June 2, 2008

Hi all--from just north of Charleston, SC We've had a fun and busy week! The City of Green Cove Springs had a wonderful Memorial Day Fireworks display last Monday evening, which we enjoyed from the deck of Young America. A very nice sendoff for us! On Tuesday morning, we picked Tarryn and her friend Megan up from the JAX airport, and brought them to the boat. Had a fun day and evening--we motored back to the Outback Crab Shack, then anchored the boat across the river from the dock and had our first sleep over guests! The bed worked just fine, they said! So did the deck, for sunning! Wed. am, the girls drove away, heading for Newburgh in the 'Burb' and we drove away 12 minutes later in the boat! We made it all the way to Jacksonville that day--29 miles! Tied up at the town dock and treated ourselves to a water taxi ride and a really nice dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House. Another couple was with us on their Mirage Boat named Avocet. It was a very pleasant evening. Thursday we were up and at 'em, and followed Avocet as far as Fernandina Beach, the northernmost part of FL. They stopped there, and we went on to Jeckyll Island, GA. Saw my first manatee there--a huge guy who did all the things people have said manatees do--he held the hose and drank fresh water, rolled over to have his belly scratched and generally entertained all who gathered. Silly looking animal, it is! We listened to the Wharf Ratz play live music from the clubhouse --a young crowd that rocked far into the night! Friday morning we took a little side trip around the Island--a bellman from the hotel came and picked us up so we could have brunch and see where the Rockefellers, Morgans, Pulitizers etc had 'cottages' (20 or so bedroom 'cottages'). Lovely old homes and beautiful gardens. Got a ride back to the boat and we were off again. The next island we passed is St. Simons--home of the bellman we met in the morning. He reminded us that Pres. Carter used that island for a Little White House--and that a G8 summit was held there. The natives were most unhappy--didn't want their island discovered! Friday evening we anchored in Kilkenney Creek. it was beautifully quiet and our anchor held perfectly! We would have had an early start except that the engines didn't run! We'd been bounced around a bit crossing a couple of Sounds, and think that the fuel tank got stirred up. Changing the filters cleared the problem, and away we went! We are having fun with the navigating and driving of the boat--there is electronic navigational equipment that Fred is learning to use (and I less so) but we also have the tried and true paper charts out with the little brass pelican marking our location as we move from mile to mile! We went through many rivers and crossed many sounds in GA. Often we found ourselves looking out toward Portugal, as the Sound we were crossing emptied into the North Atlantic, In the late afternoon, we crossed the Savannah River, thereby meeting the insurance requirement that we be North of Savannah and presumably out of the Hurricane Season by June 1. We went on past the city of Savannah, and crossing the Calibogue Sound, docked at Hilton Head Island. Very busy, very noisy, and very nice, and we ate and slept and were off again by 9:30 Sunday morning. Sixty some miles (and 10 hours) later we put the anchor down in Tom's Point Creek. The sunset was magnificent, as we ate dinner on the deck. The thunder and lightning started at 1 am, just as I was putting down my book and Fred was closing the computer. The tide was out--way out--the water was 6' lower than when we'd anchored, and the mud was rising. Fortunately, we stayed in a foot or so of water until the tide changed and by 8 am we once again had 8 feet of H20 beneath us. We motored back to the N. Edisto River, past Toogoodoo Creek, up the Coosaw River to the Ashepoo-Coosaw Cutoff and the Ashepoo River, thence to the Stono River and the Elliott Cut (Wapoo Creek) to the Ashley River at Charleston! Aren't the names great? The Charleston harbor was calm and quiet, and soon we were passing Mt. Pleasant and arriving at the Isle of Palms Marina. Chase, the dockmaster, is an adorable young man who graduated with a Bsns and Corp,. Communications degree, wore a suit for two months, and snapped at a job with boats and water. He's not sure that his mom and dad are too happy, but he certainly is! And that is the saga of the beginning of our trip. We're loving each day---and looking forward to our next trip down the waterway when we'll take time to explore more of the little side creeks and towns! This is a great introductory course, though! So long for now.... Linda and Fred