Little Tybee Info: From the dock on Horsepen to Tybee Creek is about a 20 min paddle in my canoe. From there it is another 15 or 20 min to the north end of Little Tybee Island. Little Tybee comprises ~5000 acres of marsh, tidal creeks (greater than 60 miles), and islands (over 20 ranging in size from a few acres to 2.5 miles long). The islands are open for camping and exploring. This complex is fronted by over 5 miles of ocean front beach. Crowding is not a problem, since the area is reachable only by boat.

There are two main entrances to the interior of the area ( Jacks Cut and the "Ditch"). Both are noted in the map reference on the "Cottage Description" page.  The NOAA charts don't provide very detailed mapping of the area. (check the "Links" page for online view and downloadable NOAA charts)  If you not familiar with the area, I recommend viewing and printing aerial photos from the MS Bing site.  With tic points for Lat/Long and a GPS you shouldn't get bad lost. (Don't forget about the "track" feature on the GPS) 

Tides at Our Horsepen Dock: The tide table I find most useful for this area is "Tybee Creek Entrance" (see the "Links" page). Due to the fact that the water has to travel ~1 mile and the bottom elevation at the dock is a bit higher than the table datum, there is a time difference.  Approximately 1.5 to 2 hours after the tide starts in at Tybee Creek, it will began to rise at the dock.  Additionally it will continue to flow inward (slowly) for appx. 1/2 to 1 hour after the Tybee Creek high. Here's a neat little prog for your computer.  An electronic tide chart/graphs that can be found at http://wxtide32.com/.  Its free and works quite well.

General Boating Suggestions: Obviously carry approiate PFD's, emergency signal equip, give someone a "float plan", and be aware of weather conditions and forecasts. A good hand held VHF is recommended.  Tybee Coast Guard Station is located a few miles away with a very tall tower so you can reach them with a hand held. Some cell phones work on Little Tybee and some don't. Winter water temps can drop to 50F.  Be aware of cold water safety precautions!   Area charts, aerial photos (both should have Lat/Long tics) and an inexpensive GPS can mean the difference between getting home or spending a cold, miserable night lost. Be aware there are both paddlers and power boats in the area.  Paddlers and small power boats should have a flag type device to hold above marsh height which signals your presence.  Many creeks are narrow and at low tides you can't see around bends or above the marsh. An air horn  signaling device is useful in these low visibility conditions. 

Paddler Info:  You have the choice of paddling from the dock or launching on the south end of Tybee for trips to Little Tybee. (see the map reference on the "Cottage Description" page for launch site)  From the dock, you can paddle at any tide, although at dead low there may be a few portages of a couple of hundred feet to get past sand bars.  About half tide flood and ebb there is a pretty good current.  Two edged sword depending on which direction you're going.  Getting into the interior creeks of Little Tybee thru Jacks Cut or the "Ditch" shouldn't be a problem in general.  Extreme low water might cause some short waits at places.

Power Boat Info: The key phrase for you is "half tide up".  So long as you don't draft over about 1.5 feet (ie total fm bottom of skeeg up) you can travel in and out from the dock "half tide up".  If you use the "Tybee Creek Entrance" table, about 3 hours after low to 3 hours after high is your time frame.  This also applies to running Jacks Cut and the "Ditch" (see above for more info)  There is a very good launching ramp at Lazaretto Creek 3 road miles from the cottage and about 9 miles by water to the dock.  Apply "half tide up" to running Lazaretto Creek unless you're familiar with it. The Crab Shack has a hoist which is about 2 miles from the dock by water.  Both of these sites are noted in the map reference on the "Cottage Description" page. If you tie up to the floating dock, be sure your motor is in the locked up position.  The boat will settle onto a sandbar and be completely dry a low tide.