HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC



DOLPHIN HEAD BEACH

 We arrived at Windmill Harbour Marina about 1:30PM. We had a tough time getting through the lock here, as it was extremely windy (small craft warnings) . The wind pushed us from the side toward the entrance pilings....very scary, but after 3 trys it worked. Again we are thankful for our bow and stern thrusters!

We returned here to leave our boat until mid January, when we will head to the Keys. John's mom's memorial service is this upcoming saturday. He has a lot to do until then.

We had several moments of fond memories today. As we approached HH, we passed the above beach. For the last 35 years our family has walked that beach looking for shells, driftwood, crabs, etc. Many times we would make a picnic of it with a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. There is a playground there where Kristi and Keri played as little girls. Now their children have played there and walked the beach. Hilton Head holds many memories for all of us. John's mom and dad lived long, full lives. They were wonderful grandparents to our girls. Hilton Head just will not be the same without them.


Entrance to Windmill Harbour Lock



DAWTAW ISLAND,SC

Whew! Another long day! It was a very windy day....probably thanks to Sandy. We covered a lot of water. We had some of the most shallow water we have ever encountered. Because we left at high tide at 7AM, by 4 in the afternoon, we were in low tide conditions. On one stretch, we were exactly on track between the red and green markers and had only .8 feet under the bottom of our boat.....that is less than one foot!!! It was a painstaking afternoon, to say the least.

McClellanville, SC

After a long day on the water, we are again in the middle of nowhere.  To start out the day, our engine didn't start :-( John got out the manual, figured out he had air in the fuel line, and managed to get the engine started. We started about and hour later than we wished, but did 83 miles. We are anxious to get to Hilton Head as soon as we can, as  John has a lot to do concerning his mom's estate and affairs while we are there.
We had a lot of skinny water this afternoon, and it looks like more to come tomorrow. That makes for slow going.

All that said, we are watching the coverage on Sandy. It looks like it is going to be horrific. We are counting out blessings.

DAY 3 NORTH MYRTLE BEACH

We dodged a bullet. We are so happy to have escaped Sandy unscathed. We feel so badly for what is to happen in the Northeast the next few days.
It rained hard and the wind blew yesterday. We hunkered down and did not leave the boat. Today the rain stopped and we walked round trip almost 7 miles to a movie and dinner. It was good to get out. We are very pleased with Barefoot Marina. It was a very good place to be.

This bad boy cut in front of us :-(((

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH,SC

We arrived here @ Barefoot Marina about 1PM yesterday and got hunkered down for SANDY. It was a bit breezy, but we had time to walk to the grocery store and later walk to dinner at Barefoot Landing. It started raining overnight and this AM the wind has picked up. It looks like we won't be able to head out again until Monday at the earliest. We are well provisioned, holding tank is empty, fuel is full, water tank is full, boat is wll tied and fendered, and the potty mat is ready and waiting for Dorsey. We are in good shape.





Some guys returning from an offshore fishing trip....word is, many got sick :-((

 SOUTHPORT,NC

We left before the sun came up this AM. We had to do 83 miles today. It was another gorgeous day. Boy, are we getting spoiled. Not to worry, I think Hurricane Sandy will take care of that.

We are here just off the Cape Fear River. Tomorrow will be a shorter day to Myrtle Beach.

NOT YOUR TYPICAL YACHT

SWANSBORO,NC

                                                         A DAY OF DOLPHINS

As we cruised down the ICW today, we saw dolphins for the first time in a couple of months. We were on the north side of Beaufort, NC where the waterway widened a bit. We were surrounded by a pod of at least 30 very playful dolphins. Most of them were young and small. They were enjoying the sunny weather and flat water as much as we were.

Tonight we are staying at Casper's Marina. We walked into the historic town and had dinner and a beer at the Ice House Restaurant........cute and a local favorite.

HURRICANE SANDY STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are hoping to have 2 more good cruising days until we have to hunker down somewhere :-(

THE START OF OUR DAY TODAY

 ORIENTAL, NC
Another great day of cruising. Spent most of the day on the Neuse River. Pulled into a very nice, upscale marina, River Dunes, that is part of a housing development....deluxe accomodations here tonight. There are bike trails, pool, etc. on manicured property in a wooded setting.
We borrowed the courtesy car and drove into town for an ice cream cone. Our boat freezer does just fine, but for some reason, just doesn't do ice cream ......therefore, having ice cream is a big treat!

                                                          BELLHAVEN, NC

No pictures today. We have very limited internet here, and it was taking forever to load them :-(

We are thankful for a very uneventful crossing of the Albemarle Sound this morning. We left at first light so that we could take advantage of the calm water before the wind picked up. It wasn't too bad, and we were able to dodge the hated crab traps. The rest of the day was spent on the Alligator river....very pretty and serene. John is tired tonight after 2 very long days on the water. He is on constant alert and a really good captain!

We are staying at the Dowry Creek Marina on the Pungo River. It is a nice facility with friendly staff. The down side is that the docks have wide spaces between the boards....makes it very hard for Dorsey to walk. John has to carry her.



A DAY OF LOCKS AND BRIDGES!



COINJOCK, VA
Today was a day of hurry up and wait. We had 14 bridges, locks and swing bridges to clear with limited opening times.It didn't help that overnight someone had sabatoged the electrical wires on 2 bascule bridges. We and 20 other cruisers had to do donuts for almost 3 hours while it was fixed. Once that was behind us, the day was, thankfully, uneventful.

VIRGINIA WINE FESTIVAL



OUT ON A LIMB




OUR NEXT BOAT, PERHAPS

We extended our stay at Norfolk for an extra day yesterday . 
The park right next to our marina was having the VA Wine Festival.
 35 Virginia wineries were represented. It was a day of wine, sunshine, music and fantastic people watching!



                                      
THE COMMODORE THEATRE is a luxuriously restored 1945 Art Deco style motion picture theatre presenting first run films with a fine dining restaurant within the main auditorium.

NORFOLK DAY 2

Having a good day catching up with stuff.....boat washing, vaccuming up pet hair, paperwork, planning, etc. Tonight, we will take the ferry over to Portsmouth to the above theater to see a movie.
Dorsey and Jake are recovering from yesterday's harrowing ride.

                                                      Today's view for 12 1/2 hours!

NORFOLK,VA

What a loooooonnnnngggg day! We left @ 7AM and arrived @ Norfolk at dark thirty. Started out with seas 3-4' out on the Chesapeake. Jake promptly got sick. Dorsey just wanted us to "make it stop!"
After a few hours, the waves did settle down a bit, until we approached the Hampton Roads. As we got near the channel , we had very confused following seas. It was very hard for John to steer the boat. He had it up to 2100 RPM's and we only could go 8 knots (normally we can go 1400 RPM's for 8 knots). We passed another trawler that looked like he couldn't make any forward movement at all. He was struggling to stay on course.

We are so thankful our boat performed so well and we arrived safe. Tonight we are tired, but happy.

Mouth of the Potomac

It is sheer bliss to be back out on the water again. We were welcomed back this AM with a day of sunshine and very calm seas.

It has been a busy, eventful time since we left our house, 10/2. We started out by driving to Hilton Head, SC to see John's mom and drop our car. We moved all the boat stuff to a rental car and drove north to the boat on the Potomac. We dropped off the boat stuff and proceeded up to Philly for a super wonderful weekend with the grandkids. We got to see the Fall colors, go to the pumpkin patch and have a hayride.

Monday,  10/8, we returned to the boat in VA to prepare to head south.. That was not to be. Tuesday. 10/9, we received a call that my sister Kay had passed away from cancer. To add to the day, we returned from running errands to find our boat salon flooded with water. A pipe under the galley sink had broken. We were filled with sorrow over Kay's death, and now we had this awful mess to deal with. We arose the next morning with a call from John's brother, Jim, to say that their 91 year old mother had just passed.

Needless to say, we were on overload. We decided that I alone would fly to Chicago to attend Kay's funeral. John would stay with the boat to deal with the water issues and care for our cat and dog that are with us. John's mom's service will be 11/3. We plan to have our boat there by then.

On a brighter note, because of the delay to the start of our cruise south, we were able to attend the Annapolis Boat Show. It was an interesting, fun event. Since our "little tug"  is currently for sale in Annapolis, we put it in the show. There was lots of interest and traffic, but the offers are not pouring in :-( Yesterday, we drove back to Annapolis to pull the little tug out of the water for the winter. If not sold by 11/12, we will ship it back to Texas on a truck.

This afternoon, we got a call on the VHF radio from the NAVY. We were asked to divert our track,as they were doing live ammo drills in our vicinity. We complied and told them to let us know if we were off their suggested track. They replied "not to worry" as many pairs of eyes were focused on us.

A highlight today is our marina. We are staying at the Dennis Point Marina on the St. Mary's River. It is gorgeous...situated on 50 heavily wooded acres. We took a long walk among the trees with their fall foliage. Dorsey loves this place with lots of good and close dog walking areas.

A GOOD DAY!

UPDATE

A couple weeks ago, when we had Knotugal pulled out to have the rudder fixed, John fell while getting down off the swim platform. He landed on his wrist. It swelled and hurt, but he tried to "gut it out". Anyhow, it was still bothering him, so he went to the doctor and found out he had a fracture. He has to wear the cast for 4 weeks and then should be good as new. The fun never stops !

BACK HOME

We departed the Occaquan Harbor Marina in Woodbridge, VA by car on 8/16....a 1400 mile trip which we did in 2 days :-( We will return to bring Knotugal south in October (after Hurricane season).
We got home to find everything in good order. We are now busy getting caught up on things here. I guess the things we miss the most about home is: weekly visits to Don Picos Mexican restaurant, our friends, a regular exercise routine, our friends, a larger shower, always having a car available, our friends, going to the movies every Sunday, letting Dorsey out the back door and not lifting her on/off the boat, our friends, sitting our on our patio and looking at the lake, having a dishwasher, central time zone,and our friends!
That said, we are already starting our pile for our return to Knotugal in October. We look forward to the adventures that lie ahead on the water!

ALEXANDRIA, VA

We left DC for Alexandria on 8/13. It was our second trip over there, but this time with Charles and Linda. We walked the quaint streets and found a couple cute places for Happy Hour.....one included a wine tasting from an Oregon vineyard.

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD

Tueday morning 8/14 we headed across the Potomac to National Harbor...a fairly new marina area with lots of shops, restaurants and hotels. From here, we rented a car and drove to Mount Vernon for the day. We enjoyed the tour and all the history of Washington's home. That evening, we ate at a waterside cafe entertained by live beautiful Peruvian flute music.

FIRE!

JOHN WANTS THIS RIP RAP FOR  OUR LAKEFRONT!

WASHINGTON DC

Our trip up to DC was great! As we got closer, we could see the Capitol and Washington Monument in the distance. We got settled in at the Capitol Yacht Club and Charles and Linda (good friends from TX) arrived in time for happy hour onboard. We enjoyed the beautiful evening sitting up on the sundeck.

Saturday AM we hit the ground walking.....we walked for miles seeing the sights. We rode the Metro to Georgetown for dinner. HOWEVER, after exiting the subway and walking up Pennsylvania, we smelled smoke. We looked up and saw black smoke billowing from the roof top of a restaurant. Lo and behold, we were first on the scene for a 5 alarm fire. We stood and watched as 2 hook and ladder trucks, a canine unit, police cars, and mobile air unit arrived. We probably watched this for an hour, as it truly was exciting. Anyhow, the fire in the Kabab Kitchen was put out and we were on our way.

Yesterday, we set out again in our walking shoes visiting several wonderful monuments and memorials. One fun stop was at the famous and Historical Willard Hotel. Since it was Linda's birthday, we celebrated with an ice cold beer at the Round Robin Lobby Bar. Did you know the word Lobbyist originated from this hotel lobby and bar? Statesmen would gather here, and if you wanted an opportunity to bend their ear, this was the spot to "lobby" your cause.

OCCAQUAN HARBOR MARINA, WOODBRIDGE, VA

We are back to our slip here for a few days. Got to get some routine chores done.....boat washing, dog washing, laundry, grocery shopping, wine shopping and a bit of sightseeing in the area. We even made time to catch a movie this afternoon.
We head up to DC on Friday, where we'll be joined by friends Linda and Charles.

ALEXANDRIA, VA DAY 2

We got up and did a long walk all around the town. Thus far, of all the cities and towns we've been to, this is one of the best. It is not just one street of quaintness, but blocks and blocks of historic home and buildings. Everything is clean and so well maintained.  We had lunch at the Majestic. A unique place with unique food and drink  that has been around forever. John had some food choice challenges to deal with. Not only that, they did not serve Miller Lite. He had to enjoy an exotic beer, much to his delight :-)

The heat has been a factor. We are very thankful to have a good AC system on the boat. Momma doesn't do hot and sweaty very well .

ALEXANDRIA,VA

Yesterday, we headed up to Alexandria . The Occaquan River Yacht Club has a trip up there this weekend, and we got to be a part of it. A couple highlights of the day were: sitting on the dock having docktails with the dome of the Capitol in the distance, sitting on our aft deck later in the evening, full moon overhead, and a great band playing music from the 60's & 70's just steps away!

YET ANOTHER GOOD DAY ON THE WATER

Thursday we continued our trip up the Potomac to the Occaquan River. After 9 hours of good water/weather conditions, we arrived . Long time friends, Don and Anne Bennett met us at the dock to catch our lines. They keep their boat here and will keep a watch over Knotugal when we head back to Texas, mid August.

PUCKERBRUSH, VIRGINIA

Here we are out in the middle of nowhere on the Yeocomico River, just off the Potomac. We had a super day of cruising. The weather threatened afternoon squalls and thundershowers, so we started out at 7AM. As it turns out, we had the entire Chesapeake Bay to ourselves on mirror flat water. We got one call on the VHF radio from the US Navy asking us to move over a bit as we entered the Potomac. Evidently, we were "in their space". We docked @ White Point Marina by 4PM. It is a nice mom & pop place. We borrowed the courtesy car to drive into the town to pick up some groceries. This time we had a late model Cadillac. Wow, that was a treat:-) It was the owner's personal car.

Couple updates....John's wrist is doing better, but still quite sore. The galley floor is still not dry :-(

BOAT PLANS NEED TO BE WRITTEN IN PENCIL! (Still in Annapolis)

Last Saturday, we were all set to depart Sunday for St.Michaels/Tilghman Island across the Bay. We were going to visit some cruisers we met in St.Augustine. Saturday afternoon, we had a diver come and clean the hull. He noticed a broken weld on the rudder. That meant our boat was not going anywhere until we could have it hauled out on Monday :-( So, we rented a car and drove across the Bay Bridge for our Sunday visit. We had a delightful lunch at the Miles River Yacht Club with our friends and got to see the area. From there, had we gone by boat, we would have headed to the Potomac.

Bright and early Monday AM we got in line for Knotugal to be hauled out, which after several hours, happened about 2 PM. It was a hurry up and wait. We then schelped our bags, cat, litter box, dog ,etc.(including wine) to a hotel that would take pets. This  morning I stayed in the nice AC at the hotel with the "kids" while John took the rented car over to the boat yard to supervise. The welding job finished in time for our boat to be put back in the water about 4:30PM . Meanwhile, I had to check out of the hotel and sat in the rental car, with the kids, for a few hours with the AC running. What would I do if it weren't for Words With Friends on our smart phone. Meanwhile, John took a spill off a ladder getting up on the boat which was up on chocks. Right now his wrist  is swollen and hurts. We'll see what it feels and looks like tomorrow.

We got back to the Marina, then scrambled to turn in the rental car by 6. Had to stop at KFC for dinner, as John had put a stain on the galley floor while waiting around this afternoon. Right now we can't walk on it. Sure do hope it dries overnight.

Tomorrow we head to the Potomac...2 days behind schedule, but that is how boat plans work.

ATLANTA,GA

Nope! We did not get here by boat! We arrived to via car to be on hand for the birth of George James Gugliotta, born today. He arrived at 2:37PM weighing in at 8 lbs 7 oz. He and mom (daddy, too) are doing just great. We are very thankful. He joins big sister, Greer, and big brother, Charlie.
We are assisting with non boat related duties and will head back to sea early next week.

Baltimore (Crab Cake Land)

 Hospital Ship

BALTIMORE/FELLS POINT/CANTON

We had good friends, Eric and Cindy Clancy from PA join us for a cruise up to the Baltimore.The trip was smooth water and good weather.We enjoyed walking for blocks and blocks exploring the area. Dinner was @ Momma's on the Half Shell.....a very happening place in the cutsy, old neighborhood of Canton. We enjoyed Momma's signature drink, the Orange Crush, as well.

Overnight, we had a lot of rain. Bad thing was, all the garbage from the city streets washed into the marina and surrounding harbor. Sadly, we have NEVER seen so much debris in a waterway. There were plastic bags everywhere....a very bad thing if sucked into your sea strainers! We felt very fortunate to depart unscathed.

Got back to Annapolis late afternoon and headed to Carrolls Creek for dinner....had my first crab cake...scrumptious! John had CHICKEN.....scrumptious, he said:-)

Tomorrow AM we will rent a car, drive to Hilton Head, pick up our car, and see John's mom. From there we will drive to Atlanta for the birth Keri and Tom's new baby.....due on Friday...sex TBD. We'll keep you posted!



SURVIVING THE GRANDKIDS

Actually, we had a wonderful visit with Kristi, Rich, Kate, Connor and Evan. It does confirm the theory that raising young children is best left to young parents. Kate and Connor stayed onboard Grampa John's boat, while R, K, & E stayed at a hotel. We had thought our boat was a good size with plenty of room. That is until you put 7 people on it and throw in a crazed cat and an old  dog.

Rich made a wonderful tour guide and historian. He kept everyone on the move. The kids learned a lot of new stuff like: dinghies, jellyfish, crabs, sailboats, the "pump out" boat, ducks that poo on swim platforms, water taxis, granny's cabinet of junk food, walking down the center of the dock, punching in the bathroom code, putting coins in the machines at the marina laundramat, walking around a boatyard and seeing the underbelly's of yachts, trolley rides, and on and on.

Baby Evan proved again to be the best baby on earth, ever! He just goes with the flow and adjusts to whatever is going on. He took a couple naps onboard and always awoke with a smile.

Kristi enjoyed a much needed vacation, and Granny and Grampa John enjoyed the excitement  of having everyone here. The picture below is how Grampa John recovered .

GRETA'S FENDERS

We left bright and early by our favorite (and only) mode of transportation ....the water taxi. We went to see baby sister Knotugal  at the sale yard. We finally went today, as they just now got their power back since last saturday.
The excitement of the afternoon, was moving our boat to another slip. The one we had was not easy to get in and out of. Our new one is a T head....and....it belongs to Greta Van Sustern. She keeps her boat in our spot, but is in Nantucket for the Summer. She, very considerately, left her jumbo fenders, which are putting to use :-)

JULY 4 ANNAPOLIS

Wow! Is it ever hot! Sweat and water are the new normal. We are thankful for good AC on the boat! We did brave going to the Annapolis parade last evening. We shuttled over on the water taxi. It was a hot affair. You sure can tell this is an election year....many, many politicians marching.We went back to the boat afterwards and sat up on our sundeck with a glass of wine to watch the fireworks. A nice end to a nice day.

UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY ANNAPOLIS

We had a marvelous tour of the Academy today. What an awesome , beautiful campus. It is rich in history and tradition. We thoroughly enjoyed it. The Plebes (new students) looked so very young. They are all stellar indivduals to even get accepted here. We were fortunate to see them doing the noon formation. They just arrived 6/30 and have 4 rough weeks ahead. We wish them all the best.

ANNAPOLIS, MD

We left Solomons on Saturday AM and arrived here about 2. Water was fairly calm. Again we were wedged into a slip with a narrow fairway. Fortuantely they will move us in a day or so to a slip that is easier to get in and out of. We didn't realize how lucky we were when we arrived here to have power. A lot of the area is still without, as are many marinas. Can't imagine being on a boat in this 100 degree heat with no AC!

Yesterday we took the water taxi into downtown Annapolis. We walked around and had a nice waterside dinner. I have yet to try a crab cake. I am saving myself for some special time. John will stick with what he knows, and that doesn't ever include crabcakes :-)
We caught up with stuff today and will explore more tomorrow. We like our marina and continue to meet many nice, friendly people.

STORM!

Last night we went to bed about 11:30,clueless of the pending storm. Just before midnight, the boat started to rock. We thought, wow, some huge boat must be going through the marina. Finally we got up to see lightning and horrific winds. We had to go outside, add lines and fenders. The wind blew like we have never seen. Our shore power was knocked out until 6AM this morning.

Hmmm.....maybe a red car to go with our

red   boat :-)

SOLOMONS DAY 2

We enjoyed exploring on our bikes today, even though it hit 102 degrees with no breeze. There was no one out and about....too hot! Our marina has a nice pool, so we spent a couple hours there. We found out where all the people were.

OOPS! Forgot to add........we had to steer out of our way for a couple miles due to some Navy gunfire exercises. They hailed us on the radio and instructed us that they were using live ammo, and it would be wise to move off our course.

SOLOMONS ISLAND, MD

This morning we got up early ready to pull out at 7 AM.....oh no, the engine would not start. John had changed the fuel filter just before and evedently air got into the fuel line (every day we learn something). Any how, a guy from nearby Zimmerman marine came over and fixed the problem. By 9:30 we were on our way.
It was a 9 knot 50' depth, flat day on the bay. We all appreciated it!
As you can see, we ended the day at the famous Tiki Bar on Solomons. Check that one off the list :-)

If you ever wondered where all the Hogmasters went, well, they are alive and well being used as marina courtesy cars. Here we have another one!

Here is a boat loaded with those damned crab traps :-(((

DELTAVILLE, VA..........ROCKIN' & ROLLIN' ACROSS THE CHESAPEAKE

Yesterday was another exhausting one. Everything had to be tied down and stowed. The boat, John and I did fine, but Dorsey and Jake suffered the seas.
We ended up in Deltaville at Regatta Pointe Marina.They had a wine and cheese party on the deck for all the transients. We enjoyed chatting with everyone and picking their brains for potentiall places to stop.

NORFOLK DAY 2

We were all set to head out again this morning, but a report of gale force winds on the Chesapeake changed our minds. It turned out that we had a beautiful day to explore more of downtown Norfolk. It is such a Navy town...navy ships, and all sorts of navy related stuff to see. The ship above passed by just outside our window. We have a great slip right on the channel. We have seen some interesting vessels pass by all day.
We walked passed this really neat statue this afternoon. I just loved it! Norfolk is what I would call a very "manicured" looking town. We would stop here again.

In the Clear Lake area they put Space Shuttles on Barges...in these parts, they put TUGS on barges.

NORFOLK, VA

Today was a day of bridges and a lock. We had been warned that there was a series of bridges up ahead that only opened at certain times. We departed Coinjock with our fingers crossed, that we could transit them all in a timely manner. As good friend Barb Dupuy says..."I love it when a plan comes together". ..and it did :-)
Very shortly after arriving in downtown Norfolk, a horrific storm hit. We had to add extra lines and fenders. Winds were clocked at 60+mph, along with hail. Our sturdy boat held strong though it all.
Today is John's birthday. He is now a medicare man, and not too happy about it. We had dinner on the boat, thanks to the storm. There will be time for birthday merriment on another day.

COINJOCK,NC (or as John has pronounced it all day....KOJACK)

Another long day on the water....85 miles! We wanted to get ahead of the wind again, as we crossed Albemarle Sound. It has a very nasty reputation . Turns out, it was OK, but the crap traps were everywhere. We had to be on high alert.
BTW, we were out in the middle of nowhere, so no phone or "words with friends" on my smartphone :-(

We had complained before about how closely marinas dock other boats to each other.....well here we are again. Boats docked stem to stern. This is the view off our stern. Their anchor is less than 6 " from our boat.
Every day we learn more. Our brains are tired when we go to bed at night.

BEAUFORT to BELHAVEN
Yesterday, was an extra day in Beaufort. We walked to the favorite local dive for breakfast. It was great, as were the people. We spent the day walking around town and getting caught up on things. The marina gave us their loaner car to pick up some supplies. As you can see, it was right out of the 80's.......a wood sided hogmaster station wagon. Nothing worked, the vinyl seats were all cracked, but it drove fine. We were told NOT to lock it as it would not reopen. We appreciated the wheels, and it was fun tooling around town in a "BEATER".

Today we left early again to get ahead of the predicted winds. We had to cross two large bodies of water and were concerned for the pets.As luck would have it, it was a mill pond out on the water(as Ken Sherwin would call it).  Tonight we are in the middle of nowhere at a mom and pop marina. It is cutesy and the owners take a lot of pride in their operation. We are very happy here.

BEAUFORT, NC (pronounced Bow Fert)

Who would guess that we would stay not only at Beaufort, SC and Beaufort, NC! Both are charming little towns that we will repeat.
Yesterday we pulled out of Myrtle Beach @ 6:30 AM. We were about to enter the dreaded "ROCK PILE". It is a 5 mile stretch along the ICW that has submerged rock ledges on both sides of the channel. There is very little passing room for oncoming boats. Before entering that section, one is supposed to issue a "Securite" warning over the radio for any concerned vessels. By leaving early, we did not encounter anyone...a good thing! We cruised to Wrightsville Beach , arriving late afternoon. We were not happy with our marina. After we docked on the face dock, they proceeded to pack boats on it stem to stern. It could have been a nightmare departing in the AM. We expressed our concern to the dockmaster and he became quite surly....we'll never stop at that place again.
This AM, we departed early again and arrived at Beaufort, NC about 4:30. It was a long day, but we were rewarded by a cute town, a great marina, and friendly people. We will stay here until Saturday. We're going to explore and have fun tomorrow.

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH

We are currently at Barefoot Resort and Marina. We arrived Sunday and will leave in the AM. We extended our time here because we like it so much! It is bikeable to the grocery store, restaurants,beach, House of Blues, etc.There was a band sunday afternoon by the pool and fireworks last night. We will definitely return here.
We had to cross over a swing bridge to get to everything off the property. The bridge tender guy became our new best friend. This evening, we were biking across the bridge, he stopped us and asked if we were headed to a happy hour. We said yes. He told us where to find the very best one. We chatted quite a while with the guy. Tomorrow, we'll say hello when we pass through his bridge.

GEORGETOWN, SC

I am happy to report that we departed Charleston @ 6:30AM unscathed. Just for extra insurance, we had dock hand Bubba Gump on  standby.

Another great cruising day with just a slight glitch. We had reserved a slip at Harborwalk Marina in Georgetown, SC. Not only did we have to deal with a hugely crabby dockmaster, but he tried to have us shoehorn into a slip that looked to be a disaster. So....we used Ernie and Camille's axiom of "leave early, arrive early...which allows for options". We told Captain Crabby we would look elsewhere. We turned right around and headed back out to sea. We ended up at Georgetown Landing Marina and are happy as clams.

We did our usual walk into town and saw the sights. It, too, is just a fantastic stop! Beautiful old houses, old oaks lining the streets and a great place to stop for a beer. BTW, for those of you observant ones, yes, John is wearing the same outfit as yesterday...we are official "BOAT TRASH".

 

CHARMING CHARLESTON

After leaving Beaufort @ first light (6AM) to have the tide in our favor, we arrived Charleston about 2:30PM. We had another glorious day on the water through SC marshland....no issues with boat or

 depth :-) One highlight is that we got Dorsey to pee on her potty mat 2x while underway. That is a good thing . That way she can travel more comfortably.

Our marina is just off Charleston Harbor. We are on the inside of a linear dock just inside the breakwater. It is extremely rough on the other side. We are rocking and rolling way more than usual We have every fender we own in use. We're a bit concerned about getting off the dock in the AM...mega current here pushing us into the dock.

Today we took the Resort/Marina Trolley into the historic district. We enjoyed a Grayline bus tour that gave us a great overview of Charleston. We walked around afterwards and had lunch at Hyman's Seafood...evidently, a well known Charleston establishment. They had the very best hush puppies I have eaten in my life. Yum...we'll go back just for those!!!There are pictures on the wall and brass name plates on the tables with the names of all the celebs that have eaten there. The Beach Boys and Neil Armstrong "ate where we ate".

We head North tomorrow very early again...that is if we can get off this dock without taking out a few yachts along the way :-(

Goodbye, Hilton Head...Chesapeake here we come!

We left about 12:30PM....had to wait for the tide to rise. We have never seen such tide ranges as they have here. We had a gorgeous, uneventful day on the water, arriving in beautiful Beaufort, SC about 4PM. We docked right in the center of town, walked around a bit, and enjoyed a burger and brew. Unfortunately, we are only here one night this time, but will DEFINITELY be back! Next time, we'll spend a week.There is so much to see and do here.

Beautiful Beaufort!