Catamarans at East Beach, St. Simons Island
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Tag Archives: Georgia Boats & Boating
North River, McIntosh County
One of numerous tidal rivers and creeks to be found in McIntosh County, the North River is accessible at Blue-n-Hall Road.
There’s a boat ramp here, as well as the Rod & Gun Club Marina.
Research Vessel Spartina, Sapelo Island
The University of Georgia Marine Institute maintains the Spartina for estuarine research around Sapelo Island. It’s named for the thick cord grass so abundant along the Georgia coast.
Captain Mike’s Dolphin Tours, Tybee Island
Lazaretto Creek is located on the edge of Tybee Island and can be accessed at the Lazaretto Creek Fishing Pier off U. S. Highway 80 or just over the Lazaretto Creek Bridge. It’s a great area for tourists and locals alike to stop and take in the salt marsh scenery. Georgia’s endangered shrimping industry is usually represented with a few boats and Captain Mike’s bright yellow Dolphin boats (since 1992) herald a boom in ecotourism. It’s really a nice contrast between old and new.
Sapelo Island Ferry Katie Underwood
Boarding the ferry Katie Underwood at Meridian
Passengers enjoying the sights of Doboy Sound on the Katie Underwood
Disembarking at Sapelo Island
Sapelo fading into the distance on the return trip to Meridian.
Kayakers on Cathead Creek, McIntosh County
Ecotourism has experienced a boom in recent years and though Georgia is just beginning to embrace it on a large scale, it is alive and well in the coastal counties, thanks to outfitters like Altamaha Coastal Tours.
If you’re interested, visit their website, or look for others who can help guide you through the complex network of tidal creeks and inlets that characterize the Georgia coast.
“Nyoka Dawn”, Bellville
Southern Railway Swing Bridge, 1928, Lumber City
Some sources have listed the date of construction for this railway bridge as 1916; 1928 is the accepted year per the construction records of the Virginia Bridge & Iron Company, and this is confirmed by a photograph I made of a broken but legible date plate on one of the trusses. The style is known as “through-truss” and this is one of just a handful of surviving rotating bridges in Georgia. The idea of such a bridge was to allow large river-going vessels passage, though by the time the bridge was built, most riverboat traffic had long since been made obsolete by the railroad.
The bridge is well-known landmark to travelers along US Highway 341. I drive past it about twice a month and have photographed it numerous times.
Tina Clay recalls: My grandparents lived on the Jeff Davis side of that river until the road was widened in the 80’s. They owned the land up to the river. My grandmother actually watched that bridge being built. It was prior to the bridge for auto travel when there was still a ferry in operation. I also lived there until I was 8 (when the road was widened). The train trestle was actually made to turn and rotate to allow larger ships passage down the river. That was one of the main reason to have someone on lookout. They also kept carrier pigeons up there and used them to communicate up and down the river.