Awaiting Guests

Wednesday, Dec. 26

We're here at Marsh Harbor Marina awaiting the arrival of Heidi and Jeremiah who
will be with us for the next week. They were leaving from Cleveland just as a major
storm was arriving so we're hoping their flight has been uneventful. Carol and I have
spent the last couple of weeks scoping out the vicinity for good places to take them.

Our visit to Hopetown was enjoyable. We were on a mooring ball at the base of the
famous lighthouse so the view was special. The harbor there is very protected but has
a shallow entrance that has to be approached at high tide. Many of the harbors here
require arriving at least at half tide if not full. Hopetown is very picturesque with
many quaint shops and brightly colored small homes. They also have more landscaping
than other towns. It felt like Christmas there because there were several marinas and
homes with Christmas lights and there were lights strung on the lighthouse. I've
realized that Christmas lights are an important tradition for me when I didn't have
them.

Moored in front of the famous lighthouse,one

of the few still lit by kerosene lamp.

 

View of Hopetown Harbor from the top of the

lighthouse (our boat is at the lower left).

 

Yeah, Christmas lights!

 

Christmas in Hopetown

 

 

 

Back at Marsh Harbor Marina on Christmas Eve we all got together up at The Jib Room

for hors d'ouvres and merriment. There is a great group of people staying here and the

staff is wonderful. Christmas day the owners provided turkey and ham and we had a

super potluck dinner. Several of the people at the docks received conch horns for Christmas,

I had made one from a found conch shell and at sundown we gathered together to herald

the setting of the sun, a Bahamian tradition. What we lacked in quality of sound we made

up for in volume, outblowing the folks from across the harbor at the other marina.

 

Christmas potluck

 

Heralding the setting of the sun.

 

The consensus of the canine spectators

was that we were making an awful racket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marsh Harbor, the Hub of the Abacos

Saturday, Dec. 22

Christmas certainly feels different down here than back in Ohio. First there is the lack
of snow and cold weather. Then there is the lack of all things traditional. We will see
but I think Boxing Day is as big a deal down here as Christmas. We were asking
around about whether there are any Christmas Eve services at any churches here but
were told there are none. There will be get togethers of marina people Christmas Eve
and a potluck dinner on Christmas day which should be fun. And of course we're looking
forward to Heidi and Jeremiah joining us on the 26th.
Last Sunday we sailed over to Guana Cay for their weekly pig roast at Nipper's which was
very good and their beach is beautiful with the exposed rocks and beautiful water color.
They have a very layed back atmosphere with the vehicles in the parking lot being mostly
golfcarts. We took a mooring ball for the night and enjoyed watching the sunset from
Grabber's, an establishment on Fisher's bay while visiting with a young couple from
Switzerland that have been cruising for three and a half years.
In the morning we headed across the water to Marsh Harbor Marina wher we intend to
stay for a month, using this as a base to explore the surrounding area. There are many
wonderful places within 25 miles to visit and there is an airport here for our guests to fly
in to join us only 4 miles away. There are very nice people we've met here and we are
enjoying our time here. The first day we walked to good snorkeling area nearby and town
is only a mile away by bike or a half mile away by dinghy. There are lots of shops here,
good bakeries, hardware stores, restaurants and a chance to meet locals.
Tomorrow we will be heading to Hopetown on Elbow Cay for a day and then back here
for arriving company.
Life is good. Carol said she has passed the 100 day threshold that marks passing into the
cruising lifestyle and she is still here and enjoying new experiences. She has been a great
trooper during the tough times and I'm grateful for her willingness to accompany me on
this trip of a lifetime.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL. WE LOVE YOU.

Snorkeling nearby at Mermaid Reef.

 

Stringing shells for Christmas decorations aboard.

 

Retired backhoe on Guana Cay.

 

View from Nippers on Guana Cay.

 

Elementary school next to Post Office on

Man-O-War Cay.

 

Housekeeping chores while at Marsh Harbor Marina.

 

 

 

 

 

Treasure Cay

Saturday, Dec. 15

They say the beach here at Treasure Cay has been voted one of the top ten most beautiful
beaches in the world. I'm not going to disagree with them. We have been walking the three
mile beach here the past few days and are in awe of what God has created. The sand is very
soft and white and since this is a slow time of year here we've had the beach to ourselves for
the most part. The water is a combination of blue and turquoise and very clear.
We were headed to Marsh Harbor the other day and got sidetracked over to here. I understand
this is quite common in the Abacos. You start heading for somewhere and the winds are more
favorable to go a different direction so you change destinations based on the weather. There
are many places to visit, all of them great so you don't plan very far in the future. You just
chill, Mon.
Treasure Cay has a great place to anchor, very protected so we've been here the last four days
enjoying the great pool, local bakery for fresh cinnamon buns and bread and the beach. Oh, yeah
and we needed to have our freezer worked on. It just wasn't working all that well so a local
man was recommended to us. It turned out to be the cousin of the dockmaster, which had all
the makings of being a disaster but instead turned out to be a special blessing. Javado was
very prompt (unheard of in the Bahamas), very knowledgeable, gracious and inexpensive.
Our friends had him fix their freezer at the same time so we are all happy boaters again.
The marina charges ten dollars a day to anchor out and for that you get the use of their bath
facilities, pool, beach, wifi, and dinghy dock. The bakery and grocery store are a very short walk
away. We may stay at the marina dock for a month because they have a really special rate right
now. Apparently March is when it gets really busy here.
Our first day here we were visited by a big sea turtle which was pretty awesome.
Tomorrow we'll probably head out for Great Guana Cay for a pig roast and a visit to Nippers,
a popular local spot.

Carol in the marina pool with our boat in the

background, at anchor.

 

The gorgeous Treasure Cay beach.

 

The water is beautiful.

 

Leaving the first set of footprints of the day.

 

Sand Angel

 

A great way to start the day with local cinnamon rolls.

 

Javado, our angel of mercy, disguised as

a refrigerator technician.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green Turtle Cay

Tuesday, Dec. 11

What's not to like about this: you pay the dock fee and then you eat and drink at the
restaurant and all those charges are free up to the price of the dock? We decided to
take a dock for one night at the Green Turtle Club  because the deal was too good to
pass up and the cracked conch dinner was superb. It is one of the best deals around
and very popular.
We were docked next to a boat we had first met on the Erie Canal from Michigan and
it was good to reconnect.
We had lunch the previous day at The Wrecking Tree in New Plymouth a town that
was settled by Loyalists from the US who had fled here during the Revolutionary War.
Like other towns around here the pace of life is very slow and people are outgoing and
welcoming. At one time "wrecking" was one of the major professions of the locals, the
salvaging of ships that wrecked on the reefs along the coast here.
The ocean beach of Green Turtle Cay is beautiful, unspoiled and we had it to ourselves.
The sand is very soft, clean and great for walking. The pool at the marina is great and we
enjoyed it in the afternoon, having it all to ourselves. There is a view of the harbor from
the pool area.
In the evening we had a group project taking apart our boat's compass trying to get it
to be reliable. We succeeded in disassembling it and getting it back together but little else.

Ocean beach at Green Turtle Cay

 

The great special deal for docking and dining.

 

Great place for lunch along the beach at the

marina, with Ed and Joyce.

 

 

Life is Good

Saturday, Dec. 8

We scrubbed the boat in the morning to remove the salt spray from the crossing after our
morning coffee in the cockpit. We followed "One Love" slowly through Indian Point Channel
keeping one eye on the depth gauge. We went through at dead low tide seeing 5 1/2 feet-
7 feet through much of the channel, thankful for the lead boat. The published waypoints
seemed to be accurate and trustworthy. It was a beautiful day and we watched the starfish under
us as we passed over them. Most of the day was spent with no land in sight until we pulled into
the anchorage at Great Sale Cay, an island out in the middle of nowhere.
We arrived right at sunset which was beautiful after a long day. Ed and Joyce dinghied over for a lobster tail dinner on our boat.which was wonderful. The stars at night were unbelieveable.

Pulling down the quarantine flag and

hoisting the Bahamaian flag after checking in. 

54 miles


Sunday, Dec. 9

We had a wonderful quiet night at anchor. The new anchor holds very well, being hard
to pull up. Carol went for a swim off the back of the boat first thing in the morning  (a little
cool but not bad ). After a long day we headed into White Sound on Turtle Cay right at
dark, very tricky but successful and took a mooring ball for the night, sleeping soundly.
Zero Dollar Day.

"One Love" , the boat we've been traveling with.

70 miles

We be here, Mon!

Monday, Dec. 10

If we actually dropped off the face of the earth I like where we landed. We be here, mon.

Crossover day was Friday and we pulled up the anchor at 5:00 am to go out Lake Worth Inlet
with Ed and Joyce from "One Love". It was dark and a little intimidating as we ventured out
into the Atlantic Ocean. The forcast was for 2 -4 foot waves with occasional 5 footers and
that is exactly what we encountered. We traveled slower than we are capable of but it was
nice to have the company of another boat, especially as experienced as Ed is.
The ride was a bit rolly but not too bad - we don't have anything to compare it to. Lake
Erie is often worse. No one else was crossing with us as they were waiting for calmer weather.
We went through the Gulf Stream fine but it did carry us pretty far north as we were trying to
keep some wind in our sails to help with boat speed. We went through 4 brief showers over
by the Bahamas but no bad winds. The trip took eleven and a half hours and we came in at
West End.
Landfall was special. We came in at 4:30 and the harbor looked very Bahamian, with turquoise
clear water. We had just enough time to clear into customs with C J who helped us complete
the forms and was very helpful. The dock fee was only $55 instead of the $150 we were
expecting which a special blessing. We went over to the marina restaurant for our first rum
drinks and fantastic cracked conch dinner by the water. What a perfect welcome to the Bahamas.

70 miles

Waiting for the Weather Window

Monday, Dec. 3

We pried ourselves away from Vero Beach and headed on down to Peck Lake where
we anchored out and enjoyed the ocean access this spot affords. We finally saw two
manatees today. Peck Lake is a favorite for many people because it is separated from
the ocean by just a narrow strip of land with easy dinghy access and extensive undeveloped
beach. It was sunny and fairly warm even right at the ocean and we walked the beach,
picking up shells to make Christmas ornaments. There was only one other couple there
most of the time we were there.
We are anchored with nine other boats for the night.

The ICW version of highway billboards.

 

The dinghy landing at Peck Lake.

 

Enjoying the deserted beach.

 

42 miles


Tuesday, Dec. 4

Last night was more exciting than we wanted. After dark the wind picked up and when
I checked to see how we were setting to the anchor I suddenly realized we were dragging
and close to another boat and a navigation light in a very shallow spot. It was very dark
and hard to tell our location and the position of the other boats in the area, but we needed
to raise our anchor,find a good spot and reset the anchor. It was a bit hairy but after two
tries we got the anchor set again, only without our trust in the anchor now. We took turns
staying up and watching things until 4:00 am and then went to bed. It held OK but we
decided to bite the bullit and buy a Manson Supreme anchor right away.
We went through seven opening bridges today with four of them having restricted opening
times which you have to time carefully, usually hurrying to make the next bridge by the
scheduled time, which can sometimes be stressful. For us today it was not much of an
issue. We tend to not mind the bridges as much as most people do.  The days run was fairly
short and we saw some gorgeous homes down here at Hobe Sound and North Palm
Beach, very high end areas. The water in Hobe Sound was beautiful and clear, getting us
psyched for the famous clear Bahamas water to come.
We decided to stay at Old Port Cove Marina after hearing some great reviews and the fact
they have a nice Boat US discount. We needed to fuel up for the crossing and get our
batteries charged completely. This marina has the nicest docks I've ever seen and the
staff is super. Theer are lots of megayachts around here and they are amazing. Our boat is
dwarfed by them.
The first thing we did when we got here was to visit the West Marine less than a mile
away and buy a 45 pound Manson Supreme anchor, which the marina help were kind
enough to stop and pick up and deliver to our boat. How's that for service? The anchor
is now installed and we are looking forward to being able to anchor with confidence in
the future. The Manson has fantastic reviews, has outperformed all competitors, and all
who have one swear by it.
Right now we plan on leaving 4:00 am Friday to head over to the Bahamas, according
to the weather forcast and will be traveling with "One Love", a catamaran with a great
couple we have met recently. They have made the crossing multiple times. For the next
couple of months over there our cell phones will not be usable but we will often have
internet access for emails and Skype. Perhaps we will get a Bahamian cell phone while
there but it will be best to reach us by email. It will be a few days before we reach
internet access so I will update everyone then.

The new anchor ready to be installed. We hope

it lives up to its reputation.

 

Finally storing our cold weater clothes and comforter

using the vacuum Zip Lock bags, a geat space saver.

 

23 miles ( 2160 miles total ) 

"Velcro Beach"

Saturday, Dec. 1

"Velcro Beach" ( Vero Beach ) has managed to snare us. This city has a reputation for
how many cruisers stop here for one or two nights while traveling through and then
wake up one day a month or two later and realize they are still here. The marina has a
 small number of docks but a large number of mooring balls where they put as many as
three boats rafted together. It is a protected harbor with a good dinghy dock, nice weather
in a warm winter area, good laundry and bath facilities, and free bus service to connect
boaters with the rest of the city and easy provisioning. Quite a few people spend extended
time here as their destination. There is an active art community here and a good weekly
farmer's market which we availed ourselves of this morning. We have been here since
Wednesday and intend to stay until Monday. We are rafted off with "Blackthorn" a
couple from Massachusetts who have been cruising extensively for the last few years
and are experienced at making the trip over to the Bahamas from here. They have been
a wealth of info for us.
This area is also a place of reconnecting with others we have met along the way. We got
to spend some good time yesterday with a couple from Canada on "Eagles Wings" we
had met back in Waterford, NY at the end of the Erie Canal.
Thursday, Reichenbachs drove over from Lake Wales for the day and graciously ferried
us around the area getting groceries for provisioning and to Melbourne airport to obtain
special documentation (Local Boater Option) that makes it much easier for us on our return
to the US in the spring.
Another project we completed here was to find a print shop to make a vinyl boat name sign
for the stern of our boat. Patty at "Patty's Print Shop" was extremely gracious in making
it for us with only a half hour wait and at a very reasonable price. When overtaking vessels
would pass us on the ICW they would always hail us as "the southbound sailboat from
Geneva, Ohio" because our boat name was displayed only on the sides and not from the
back. Now they can hail us as "Legacy", which is easier to respond to. Carol had requested
this a while back and we were able to take care of it here (I maybe got some points for
this?).
The last several days of traveling we have encountered hundreds of signs with the
"manatee posting". They take it very seriously here.
Monday we plan to head further south where we hope to leave Friday or Saturday morning
for the Bahamas. That is the present weather forcast, which can certainly change.
The last few mornings we have enjoyed being able to have our morning coffee out in the
cockpit in short sleeves.

IPhone, our main navigational device at the helm.

 

Rafted off with "Blackthorn", tied tightly together.

 

Making ourselves known in the future to passing vessels.

 

The ubiquitous manatee signs.

 

75 miles

Thanksgiving Break

Tuesday, Nov.20 - Monday, Nov.26

Our good friends Pat and Doug Reichenbach came from their home in Lake Wales to pick
us up at Titusville Marina to spend some time with them at their home in central Florida.
This is our first time away from the boat for a few days and it has been enjoyable.
It seemed strange to travel in a car again, live in a house,watch TV, and go to movies.
On Thanksgiving day we were joined by Jerry and Mary Bailey for a great dinner with
pumpkin pie, turkey and all the trimmings. What a blessing.
While there we got to spend a couple of hours visiting Mike and Chris Link and absorbing
all the knowledge they have gained from two trips out to the Abacos.They loaned us their
Chartbooks and cruising guides which will be very helpful as we plan our upcoming jump
out to the Bahamas. Reading the books renews our excitement as we get ready for the next
phase of our adventure. The trip so far has been full of adventure but we are looking forward
to getting over there.
We have another 140 miles until we get to our jump- off site which we intend to cover in three
days of travel. The important thing is to be ready when the proper weather window presents
itself so we intend to hang out at Lake Worth near West Palm Beach.  We will be anchoring
tomorrow night which we haven't done as much because of the lousy weather but are
looking forward to.
The boat has set here fine at Titusville but today we received the part we had ordered and
will leave tomorrow for an anchorage half way to Vero Beach. The last few days have been
very pleasant with daytime temps in the mid 70s and quite a bit of sunshine. We were actually
in shorts today and rode our bikes all over town visiting the hardware and our favorite donut
shop.
While in Lake Wales Carol got to help decorate a Christmas tree. Our normal traditions will
not be observed on this trip so this was a nice touch.

Thanksgiving with Doug, Mary, Jerry, Roger, Pat, and Carol

 

Getting our Christmas decorating fix

 

Re- provisioning with the help of friends.

 

A local osprey that likes to hang out all day at the

top of a mast nearby.

 

 

 

Heading towards Thanksgiving Dinner

Sunday, Nov. 18

Overnight was a little bouncy and swinging on the mooring ball but not too bad for how
windy it was. Skipper Bob talks about how the ICW often has better weather conditions
as you move on down from St. Augustine which is fairly exposed to the weather coming
off the Atlantic Ocean right there. It did improve some and we are anxious to head down
to Titusville where our good friends Doug and Pat Reichenbach will be picking us up
to spend some time at their place in Lake Wales.
After a long cold day on the water we pulled into Halifax Harbor Marina at Daytona Beach.
They say that if there is a race going on at the Raceway you can hear it from the marina but
there was no race today, only a very quiet town. We rode our bikes to the Old Town area
and over to the DDaytona Beach on the Atlantic and both areas seemed very dead. We're
not sure if it's the economy, the cold weather or maybe everyone stayed home to watch
Sunday football. The marina is nice and well run. We stayed next to a guy from Nova Scotia
who sails up there in the summer and down to the Bahamas in the winter by himself while
his wife stays home where the grandkids live. He was a nice interesting guy, about 65.

53 miles


Monday, Nov.19

Today we joined the mass migration southward as we traveled with more other sailboats
than we had seen traveling since back at Dismal Swamp Canal. Many insurance companies
require owners to remain north of Oriental, North Carolina until after Nov.1 due to the
normal hurricane season and after that date the boats travel with a little more urgency.
We plan on heading over to the Bahamas around the second week of December, leaving
from West Palm Beach, FL.
We saw lots of dolphins and white pelicans again today.
Our day today ended at Titusville Municipal Marina, a well-protected marina with a good
weekly rate where we plan to leave the boat for a week while we visit Doug and Pat.
"The Missing Link" belonging to Mike and Chris Link from Madison is in the marina
right next to us and we plan to visit them in Lake Wales, as they live a half mile from
where we will be staying.
We also met a Danish couple traveling to the Abacos the same time as us from the
same departure place in a boat identical to ours. We may go over together.

A single bascule bridge that lifted for us.

48 miles ( 2020 miles total )

St. Augustine

Friday, Nov.16

We had drizzle in the morning before leaving but we once again made good time with a
favorable current. We went through a narrow cut that was lined with many beautiful homes with docks on the ICW.  Today I got to watch another eagle catch a fish and take it to shore for
his meal.
As we neared St. Augustine it got very windy with a strong current which made it difficult
to grab the mooring ball we would be on for the next two days. With the heavy wind and
currents predicted it was best to get a mooring ball. Also provided with the mooring
rental is free water taxi service to take us to shore. The tough part is that the taxi service
only runs once every two hours, unlike Put-In-Bay which comes whenever you call them,
on demand.
The A1A Brewery across from the marina has always been a favorite of ours so we enjoyed
some good brews and got carryout pizza from Pizza Time to enjoy back at the boat since
the last water taxi run was 5:30 pm.
Saturday was also spent at St. Augustine due to weather and our desire to watch the OSU
football game. We spent all day on shore, taking our own dinghy for flexibility and a late
return to the boat. The motor worked hard to make headway against the wind and currrent.
St. Augustine's old town area has a lot of history but best of all it has good sticky buns at
a place called Bunnery, where we also had a good lunch later. There is a great art gallery
that we enjoyed and then we checked out J.P.Henley which is known for its 70 draft beers
and extensive foreign beer list. The rest of the afternoon/evening was spent next door at
A1A Brewery watching the end of the Michigan game and then the OSO?Wisconsin game.
We envited others to join us at our table while they were waiting for friends and for their
dinner reservations and had some great conversations.
Tonight was the lighting of the Christmas lights in the town, an annual event that brings out
the residents and visitors and the town looks beautiful. Afterwards we dinghied back to our
boat in the dark windy night which was exciting.

Sampling the sticky buns from the Bunnery.

 

Annual lighting ceremony at St. Augustine

33 miles

Jacksonville Beach

Thursday, Nov. 15

Today was a day with lots of dolphin sightings and lots of white pelicans along withbrown
pelicans. It was cool and cloudy all day but we had a helping current most of the way.
We stayed at Harbortown Marina which was built mainly as a marina for those that live
in the beautiful expensive condos surrounding it. They have built a few docks for transients
and some of the empty owner docks are also rented out. The marina is very nice and protected
and close to shopping, accessible with our bikes. There are no bathrooms/showers but the
price is good and Jim, the harbormaster is friendly. There is a great availability of fresh
vegetables and fruit at the Fresh Market nearby.

29 miles

Traveling the Shallow Waters of Georgia

Tuesday, Nov. 13

These waters in Georgia seem remote and wild with mostly wide open areas of marsh grass
and meandering streams and rivers in a land that seems part land, part water. We see very
few houses along much of the way but lots of egrets, pelicans, dolphins, terns,and gulls.
Today we left at high tide to make good time with a follwing current and make Creighton
Narrows at half tide. The plan worked and we were able to successfully navigate some
pretty shallow spots.
We ended our day's journey anchored  the marsh in Back River, where a dolphin was
"strand feeding".  This is done by the dolphins chasing fish onto the river bank where they
are stranded and become "easy pickin's". Very quiet night at anchor with one other boat
joining us at this spot.
Zero dollar day.

40 miles


Wednesday, Nov. 14

We awoke to a hazy slightly foggy morning. We actually left before sunrise because of the
need to traverse the section that has the reputation for the worst area of the ICW. This is due
to severe shoaling, having depths of only three and a half feet at low tide. This doesn't work
well for a boat that is over five feet deep no matter how soft the bottom is. The solution to
navigating areas such as this Little Mud River ( sounds less intimidating than "Hell Gate",
but isn't) is to go through them at high tide. Right now Georgia is having really high daily
tidal ranges of ten feet. This means a spot in the river can be dry at low tide but be ten feet
deep at high tide. This means that by carefully using the tides, waiting when necessary, and
being patient and willing to travel at the times of day that work, one can make it through
the state of Georgia on the ICW. Also, anyone on blood pressure medication may want to
make sure they have an adequate supply on board.
We went by Jekyll Island today but continued on as we had visited there by land this spring.
The boat is anchored securely in a side river, the Brickhill River, tonight as a strong wind
is forcast to hit us during the night. We are beside Cumberland Island, all national park
land with wild horses and untouched beaches.
Zero dollar day.

ICW marker on a high pole at low tide

but nearly under water at extra high tide.

47 miles

Swinging on the Hook

Wednesday, Nov.14

High tide comes approximately every 12 hours and low tides occur in between these
high tides. This causes tidal currents that greatly affect the movement of your vessel
and how it moves and swings to the anchor that holds it to a spot of ground under
the water. It takes a great deal of trust to go to sleep at night, relying on the anchor
to keep the boat in the same spot all night. It takes even more trust on a very windy
night like last night when we were ready to go to bed. Wind seems to gain strength
when it's dark and you can't get your bearings.
The tidal change every 6 hours causes big swings in a boat at anchor and a wind
that opposes the tidal current adds a special dimension to the experience. All that
to say we didn't sleep as well last night. The good news - we trust our anchor more
than before, as it held securely.
We had planned on spending some time this morning on Cumberland Island but had
to pass, literally, on account of the weather. We will stop there in the spring on our
way back through. Instead we continued on to Fernandina Beach, and are now in
Florida.
Right before crossing the Cumberland Sound we passed Kings Bay submarine base
at St. Mary's, Georgia. There were several surface craft there but we only saw one
submarine back in the bay. With the heavy wind , opposing current and the ocean
inlet right there at the Cumberland Sound it made for a rather exciting ride until we
made it into our dock at Fernandina Beach Marina. We fueled first and the outside
face dock was very rough with waves and the worst current situation we have had
so far. We learned some new techniques for docking, using spring lines and fenders.
There are lots of small shops and restaurants in this town and it seems more lively
than the other towns.
We met a young couple here from New York City that married two years ago,
bought an older sailboat, and have taken a three month trip on it down to Florida.
They will sell the boat in Florida and go back to New York but wanted to do this
before starting a family and settling down. They are both architects and were able
to take the time off.

20 miles

Georgia On My Mind

Sunday, Nov. 11

After a great time in Hilton Head we headed off for Georgia, which has a reputation
for the most problem spots on the ICW ( interpretation: shallow and seldom dredged ).
It also has mostly mostly remote, wilderness waterways bordered by lots of marsh grass.
Georgia has the highest tides of all the areas with tides of 10 feet while we were going
through which, while nerve-wracking, can be used to advantage. An area that is dry
ground at low tide can be traversed at high tide if you are patient and time your passage
accordingly. This requires constant vigilance regarding the charts and the tide tables so
it has kept my mind occupied. I think it is a good exercise to stave off Alzheimer's. We
were able to traverse everything and only drug once, in Hell Gate. Don't you love the
names of some of these places. The mud bottom is so soft it has been described as
plowing through pudding when you touch.
We stayed the night at Kilkenny Creek Marina, a place with a large indigenous population
of no-see-ums. Before being chased inside by them we enjoyed watching all the Sunday
fisherman retrieve their boats from the river. Here because of the large tidal range an
overhead hoist launches and retrives the boats and drops them onto their trailers. They
have the system so well practiced they are nearly as quick as most people are capable of
when using a ramp. Most of the sport fisherman I've observed in the rivers and bays on
our trip have not been catching many fish like I'm used to seeing up on Lake Erie.
When leaving Hilton Head in the morning we were greeted by a pair of dolphins outside
the marina. So far on our trip we have seen more dolphins in Calibogue Sound by
Hilton Head than any where else.

Kilkenny boat launch

52 miles

Hilton Head Island

Saturday, Nov.10

It was great to spend time with Jerry and Debby Caldwell here as we were able to
connect with them while they were in town. We spent our first night off the boat since
leaving Madison and slept well although the bed didn't rock at all like we are used to.
After a great breakfast out in their outdoor room we headed back to the boat and
made the 10 mile trip to Harbortown Marina. After so many years looking at other
peoples' boats in the harbor it was a joy to be experiencing things from the other
side. There was live music being performed all afternoon by a group under The
Century Tree, a landmark here at Harbortown. On our trip here, out in Calibugue
Sound we saw lots of dolphins. This is a prime area for them.
It was sunny and 70 degrees here today, a welcome respite from the unseasonable
cold we've been experiencing.
These short days are shrinking our usable day so we plan on leaving pretty early
as we head into Georgia, a state with 8 -9' tides and many shallow spots in the
Waterway.

Docked in Harbortown next to the famous lighthouse.

 

We are one of the sailboats to the left and that is

the #18 green from Harbortown Golf Course,

home of the Heritage Golf Tournament.

 

10 miles

Lowcountry, South Carolina

Monday, Nov. 5

We left at the right time to catch the 9:30 bridge just below Charleston, which worked
out alright since we didn't have a very long day ahead of us. We spent the day in the
Stono River which is very curvy but fairly wide. Most homes along here are set back
from the river, with long boardwalks over the salt marsh to the river's edge. We had a
couple of dolphin sightings and by early afternoon had found our way a couple of
miles up Tom Point Creek and set our anchor in a quiet secluded spot with no one in
sight. We saw pied - billed grebes around the marsh grass and pelicans and heard owls
at night.
Right after dark a small fishing boat came to fish for a while near us but aother than that
it was just us out in the salt marsh. Overnight it started raining and was dreary so we
decided to stay put another day. We had high tides and strong currents in the creek but
the anchor held good. The second afternoon a pair of dolphins came over to the boat,
their blowing catching my attention as I was reading in the cockpit. They were noiseless
as they approached except for their breathing.

Marker at the entrance to a fixed bridge that indicates

the vertical clearance at that time (we need 60'). It

changes throughout the day, according to the tides.

29 miles


Wednesday, Nov.7

We left our anchorage at low tide in order to arrive at the shallow spots in the rivers
when they were at high tide. It was 41 degrees in the cabin this morning and this day
proved to be the coldest day in the cockpit yet. We had all our winter gear on, including
clothes we purchased during our trip since we had not planned on this much cold
weather. Previous blogsites we have followed all said the one mistake they made was
in bringing too many warm clothes on the trip. Well, we certainly weren't going to make
that mistake. I'm chalking it up to this fall being colder than normal. Seems like the
farther south we travel the colder it gets. Perhaps our compass is off and we've been
going the wrong direction.
When we arrived at Ladys Island Marina at Beaufort we were pleased to learn there
was a place within a half mile where we could get our propane tank refilled. Our first
tank had emptied only the day before after two months of use, amazingly, and it can
be difficult to find places to fill them. We were able to strap it to the carrier on our bike,
once again amusing the locals.
Beaufort has a nice downtown area and many historic beautiful homes which we enjoyed
seeing from our bikes.

44 miles


Thursday, Nov. 8

Today we had a short trip to Hilton Head Island, an area we've enjoyed visiting for
many years as Carol's brother and family have lived here. It was fun to view things
from the water aspect since this is an island and it gives a different perspective. We
approached the island at Dolphin Head Point and right on cue a dolphin swam over
to greet us. We've seen quite a few dolphins but they still excite us when we see them.
We are staying at Skull Creek Marina, right in Hilton Head Plantation where the
Caldwells still have a house and enjoyed riding our bikes around the places we know.

Skull Creek Marina, Hilton Head Island

 

Lowcountry sunset, taken from Windows on the Waterway

 

20 miles

Isle of Palms and Charleston

Friday, Nov.2

We left late because we planned on anchoring in Five Fathom Creek, only 30 miles
away and we would catch better tides. We traveled through the Romain National
Wildlife Refuge, an important area of bird migration and were rewarded with lots of
bird sightings: eagles, egrets, pelicans, ducks, terns and gulls. We also saw a dolphin.
When we stopped to anchor in the creek it was very exposed and with the 25 mph winds
and strong current we were not able to get our anchor to set like we wanted so we
decided to continue on to Isle of Palms Marina, another 30 miles further. When the
wind and current are both strong and in opposite directions it can make anchoring very
difficult. By the way, Betty, the headsets have been a big help during setting and
weighing anchor. This area of the ICW has wide areas of low marsh grass on both sides.
After a long day of strong headwinds we made it to Isle of Palms right at sunset and it
a nice marina next to a large restaurant with live music ( but good music, which we
enjoyed ). We were right next to a very busy boat launch ramp and enjoyed watching
the locals coming and going in their fishing boats.

Being watched by an eagle in the wildlife refuge.

62 miles


Saturday, Nov.3

We decided to spend a couple days touring Charleston so we had a short trip today,
passing Fort Sumter on our way to the Charleston City Marina which gives good
access to the city. There is a complimentary shuttle service from the marina but we
chose to use our bikes to tour the city. It is amazing how many historic preserved
homes are here and we really enjoy riding the streets and seeing the sights. The side
streets are very quiet and easy to ride on. We visited Market Street and visited two
pubs while viewing the OSU game.

Some of the beautiful historic homes along the waterfront.

 

Watching OSU while testing the local brew.