It will come as a suprise to no one, who reads my logs, that Deb takes 100's of pictures. It is a daily chore to figure out which ones to put in the log. Here are a couple from Deb's walk around the city. This placque is on the house in the following picture
And this one is from the Veterans Day Parade she went to
We left Charleston on Monday, to another beautiful sunrise
As you leave Charleston, the waterway opens up, and you start to get to what they call "low" country.
There are 6 to 9 foot tides in this area, and as you can see, they build their docks accordingly
Look at how far back this dock is off the deep water. I can't imagine having a boat tied to that dock, and having it sitting in the mud twice a day.
As we wound our way south, we started to see dolphins again.
This is our marina at Port Royal
As we left Port Royal on Tuesday morning, we saw Peddler (the boat on the right) and Joy Ann (the one right in front of Peddler). New friends we met in Charleston
As we left Port Royal Marina, and entered Port Royal Sound, we saw several shrimp boats working
This area is full of these beautiful trees
Just across the street from the marina is CQ's...where we had dinner
With our new friends (from top right) Stuart (Joy Ann); Joe & Carole (Peddler) and Joy. Tonight we will be joining them on Peddler for dinner.
Log 185
Day 539
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
8:00 AM EST
Location: Harbortown Yacht Basin, Hilton Head, SC.
Weather: 69 & very cloudy...rain just went through
Happy Birthday Beccah (our daughter) and Jeff (son in law)
Happy Veterans Day...and thanks to all the veterans who keep us safe, and allow us to live this life.
Our time in Charleston...was very nice. On Saturday, which was just an awesome day weather wise, we took the marina shuttle into town, for a “blind date” with new friends Bob and Charlotte, on Foreign Exchange. We had planned to meet at 1 pm, so Deb and I took the 11 am shuttle, to get there early, and walk around the town. Because we do not move at the same pace, we decided to split up, and meet at the restaurant. Deb walked the town shopping district. I found a bar, with sports on TV, and very good micro brewed pilsner. At 1 pm, we finally met Bob and Charlotte, and had a great lunch. They are the kind of people you like as soon as you meet them (Wonder if they felt the same?). After sharing stories, and a great cheeseburger, we all went to the market to stock up on supplies, and the marina shuttle picked us up about 4. At 5, Joe (from Peddler) stopped by our boat and said they were having cocktails on his boat, and we should come over. We first met Joe, and his wife Carole, when we were docked together at Georgetown (the day before). Also, having cocktails, were their very good friends, Stuart and Joy (on Joy Ann). These guys have two beautiful boats, and are traveling together down to Florida. We had a great time getting to know them. By the time we got back to the boat, both Deb and I were tired, and not very hungry, so I made some tuna fish, and Deb had a bowl of cereal. Sunday...was spent just being lazy. Deb took a walk into town, and saw a Veterans Day Parade. I watched the Bears get their but kicked by the Cardinals, and the NASCAR race in Texas. Dinner on board...a very nice day.
We left Charleston at first light on Monday (November 9th). It was another gorgeous morning, with blue skies, and light winds. There were a few tight spots along the ICW between Charleston, and Beaufort, but in general, it was an easy day of cruising. Much of the day we cruised with the isinglass up, but the closer we got to Beaufort, the darker the skies got, and we dropped the isinglass, because I could see rain on our XM weather. Our plan was to go past Beaufort, and to a marina called Port Royal...three miles further down the ICW (mile 539). By the time we got there (about 2 pm) and started to top off our fuel, it started raining. At first it was a little light rain, but after getting fuel, and getting to our slip, the rains came down hard, for about an hour or so. A little before 4, we walked up to the marina to check in, and had plans to have a beer at their bar. But, after walking in the bar, and seeing people smoking inside, we turned around and walked back to the boat (we like the states where they do not allow smoking in restaurants...South Carolina must not be one of them). Back at the boat, I worked on cruising plans (which I am ALWAYS working on...and love it) and Deb made some spaghetti. The movie was an episode of “The Great Race”. It rained, off and on, all night.
Up early, and left our slip in Port Royal, a little before 7. We only had about 30 miles to go to Hilton Head, but I wanted to get there before the rain and winds from Hurricane Ida were forecasted to get there. We had a very nice 1 to 2 mph tidal current that helped us most of the way to Hilton Head, and it was also very pleasant weather wise (69 and partly cloudy with light winds). We arrived Hilton Head by about 10:30 to sunny and warm weather. We both commented that the last thing we thought we would need to do today is use the air conditioners on the boat, but it was warm and muggy, so we did. After arriving, we took a walk around the complex, and checked out all the boats in the harbor. Deb did a few loads of laundry, while I cleaned the boat, and took a nap. At 6 pm we walked over to a very nice restaurant called CQ’s, which is just around the corner from the marina. The night before (in Port Royal) we had invited both Joe & Carole (Peddler) and Stuart & Joy (Joy Ann) to meet us for there for dinner at 6:30, and so we went early to relax at their bar. We had a GREAT dinner with everyone, and enjoyed getting to know these two couples a little better.
Today...we have planned a “down day” due to the weather forecast from Ida. Although, as I write this, the rain has all gone past us, and we have almost calm winds. Depending on which weather site you want to believe, we will either have winds of 23 mph tomorrow or 15 mph...we’ll take the 15, and hope for the best. Our plan is to go 48 miles to a place called Kilkenny...which is just a wide spot on the water, with a marina that some say is “out of the 50’s”. Great or not, it’s about 1/2 way between Hilton Head, and St. Simons Island, GA, and it will make the run through Georgia easier. (right after I wrote the last sentence, I called the Kilkenny Marina, and he told me “oh man...the weather is supposed to be very bad tomorrow...winds of 35 mph...so I don’t think you’re coming...but I’ll take the reservation anyway”). Who knows...I’ll check the weather throughout the day, and first thing in the morning. If we can...we’ll continue south. If not...we’ll enjoy another day in Hilton Head. In either case, we have been invited over to Peddler, for cocktails and dinner. Looking forward to that.
I’ll keep you posted.
Bob
