end, we set sail on Roma, our Seafarer 29, from Delegal Creek Marina on nearby Skidaway Island for the six-hour trip to River Street. You might wonder why, if we are docked at a marina in Savannah, will it take half a day to motor-sail to...Savannah? The straightline distance from Delegal Creek Marina to River Street in downtown Savannah is 13 miles. But the track by boat follows a course of winding and twisting rivers, creeks, and canals for over 35 statute miles up the ICW and Savannah River. The ICW, or water route through Savannah, is as interesting and intriguing as many of the local names suggest. Climb on board Roma with Susan and me as we embark on this memorable journey. Our trip started south of the city as Delegal Creek entered Ossabaw Sound, and first brought us into the Little Ogeechee and Vernon rivers just north of Hell’s Gate, the infamous manmade cut through the western end of Delegal Creek Marina, Ossabaw Sound at ICW Mile 602. before departure. During the War Between the States, the captured Southern blockade runner Shark was renamed the USS George W. Rogers and sailed these waters as a Union picket ship. South of Hell’s Gate on the Ogeechee River stood the strategically important Confederate Fort McAllister, which protected the southern flank of the city of Savannah. In 1864, Sherman easily overwhelmed the fort during the final stages of the infamous March to the Sea. Sherman linked up with important supply ships, which steamed up Ossabaw Sound, before his army marched on to Savannah. At Possum Point, on the Vernon River, we turned into Burnside River running between Skidaway and Burnside islands. We passed the picturesque riverfront homes of Vernon View, each with its own private dock, and just to the east of Burnside Island encountered the confluence with the
located on Skidaway Island southeast of Savannah, the evening
Moon River. And yes, there actually is a Moon River. Savannah native Johnny Mercer penned the lyrics for Moon River, the hit song composed by Henry Mancini and sung by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 Academy Award-winning movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Mercer and his wife had a summer home on Burnside Island, which is bordered on its northern shore by Moon River. It is difficult to pass by Moon River without the melody and lyrics, “Moon River, wider than a mile, I’m crossing you in style someday,” playing in your mind. Johnny Mercer wrote a total of four Academy Awardwinning songs, including Moon River, and Days of Wine and Roses. He co-founded Capitol Records and nurtured the careers of Nat King Cole and Peggy Lee, among others. His family home in Savannah was the Mercer-Wilder-Williams
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SOUTHWINDS
October 2013
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