St Andrew Sound

We will be passing through St. Andrew Sound, GA in the next day or two and in reading the Active Captain reports the waves here can create a bit of a challenge if the winds kick up. Forecast for tomorrow is winds E to NE 10 kts with slight change of T storms. We plan on going through on a rising tide about 2 1/2 hours before high tide, +5.0 above low tide.

I've also read to take the R32 buoy on the "wrong" - westerly side.

Any words of wisdom?

Sounds like great conditions. Always bring a bag of salt with you when you consult Active Captain. I'd consult the Local Notice to Mariners and local station of your tow company and perhaps the CG before taking any markers on the wrong side, and you are scheduled to have plenty of water.

By the way, that is an inlet, so you want to make sure you are looking at the little squares and triangles on the markers for your ICW reference.

Edit: just looked up the latest LNM and that is now a temporary lighted buoy as of March 14, so they just placed it there a few months ago.

caltexflanc said:

Sounds like great conditions. Always bring a bag of salt with you when you consult Active Captain. I'd consult the Local Notice to Mariners and local station of your tow company and perhaps the CG before taking any markers on the wrong side, and you are scheduled to have plenty of water.

By the way, that is an inlet, so you want to make sure you are looking at the little squares and triangles on the markers for your ICW reference.

Edit: just looked up the latest LNM and that is now a temporary lighted buoy as of March 14, so they just placed it there a few months ago.

Click to expand...

Use all resources available and Active Captain is just one. Cruisers Net and Waterway Guide have excellent information on local trouble spots. Then two more resources. If you're heading into a marina, the dockmaster may have information from those who have come in most recently. And last, but most up to date and perhaps best is one of the tow drivers for either tow company. They are always more than willing to share, whether you're a client of their company or not (now I can't imagine anyone not being a client). Amazing what the observations of the last 24 or 48 hours add to knowledge. As in most areas the most recent information is best and they generally have the most recent.

Been there many times

We cross the sound many times a year visiting Cumberland Island from our homeport @ Jekyll Harbor Marina. Came through last month from a stay in Marathon. Cruisers net has several maps and crossing tips that I feel are very good.

st. andrews sound | Search Results | Cruisers' Net

I would not recommend the Umbrella Cut route unless in an emergency. I also would not choose to cross in a strong North East wind when the tide is running out to sea. There are several good anchorages near Cumberland to wait for a favorable crossing. Call the Marina for local knowledge. They have captains that cross the sound several times a day with passengers off Little Cumberland and tourist campers from Cumberland. The marina staff will be happy to help you with information. Jekyll Harbor Marina
HTH,
Sonny

We passed through St. Andrews Sound heading north a couple of weeks ago with a wind a few degrees east of north and had no problems. I could see, however, there are certain conditions that I wouldn't want to experience there--mostly stronger winds with a more easterly component.

We kept R32 to starboard but stayed close and kept a sharp eye on the depth-finder. Never saw less than 8 feet of water.

Catalinajack said he had a rough transit there a few weeks before us with a NE wind (I believe) and steep waves hard on the beam after making the dogleg turn back toward land.

The Towboat US guy in Brunswick and the folks at Jekkyl Harbor Marina had great real-time conditions and advice. Good luck.

There are 12 documented hazards within a 2.5 nm radius of that intersection. You don't need salt; you need to be careful there.

OK, thanks all for your input. I called both tow companies and conditions should be OK for tomorrow. Will transit 1 hr before hi tide.
Active Captain- thanks for your app and web site. That's what brought this hazard to my attention.

Have fun! At that time, you will have a knot to a knot and a half against you coming up river into the sound, then about a knot pushing you north after you cross the inlet.

Went through an hour before high tide with no problem.

Congrats. I went through back in April during a storm and a 20 -25 NE. It was a very rough ride especially after we made the dogleg turn. We got hit pretty hard on the starboard beam. It really sneaks up on you quick. We were experiencing 6-8 footers. This was the roughest I had ever been but I had an experienced captain with me and now I know what the boat and I can handle. If you can wait it is a good idea especially if the admiral is on board.