Isle of Palms 32 48.330N 79 45.574W

It was dead calm all night and we both had a great nights sleep. The only disappointment of the morning was that sometime during the night the inverter tripped out (so the frig stopped running) with the batteries still at 63%, suggesting once again that we will be investing in new house batteries when in Charleston. We "solved" the problem by starting a generator, and then we were on our way by about 10AM.

Elliot Cut

 The Isle of Palms is a few miles north of Charleston harbor, but all up we only had about 25 miles to travel for the day. We were pretty familiar with the area, having boated hereabouts when we lived on the IOP. It was a pretty straight forward run, the only interesting bit being Elliot Cut on Wappoo Creek where the tidal current can get up to 5 or 6 knots if you don't time it right. We arrived an hour or so before high tide and the current was only a knot or two against us, so it was no issue.

Charleston skyline from the west

Once through Elliot Cut we started to see the skyline of the city and the familiar land marks. The new cable stayed bridge looks fantastic, plus there was a cruise ship in town.

Crossing the harbor took about 1/2 an hour and then we were back on the ICW. First landmark was Tolers Cove where we used to keep the Rybovich. Then Gold Bug Island where the rehearsal dinner for Kylie and Ryan's wedding was held. The IOP Marina was only a few miles further.

Tolers Cove Marina

We have rented a private slip in Morgan Creek on the IOP for the month, but we were 2 days early. I thought the slip was unoccupied and so arriving early would not be an issue, but Kylie checked and there was still a yacht in the slip. So we reluctantly decided to rent a transit slip for Sunday night, anchor out Monday night and claim our slip Tuesday.

We docked at the Marina and enjoyed our reunion with the kids and Oliver their dog. We did the boat tour and enjoyed some beers before going ashore and catching up with old friends on the street. Then back to the boat for barbecue dinner with the kids. We were docked right next to the IOP City launching ramp, and it was a nice warm Sunday, so we were treated with a stream of boats and sunburned humanity all afternoon and into the evening.

Cooking the burgers

Looking west into Morgan Creek from the marina.

Too Goo Doo Creek 32 40.204N 80 17.476W

Let's not do that again.

It all worked out OK in the end, but being on the bulkhead was a hassle. The wall was rather rough, the tide was about 6' (so we needed to monitor the fenders all night), and we were right where the "action" was so there were people wandering about all night. Also, it was hard for Deidre to get on and off the boat, and so when we were invited for dinner we declined. But Deidre and I managed to get off the boat this morning and walk into town for breakfast. And that was good. I did not get a great nights sleep - I seemed to be up and prowling with the flashlight every hour or so.

Travelling Companion

Its a new day (Saturday April 28)

We were under way by 10AM and the conditions were perfect. The water was like glass. We were only about 50 miles (as the crow flies) from Charleston, and we had decided to make it two easy days. Coincidentally there were a bunch of trawlers in Beaufort that night, and so we had plenty of company on the water, and there was lots of radio chatter. Most were bound for Charleston, so we bid farewell over the radio as we veered off into this creek.

This seems to be a great anchorage - nice and wide, protected from a very mild south wind and a sandy bottom to anchor in. We are getting better at anchoring and the whole thing went off well. So we have a relaxing afternoon planned.

Entering Too Goo Doo Creek

Tomorrow we will reach Charleston. It will be fun to approach the IOP from the water. Kylie called us this afternoon with the news that there is a boat in "our dock" and so maybe we will not be able to take possession on Sunday (the 29th) as planned. I have emailed the owner - lets see what he says.

Beaufort, SC 32 25.800N 80 40.346 W

Up against the wall!

This morning about 6AM I was sure I felt some one on the boat. I grabbed my flashlight ("torch") and headed upstairs to the deck. Nothing seemed amiss as I peeked out into the aft deck, and that's when I saw it. The newspaper had been delivered! Such a cool place.

We reluctantly pulled out of Harbor Town about Noon. We had spent the morning over a pot of coffee and the paper. Later in the morning I had washed down the hull with "free water" and cleaned windows and filled the water tank. Deidre did 4 loads of wash, made the bed and vacuumed the Salon, Galley and RPH. It was a relaxing and productive morning.

We headed out about Noon. We were planning a short run - about 4 hours to Beaufort, SC. We had boated to Beaufort before in the Bayliner, from Charleston, and had fun memories. It was a beautiful day - AT LAST - blue sky, a 5-10 kt breeze, lots or porpoises and even a manta ray.

The bulkhead - Beaufort, SC

Beaufort has a marina ($1.75 per foot) and a bulkhead ($0.50 per foot) and some places to anchor out. We chose the bulkhead, it looked OK.

There were some people wandering along as we approached and Deidre yelled out "catch this" and tossed them a line, with the specific instruction: "Tie it to something!"

View from the aft deck

That was a couple of hours ago when the tide was about 50%. Now its about 90% and I feel we are in an elevator with windows. All we can see is dead mussel shells! We were invited by a bunch of trawler people to join them for dinner, but had to admit that we could not get off the boat!

(Actually its not so bad. Deidre is making a Boboli Pizza in the Microwave Convection oven, and those are good.)

We do want to go out for breakfast, as we have great memories of breakfast with Sue and Bruce at a local "greasy spoon" and we want to relive the experience. So I have been experimenting with different approaches for Deidre to get off the boat in the AM when the tide will be a bit higher.

We managed to get to breakfast. Tide Hiker managed to make an appearance as the tide rolled in. (Who is the short, fat old guy in the photo?)

Harbor Town, Hilton Head.32 08.281 N, 80 48.649 W

Bliss (and Internet Access!)

Hilton Head

We have decided that this is really the perfect marina.  It's a resort marina on a resort island, run by Hilton. It ain't cheap, but we deserve it, and we are out of the wind! Plus, we arrived really early so we get our full 24 hours. One example of why its worth it - they sent an attendant into the channel in a "tinny" to lead us in. He jumped onto our dock ahead of us, took the lines from Deidre, tied us up and presented us with a bottle of red wine. Not bad.

We came here with our friends the Clements in the Bayliner maybe a dozen years ago and we have great memories of that trip and our stay here. There are a dozen restaurants (we have a 10% coupon too!) and we are planning to eat out tonight. And maybe breakfast tomorrow! Since we are hooked up for electricity and water, Deidre is doing a few loads of wash and I have given the front of the boat a bath. There is strong WiFi so I can catch up on the blog. We have returned from the wilderness!

Coastal Cruise Ships.

We have noticed these "mini" cruise ships in several ports now, and also have come across one on the ICW. This one is "parked" at Hilton Head. If it is still here when we leave tomorrow I will get a closer photo. There was also one at Fernandina Beach. They seem to have about 3 rows of 6 cabins on either side and carry silver haired people that are happy to wave at us.

We are now only about 60 miles (as the crow flies) from Charleston. We plan to do it in 3 days, stopping for a night in Beaufort, the next night at anchor,  and arrive at the IOP on Sunday. Ky has the day off, so plans to meet us. We will then have a long week before Deidre heads to Australia.

Wright River 32 03.045 N, 80 58.473 W

Big Marsh Flies

I like to pilot the boat from the Flying Bridge. I can see the world better from up there, and its just "more outside". Deidre is not so keen because its high, and when the boat pitches around she feels a bit insecure. But today was special, because we were attacked by marsh flies, AKA horse flies. There were a lot of them and they bite you if you lower your guard, so both of us retreated inside.

Just about all the Georgia coast line is marsh, and it extends deep into the interior. There are pockets of "civilization", but not much. If you are in the right mood, then it can be beautiful and intriguing. If you are fighting off big biting flies, then maybe not so much. There are few signs of civilization and very few lights at night.

Anchored in a tidal creek for the night

Deidre is Amazing.

Last night we had sweet and sour chicken for dinner. Monday night we had pork loin with roasted potatoes.  When navigation gets awkward, Deidre sits behind me in the RPH and calls the course corrections. When we anchor the boat she runs the boat from the flying bridge while I mess with the anchor and chain. When we dock she handles the lines and calls instructions to me. When we go to bed she says “Don’t worry about the wind, we are fine”.  What a woman!

A bit of traffic.

We saw a bit of traffic today, and a couple of bridges. We needed to overtake this barge - easier said than done because he was running about 7 kts and we were running at about 8 kts, so the whole process seemed to take hours. I talked to the driver on the radio, and he was pleasant enough, but we were not his concern. As we drew alongside, we were intrigued by the items on the barge, so radioed the tug and asked the captain what they were. He responded "No clue, something for the defense department". (Maybe I should not publish this photo!)

Today we ran for only 5.6 engine hours (Take almost an hour from that for dropping and recovering the anchor) and made it to St. Augustine creek by about 4 PM. We are still being dogged by wind. It is really starting to piss me off.  It does not bother me much when we are underway, but finding a decent protected anchorage with enough depth difficult. Today we are in a creek that is barely wide enough plus it is used by local boat traffic and they seem upset that we have parked our ample beam in “their” channel. The positive side is that we are becoming a better team at anchoring, and Deidre is really picking up how to handle the boat controls.

I had a snooze on the couch after dropping the anchor and so we did not sit for dinner in the RPH until about 7PM. As we ate, I was sure I could see the bank "sliding past" - this observation was quickly verified by the GPS. The bloody wind and the tide flow was teaming up on our anchor and it was losing. The dinner table was quickly abandoned as we jumped to the "get the engines running and the anchor in before we are blown aground" mode. As we got the anchor up we then became aware (across the marsh) of this "big old bloody ship" heading our way. No mind we were in a "named anchorage" (whatever that means) and here was this 200' long rusty ship heading our way, filling the whole creek. Fortunately we were underway and could maneuver, so I hailed "it" on the radio to make a passing plan - no answer - and I hailed 4 times with the same result. So we just headed for the bank and got out of the way. As it went by it became apparent that it was some sort of offshore "Casino" cruiser. 

That was it for us. Big tide, lots of wind, bad holding and traffic. We decided to move, late or not. Deidre had picked out another potential anchorage about 5 miles away but on the other side of the Savannah River, so we headed for that. We crossed the Savannah river in the dusk, it seemed a complicated route, and we did not run into any container ships. It was dark when we finally made it to the Wright River and we dropped anchor in the dark and it "took" first try. All a bit nerve wracking, but it was a better spot so we were set for the night. Happy ending.

Kilkenny Creek 34 46.710N 81 11.018W

I am so fed up with this bloody wind! We just do not seem to get away from it. It is really starting to get under my skin. It is not so bad when we are moving, but finding a protected anchorage and making sure that the anchor does not drag becomes a chore!

We made it to an anchorage in Kilkenny Creek today. Apart from the wind, it was a pleasant enough ride.

Each afternoon we find ourselves scouring the charts for an anchorage that is deep enough ( 10' to 20' is good) that is wide enough (we put out at least about 100' feet of chain so we need 200' of swing room - assuming the bottom is level  and it usually is not) that has good holding bottom (we like sand and have become wary of soft mud) AND that gives us some protection from the bloody wind. But a problem is that there are no (or few) trees, so even though we may be tucked in behind an "island", the "island" may be only 2' above the water and so offers little protection. Oh well, its good to some times remember we are doing this for fun!

This location had some extra appeal in that another mile or so up the creek there was a 'fishing camp" style marina that we could run to in a pinch. Was not needed, but it was there.

Darien, GA 31 22.040 N, 81 26.112 W

Darien, GA Monday April 23

We departed Umbrella Creek this morning after two nights at anchor. It blew like a SOB just about all day Sunday and Sunday night. Our anchor was holding OK, but I was a bit spooked by the strength of the gusts that when it was time for bed I sat up in the Pilot House with a couple of pillows and the iPad. It was so black out that I could not see the shore, but the iPad showed our location down to a couple of feet so after every howling gust I had a look to be sure we had not dragged. During the afternoon Deidre and I had gone up on the Flying Bridge and removed all the plastic to reduce our "sail". I should have had more faith, Tide Hiker held her ground. By about 2 AM the wind seemed to die down so I went to sleep. I woke up at about 4AM and all was calm, so I went below to bed.

The forecast for today was not much better, but we just wanted to get moving. It seems easier to move that to park, so we recovered the anchor and were on our way by 9AM. We had a lot of chain out - maybe 150' in 15' of water, and the tide and wind were still rolling, so the recovery took some time, with me on the bow and Deidre at the controls. She is getting quite deft at moving the boat towards the anchor, and we got it up without blowing the breaker.

It was good to get underway. It was sunny but so windy and cold (the storm had reduced the night time temp to high 40's and when we got underway it was only 52 degrees) that I decided to run the boat from the Pilot House - the first time ever. We got away early because the tide would peak about 10:30 AM and we had a couple of "trouble spots" to get over with the extra water.

The Georgia part of the ICW is a bit tricky. There are only a few towns and the ICW winds thru the marsh and tidal rivers. I steer the boat following the day markers and the chart plotter, and at the tricky spots Deidre sits behind me with the iPad, calling instructions. As I have mentioned previously, Tide Hiker is a bit windy, and seems to be tipped 10 degrees depending upon where the wind is coming from. It bothers me.

After the last couple of nights we did not feel like anchoring out again. There is virtually no civilization around here, but Deidre found the historic town of Darien mentioned in a few of the cruising books. It is an old town, about 10 miles inland up the winding Darien River. They have a municipal dock, so we turned off the ICW at Day Marker Green 183 and headed inland.

Tide Hiker in Darien

It took about 10 calls to get anybody to answer the phone. But eventually someone did, and yes, we could park the boat at the city dock but there would be no one there to take our lines. That makes it hard for  us - the wind is still blowing, the tide is racing, and Deidre does not do well jumping from a moving boat to dock. But as luck would have it there were a couple of "locals" crabbing off the dock, and they helped us - ever so slowly, but it got accomplished.

These days Darien is a bit of a back water, but the town has an interesting history. It was settled by Scottish Highlanders in the early 1700's and a fort was built to defend against the Spanish in Florida. The Spanish were the losers at the battle of Bloody Marsh in 1742 but the British burned the place down during the revolution. There was obviously a lot of money in cotton and timber that the town was rebuilt, only to be burned down by Sherman in the civil war. Which just goes to show how crazy the human race has become.

Safe arrival snooze

Tonight we will eat at "Skipper's Fish Camp". As you can see from the previous photo, we are right next to the shrimp fleet, so the sea  food should be OK.

There is only one small complication. I just put a blanket on the Admiral, and she is out like a light.