BAR AND LOUNGE which was very good and a lot of fun.
FRIDAY, 10TH MAY
We visited a couple of houses and art museums Telfair House which was excellent and Jonathan did the Maritime Museum.
SATURDAY, 11TH MAY
We walked to the Farmers market in Forsyth Square a very large beautiful park. We bought a few provisions for the yacht then walked on to the supermarket to get more things for the yacht. We walked back again as well with our trolly bags as we were unable to find or get a taxi.
We left the pontoon at 15.36 that day.