Sailing in Savannah offers unique challenges and opportunities for experienced and beginner sailors alike. The Georgia coast is unique in its network of barrier islands and the ecosystem which inhabits them. Imagine the Florida coast for a moment. You can drive down the highway on the east coast of the state, and you’re virtually always within spitting distance of the beach! This is one of the reasons it’s such a popular summer vacation destination, there’s just so much developed coastline! Right around the Georgia/Florida state line, the coast changes drastically.
Starting near that state line, the coast is made up of barrier islands. Some of these are very small, but some are actually fairly large! Often times the marsh and islands blend together such that you’re not even sure when you’re leaving one island and entering another. These wetlands surrounding the islands, or even within the islands, make it more difficult to develop. To start, it’s just more difficult to build roads over these marshes. Furthermore, some of the islands just don’t have the right soil and foundation to build on. These factors lead to many of these islands going largely undeveloped. Along the entire coast of Georgia, the only fully developed islands are Tybee, St. Simons, and Jekyll. A fair number more have small communities on them (Cumberlands, Sapelo, etc), but many are still only reachable by boat.
If you’re staying downtown, and you come out for a sailing charter with Sail Savannah, you’ll see five different islands! Departing downtown, you’ll drive over Whitemarsh Island onto Wilmington Island where you’ll board the boat. Once underway, we’ll sail past Skidaway Island, Dutch Island, and Modena Island. Five islands in just one afternoon! The craziest thing is that you’d still have to go even further to Tybee Island to find a developed beach! When visiting Savannah, the best options for a beach day are Hilton Head Island, in South Carolina, or Tybee Island.
All of these uninhabited islands are a fantastic opportunity for boaters! They are great places to anchor the boat and explore. Many of them have tiny communities to visit or trails to hike. Rich vegetation and varied wildlife abounds. During your sailing charter, you’ll be within a stones throw of deer, wild boar, eagles, dolphin, sharks, and all kinds of different fish. It’s truly a unique experience and a great thing to explore on a boat trip.
A challenge of sailing in the Savannah area is the tidal swing. The tide can change up to 11 feet every 6 hours. That makes for two high tides and two low tides each day. That amount of water moving in and out every 6 hours makes for very fast current in the rivers and creeks of the lowcountry. Sometimes that works in your favor and helps you go faster. Other times it’s hard to make any progress when the current is coming from exactly where you want to go!
You’ve just been given a lot of information about a very unique and ecological diverse area of the country. If you decide to book a Sailing charter with us you’ll get a much better understanding of the area and it’s sure to be the highlight of your trip to Savannah!
