Last year while traveling in our RV, we camped at a Corps of Army Engineers campground on Lake Seminole in southwestern Georgia, for about a week.

We fell in love with the beauty and tranquility of the area, spoke with a number of locals, and started exploring to see if there was any way we could bring our sailboat up this way for the hurricane season.

First on the agenda, find a marina. That we found in beautiful Bainbridge, Ga.

Second on the agenda, finding out if we could get up the Apalachicola River, lock up to Lake Seminole, then get up the Flint River without having to remove our mast (45-foot). The lowest bridge is 37 feet, so we decided to unstep the mast as we had work to do on it anyways; we had put it off long enough, and really wanted to explore the area.

We contacted the Corps of Engineers in Mobile, Ala., and purchased a chart for traversing the inland river system and as they say, the rest is history!

Saturday, March 27, after a long day, we turned up the Apalachicola River and then into Saul Creek for anchorage. What a beautiful spot and only the beginning of a wonderful cruise up river. The river was just below flood stage, so we were going against a very strong current and traveling at about 4 knots.

The river is well marked and there are plenty of anchorages. The scenery was unbelievably beautiful; we saw very few boats, mostly fishermen, a number of fishing cabins, several bald eagles and gators. We anchored just below Woodruff lock (Chattahoochee, Fla.) on the 30th, locked through the next morning and were enjoying the lake so much we decided to anchor out for the night before heading up the Flint River to the marina. We were in our slip in the marina by April 1. If you have not discovered Lake Seminole by boat, you have not discovered Lake Seminole. It is a gem, so if you are a fan of Mother Nature and want to see her at her finest, make this trip!

We are in a covered slip at Bainbridge Marina. This is a new and full-service marina; fuel, pump out, ships store, clean showers, laundry, great patio area for barbecues (large and covered) and dining area with a kitchen just right for a family reunion or a boaters get together (YES, we love those!).

The proprietors, Lynn and Billy Birdsong, are so welcoming and friendly you will not want to leave!

There is plenty of shopping, restaurants, movie theater, all the things we boaters want when we are at shore, along with all the medical facilities you might need.

Tallahassee (more shopping and an airport) is only 40 minutes away, there are several campgrounds close by (nice for family visits) and really anything you could want or need is not more than an hour away.

If it sounds like we have fallen in love with Bainbridge, well we have. We are beginning to believe this is the place where the words “Southern hospitality” originated.

A major bonus is that you are far enough north to be out of hurricane danger yet close enough for a quick trip down to the coast. Also, insurance rates drop drastically while in inland waters.

If you want to pick our brains about the trip, the area or anything else, give us a holler.

Captains Linda and Phil Waste