Thursday, May 20
Sisters Creek Anchorage – St. Mary’s Intracoastal Gateway Marina
26.7 NM – 6.5 underway (including fuel stop and circling)
After a peaceful night on the hook at Sister’s Creek, we got an early start off the hook. There’s something about anchoring out that calms everything—no dock lines, no neighboring boats humming with generators—just the swaying of the boat and the occasional wake rolling through.
We didn’t need to rush the day – it was a short trip and Heather had calls for most of the day – so we’d need to time our arrival for when her calls were done. We took on fuel in Fernandina before leaving Florida. We had initially planned to stop for the night in Fernandina Beach (always a fun place), but decided to continue another hour to St. Mary’s – a place highly recommended by Loopers and somewhere we hadn’t been. The route north toward the Georgia line is an easy one, winding through wide marshes that seem to stretch endlessly in every direction. It’s a stretch of the ICW that feels remote in the best way.
Crossing into Georgia felt like a milestone – our second state! The approach into St. Marys is straightforward—wide, well-marked water with no bridges to contend with, just an easy run in from Cumberland Sound and up the river.
Pulling into the marina, we were immediately struck by how calm and welcoming everything felt. The docks are tucked right into the heart of town, it’s great when you get off the boat and you’re instantly somewhere.
The marina itself is small but incredibly well-kept, with floating docks, easy access, and all the essentials—power, water, and even a boater’s lounge and laundry if you need – all in a home. Their slogan is “designed by a Captain for Captains” and we could see how that was true.
St. Marys is one of those towns that feels almost frozen in time. We spent the evening wandering the waterfront and through the historic streets, where everything is within walking distance. No need to plan – as much as that goes against Heather’s nature.
We decided to graze through St. Mary’s and experience multiple places as opposed to selecting just one. Throughout the afternoon, we tried Southern Riverwalk – good potato skins – not so great margaritas. We were on to Firefly – with a quick stop at Farm to Family who had some great gluten-free, fresh produce and specialty items. Heather was hoping we actually needed to provision. Unfortunately, our provisioning is still ample and our space is limited. At Firefly, we enjoyed some great queso – a better margarita for Kevin and a glass of cava for Heather. We ended the day at Seagles Restaurant which is attached to a historic hotel. We split a grouper entree – the cheese grits were great – the grouper and coleslaw were uninspired but definitely edible.
Back to the boat early – we were even able to get someone to take our photo – our first shot of the both of us this trip!
All in all – it was a pretty perfect day – not because anything dramatic happened – but because it didn’t. A calm morning at anchor, an easy run, and a destination that exceeded expectations.
St. Marys may not be the biggest or most talked-about stop along the ICW, but we definitely considered it a worthy stop!
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