Adventures of Dragon Lady

It was a long and exhausting day; we left Georgetown at 6:00 and went through narrow, meandering rivers with mainly trees on each side.  The current was against us all day which significantly slowed our pace.  Closer to Myrtle Beach we saw beautiful homes with docks, condos, and even some affordable houses.  There were turtles on logs in the water but no dolphins riding our bow wave today.  We had to go through 14 bridges and only 3 had to open for us.  Finally at 3:00 we docked at the huge Myrtle Beach Yacht Club. Now to rest before dinner.

Another relaxing day- we can’t complain!  We had morning coffee downtown while the laundry was washing, then took a mile and a half hike to the Piggly Wiggly to pick up bottled water and fresh fruit.  After a lunch on board we walked to our favorite ice cream store with another cruising couple.  This evening we plan to eat dinner again at Aunny’s- can’t get enough of that good ole southern cooking!  Tomorrow we are off to Myrtle Beach.

This was a relaxing, do-nothing Sunday.  We had coffee at the Grit and Grind this morning, ate lunch at Taqueria El Mariachi, and spent the afternoon confirming our marina plans for the week and checking bridge-opening schedules.  Now for “wine time” and dinner on-board.  

We left Isle of Palms at 6:30; thankfully the wind had calmed from yesterday.  There was not much to see today- lots of low country scrub with the occasional tree.  We saw one house that was literally out on an island with nothing around; no noisy neighbors except for the frogs!  We arrived in Harbor Walk Marina at 1:30, tied up the boat, and went into town for some liquid refreshments.  We look forward to spending a few days here just chilling!

It has been a blustery day with winds that rock the boat even when tied to a dock.  We were happy that we had planned to stay here an extra day.  I did laundry, Bryce filled our water tanks, and we took an Uber to the quaint downtown area of the island for lunch at a lovely seafood cafe, Acme Low Country Kitchen. We had a scrumptious southern dish... swordfish on top of corn/cheese risotto and string beans with some sort of lemony cheese sauce on top.  It was a masterpiece and the best dish on our whole trip. If all goes well we will be off to Georgetown tomorrow

We pulled up our anchor at 6:15 as the sky was just starting to get pink.  We had to negotiate tides and a bridge that would not open until 9:30.  All went as planned and we cruised through Charleston Harbor at 11:00 and tied up at Isle of Palms Marina at 11:30 after taking on 50 gallons of diesel.  Tonight we will have dinner at the on-site restaurant, Islander 71.

What a name for a river!  But we have noticed a lot of unusual names for rivers in SC, like Wadmalaw, Dawho, Edisto, Johosssee Island, Stono, etc.  We left the marina at 6:30 and went on a very circuitous route that is the ICW; just low country and not much to see.  We anchored here at 12:30 - not much scenery except for trees and one other sailboat.  A good place to just relax!

Today was a relaxing day.  I did laundry, went to Publix for groceries, napped and walked Suzy.  We are planning to go to a waterfront dive for a beer before supper.  And we are planning our next few stops on the way home.  I have mixed feelings about ending the trip- we will be going back home and to our jobs but also leaving the boat and the cruising lifestyle.

Once again we left our anchorage at 6:30 because of tides.  It rained last night and a cold front moved in, with 55 degree temps in the morning along with a north wind that chilled to the bone.  We both had on several layers of clothing to try to keep warm.  There was not much scenery until close to Beaufort.   I had made reservations for 4 nights at the main marina in Beaufort over 5 days ago and we were looking forward to enjoying the city.  As we approached the marina at 1:30 the dock master said they had no record of our reservations; then they said we were on a waiting list.  After a heated exchange from me we phoned Lady’s Island Marina and got a slip immediately.  So here we are just across the river from Beaufort and we got the nicest reception from the female dock master!  Sometimes things work out okay!

Once again we left at 6:30 just as the sky was beginning to lighten.  This area of Georgia has very high/ low tides and we did not want to ground out in Hell Gate ( yes, that is the real name of this area with very low depths at the best of times).  There was very little scenery until the later part of the trip, when we got closer to Savannah, and then the mansions started, each bigger than the next!  We left the ICW at Herb River and traveled about a mile before anchoring at 2:00 in about 12-15 feet of water.  It is supposed to rain in a few hours and a cold front will move through tonight, bringing much cooler temps for tomorrow.

We left Jekyll Harbor at 6:30 ; wind was calm.  We needed to leave early because of tides in the area; we don’t like coming aground!  There was not much in the way of scenery, just low country scrub.  We had only two high rise bridges to travel under.  Considering this is a Saturday, there were few small boats on the water.  At noon we anchored near Creighton Island in about 13 feet of water.  Did I mention the flies and other bugs! Ugh!  And we need to leave windows and hatches open for the 80+ degrees heat.

We had a relaxing day.  I did laundry in the early morning, then we walked into town and had coffee at Starbucks.  Back to the boat to borrow a golf cart and the off to Tortuga Jack’s for a lunch of Mexican food.  The picture is the nature trail we took to town- lots of Spanish moss on the trees.

Yay!  We finally left Florida!  What a long, long state!  We left Fernandina Harbor at 6:30 while it was still dark.  There was no wind and the “noseeums” were obnoxious!  A guard boat watched us suspiciously as we passed a submarine base on the river. We were sure we would have been sunk if we made the wrong moves. The dreaded St. Catherine’s Sound, which was terrible in November, was very calm this morning.   At 10:30 we tied up at Jekyll Harbor Marina, got diesel, and relaxed. This afternoon we are going into town for much needed groceries and then dinner on the porch of the restaurant here at the marina. On our way to town we stopped to say hello to the resident gator in the little pond near the marina. In the evening we had one of the best seafood dinners we ever had in the marina restaurant.  We dined surrounded by spanish moss draped trees.  Even the hush puppies were extraordinary. ...

We left St. Augustine at 6:30 ; there was no wind but the air was cool.  I start each day with jeans, a turtle neck, warm shirt and light jacket; then as the sun warms up the air, I shed each layer and eventually by noon I change into shorts and t- shirt.  For the first part of the trip we saw only “ low country” vegetation and no houses.  By noon we were seeing big estates with docks backing onto the waterway.  Then around one o’ clock three dolphins began riding our bow- wave, occasionally jumping out of the water.  What a show!  They stayed with us for about a mile.  At 2:00 we were in front of Fernandina Harbor Marina and by 2:30 we were docked.  We felt like having a “ here beer” and went into town to the PJD Beer and Wine Garden.  This is a funky place that has lots of character and is very dog friendly; we enjoyed our brews with a giant hot soft pretzel and dips.  Now we are thinking about dinner at a Mexican restaurant, Peppers. ...

Today was a fun day!  We walked through the historic district of the city and had morning coffee outdoors at a lovely cafe.  Suzy enjoyed the smells and grass on our walk.  We had lunch at Harry’s, a New Orleans restaurant with a lovely shaded eating area among tall trees with Spanish moss and flowering trees.  We ate supper there last night too; the food is so good.   This afternoon we toured a replica of a 16 th century Spanish galleon ship that Ferdinand Magellan sailed around the world.  I am sure glad I live in the 21st century!  Life on a ship like that was very, very hard!  I won’t go into the gory details…

We left Daytona at 6:30 under very calm conditions; it was not quite as cold this morning, but jeans and jackets were still required.  The river was narrow and looked muddy.  We saw on the banks mobile homes, trailers, cinder block cottages, and big mansions with expansive lawns and gardens.  Something for everyone!  We also saw a lot of dolphins- one even jumped clear out of the water (wish I felt that good on a Monday morning!).  We arrived at St. Augustine Municipal Marina at 1:15.  Since we were here in November they now have a replica of an old sailing ship for tours (something to do tomorrow).

It was cold this morning- 63 degrees!  We left Titusville at 6:45 under very still conditions- no wind!  We were both wearing layers of clothing to keep warm.  As the day progressed it gradually warmed up. We passed a number of boat wrecks, the obvious results of failed anchoring for storms.  It seemed like anyone who had a boat was on the water today - from canoes to personal watercraft to large fishing boats- a perfect beach day!  We arrived at Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona at 1:00 .  Not a cloud in the sky!

We left our dock just as the sky lightened at 6:45 .  The Indian River is very wide here but despite it being a Saturday, we saw few boats today.  At 12:30 we arrived at the Titusville Marina and tied up.  We saw a couple of dolphins cavorting near the boats.  A ho-hum day! 

What a difference a day makes!  This morning was calm and sunny.  We left Vero at 7:00 and traveled north on the Indian River; it gets very wide here and we saw loads of dolphins, some riding our bow wave!  I never get tired of seeing them!  We arrived at Melbourne Harbor Marina at 11:30 and tied up.  Time for lunch and a nap.  This evening we plan to go into town for dinner.