Kilkenny Creek Marina Georgia

We met Debbie and Steve Graves aboard sailboat Delphinea at Little Teakettle Creek and followed them to a magical place called Kilkenny Creek Marina. Life moves slowly in this small Georgia town but there is much to see and experience. This stop is a respite for us. We are covered in bruises and abrasions from banging into things while we are underway. We may or may not remember how we got our injuries. I keep hitting my shin on the metal plate that holds our auto pilot to our tiller. The latest laceration was small but deep and would not quit bleeding. It's going to leave a mark! As I nursed my wound I thought about how we get hurt in life and end up with both visible and invisible scars. They are our souvenirs of a specific time and place; reminding us of a lesson learned, a challenge accomplished or failed. Our scars are one of the roadmaps of our journey through life. Like wrinkles they hold a part of our story in their lines.

Ouch

Delphinea is faster than Mystic. Our new friends, Debbie and Steve, do not know that we plan to join them at the marina. As we entered the Kilkenny Creek channel we were escorted to the marina by a dozen dolphins. One kept slapping it's tale on the surface of the water. I read that this can be a sign of play and/or a method of communicating a firm request that you stay away from the pod. We'd like to believe it was a welcoming gesture.

Although stopping here was not part of our plan, Debbie and Steve told us Kilkenny was quaint and worth a visit which intrigued us. We want to move Mystic north but we don't want to be in such a rush that we miss out on wonderful experiences. We found ourselves loving this place with it's moss covered live oaks and small town feel. After settling Mystic along the face dock in front of Delphinea we walked into town to explore!

Kilkenny Creek Marina Office

The road to town

Beautiful Live Oak

Dave reaching for Spanish moss

Marker 107 restaurant is a short walk from the docks. It is a popular spot for locals and boaters. We were told that folks come all the way from Savannah to dine here. The food was fabulous! They open their doors at 5:00 pm. There was a substantial waiting line when we arrived at 5:30. We sat at the bar and chose the special, shrimp and jalapenos. It is a delicious recipe with the jalapenos sliced very thin. Both the shrimp and peppers were battered and deep fried. They are the lightest fried food we've ever tasted. A sweet but spicy sauce accompanied the dish. We also ordered a black eyed pea burger with cheesy grits, washing our meal down with Local Athens Georgia Tropicalia Creature Comfort IPA.

Marker 107 Restaurant Kilkenny Creek

Cool Fence Gate made from the planer board off a shrimp boat

Marker 107 Artwork

Marker 107 Entrance

Tropicalia Creature Comfort

We loved Kilkenny Time

Our bartender, was a lovely young woman named Corri Waters. We chatted about her life here, about growing up in a small town and the battle against urban sprawl. I mentioned the movie Mystic Pizza, explaining that it is about life in a small town in Connecticut. I could see a similar movie being made about Kilkenny Creek. There is a story waiting to be told in this place. Corri smiles and agrees with me.

Corri Waters Marker 107

The tides are huge here. The walkway to our dock has a steep grade at low tide. We watch the herons, egrets, manta rays, turtles and fish from the elevated view on the docks. Terrapin turtles nest in Kilkenny Creek. Debbie watched one waddle toward the dock when she was walking her pup, Libby. The dockmaster, Dave, tells us that there can be 30 turtles at a time laying eggs in the fields during peak laying time. He said they return to the Creek and slip themselves sideways through the rungs of the dock rails in order to throw themselves back into the Creek. It must be quite the sight to see. Dockmaster Dave's wife wrote a children's book about this. It's called The Kilkenny Kids. We bought a copy!

Steep grade to get to our floating dock

Killkenny Kids - Story of the river turtles

Manta rays in the river

Manta ray with Terrapin Turtle

Egret overlooking the creek

Egret tree at dusk, there must have been 30 in one tree

In the morning, we met other boaters along the full docks at Kilkenny Marina. Don't Think Twice is a looper boat. They are flying the Gold Looper Flag indicating their journey is complete. We chatted with them for a while. Everyone bought ice cream for breakfast, enjoying our cold treat while watching other boats launch. We've never seen this technique before. Boats are driven onto a dock, a hoist hook is attached to the boat which lifts it off the trailer then lowers it into the waterway. It is pretty cool to watch.

Video of boats being launched at Kilkenny

This stop will remain a wonderful memory from our looping experience. It reminded us of Hoppies Marina in Kimmswick, Missouri, another great Looper must see. We recommend Kilkenny Creek Marina and Marker 107 to those who follow behind us. When you stop here, say hello for us! We hope to return some day!

Mystic and Delphinea at Kilkenny

Kilkenny Creek Reflections

Leaving Kilkenny Creek Marina behind