It was mostly clear when we left our anchorage at 7:30 am. At 9 am, we stopped at Beaufort’s Downtown Marina to fill up our fuel tanks. Instead of topping off the water tanks, too, we quickly left the fuel dock and headed for the bridge to make it in time for the 9:30 am opening. We just made it and continued on down the waterway grateful for the increasing cloud cover and a little bit more protection from the hot sun. The clouds continued to gather and we could see rain around us. We did experience a brief, but heavy, rain shower during the middle of the afternoon which washed the boat off quite nicely.
It was nearly 7 pm when we anchored for the night at mile 475.5 on the Stono River. We had thought we might make it all the way to Charleston, however, with the strong current against us, the going was slow. The anchoring spot was very quiet and pleasant.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010 – Port Royal, Battery Creek, Mile 541.7, S Carolina ICW
We left our anchorage at Moon River at 8 am and sailed into another warm and sunny day. The breeze was out of the northeast and later out of the east, so it wasn’t much help as we snaked our way through the ICW in South Carolina. We passed by Hilton Head and saw a lot of activity on the water on this gorgeous Sunday afternoon. When we were out in the middle of Port Royal Sound, Gale decided that he needed to go for a swim. The current was pretty strong so we put out a line for him to make sure he didn't float away. After he cooled off, we were on our way again in no time at all.
At 6 pm we dropped the hook in a quiet anchorage at mile 541.7 near the town of Port Royal in Battery Creek. There were three other sailboats moored there and we could smell the aromas of dinner cooking at the restaurant on shore. We enjoyed the evening at anchor and were blessed with a nice breeze to sleep by.
Saturday, August 7, 2010 – Moon River, Mile 594.8, S Carolina ICW
We began our day at 8:15 am with a mostly cloudy sky, a temperature of 80°F and a SW breeze of 5-10 knots. The forecast called for increasing winds which sounded like a good sailing day. We decided to go on the “outside” for awhile and left the ICW at Doboy Sound. We cruised on the Atlantic for 18 miles, but the wind never picked up – in fact, it laid down completely! At least the skies were overcast and it didn’t feel as hot as usual.
We reentered the ICW at St. Catherine’s Inlet. Wouldn’t you know it, the wind picked up later in the afternoon to 15-18 knots out of the East! It was nearly 6 pm when we dropped anchor in Moon River. How romantic! It was a quiet anchorage with lovely homes along the waterway. We watched the dolphins play around the boat as the sun set on another terrific day.
We reentered the ICW at St. Catherine’s Inlet. Wouldn’t you know it, the wind picked up later in the afternoon to 15-18 knots out of the East! It was nearly 6 pm when we dropped anchor in Moon River. How romantic! It was a quiet anchorage with lovely homes along the waterway. We watched the dolphins play around the boat as the sun set on another terrific day.
Friday, August 6, 2010 – South River, Mile 653.7, Georgia ICW
We spent some time during the morning taking care of boat chores and updating the blog. It was shaping up to be a very hot day, indeed! The sky was clear and the temperature was approaching the mid 90’s before noon! After checking out at the marina, we were headed to the waterway by 1:30 pm. Once on the water, we were able to catch some nice south to southeast winds and shade ourselves from the sun so the passage was not bad at all. We traveled for 5.5 hours and covered nearly 30 nautical miles before anchoring for the night at mile 653.7 in the South River (still in Georgia).
The picture of the shore bird was taken at the marina in New Brunswick before we left. We encountered the guy in the homemade boat a couple of hours before anchoring for the night.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010 - Brunswick, Georgia
At 8 am we were on our way to Brunswick Landing Marina in Brunswick, Georgia. We had visited the marina in November 2007 when we looked at a sailboat named Baby Blue. We seriously considered buying that Catalina 34’, but it was during that same fateful boat shopping trip we met our friends from Toronto, Nancy and Ken, and discovered Gemini catamarans.
Shortly before 10 am and after passing under the beautiful Sidney Lanier Bridge, we heard Blue Heron being hailed on the VHF radio. Shelley, from the Brunswick Landing Marina, had spotted us from a distance and was ready to give us directions to the slip we had reserved in advance. She talked us in expertly and we were met at the slip by Shelley and another gal from the marina who welcomed us, helped us tie off and got us situated for our stay. Hooray for shore power and air conditioning!!
As we settled in, Gale commented that it felt “like Fall” today with the drier air and “cooler” temps. We learned that they had actually experienced three days of 112°F temperatures last week and this was the first “cool” day they’d had in a long time. “Cool” = 90°F!
After a walk up to the marina office to check in, it was time for lunch and showers. Shelley told us there was a farmers’ market going on nearby and it was our plan to walk over there and purchase some fresh produce. By the time we were done showering at 2:30 pm, we decided it was a bit too hot to be walking about so we opted to enjoy the AC on the boat for awhile.
At 4 pm, we walked the few blocks to the market where we found about five vendors and several tables of beautiful fresh vegetables. We bought some peaches, sweet corn, potatoes and a green pepper. We also stopped by the shrimp boat dock to see if we could get some fresh shrimp for our evening meal. We were told that the boats hadn’t been out lately and that they weren’t planning to go again until Saturday. In that case, we brought our vegetables back to the boat and called a taxi for a ride to the grocery store where we stocked up on provisions.
Shortly before 10 am and after passing under the beautiful Sidney Lanier Bridge, we heard Blue Heron being hailed on the VHF radio. Shelley, from the Brunswick Landing Marina, had spotted us from a distance and was ready to give us directions to the slip we had reserved in advance. She talked us in expertly and we were met at the slip by Shelley and another gal from the marina who welcomed us, helped us tie off and got us situated for our stay. Hooray for shore power and air conditioning!!
As we settled in, Gale commented that it felt “like Fall” today with the drier air and “cooler” temps. We learned that they had actually experienced three days of 112°F temperatures last week and this was the first “cool” day they’d had in a long time. “Cool” = 90°F!
After a walk up to the marina office to check in, it was time for lunch and showers. Shelley told us there was a farmers’ market going on nearby and it was our plan to walk over there and purchase some fresh produce. By the time we were done showering at 2:30 pm, we decided it was a bit too hot to be walking about so we opted to enjoy the AC on the boat for awhile.
At 4 pm, we walked the few blocks to the market where we found about five vendors and several tables of beautiful fresh vegetables. We bought some peaches, sweet corn, potatoes and a green pepper. We also stopped by the shrimp boat dock to see if we could get some fresh shrimp for our evening meal. We were told that the boats hadn’t been out lately and that they weren’t planning to go again until Saturday. In that case, we brought our vegetables back to the boat and called a taxi for a ride to the grocery store where we stocked up on provisions.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010 - Jekyll Creek, Mile 685.5
We cruised for ten hours today through some very beautiful and remote areas of northern Florida and southern Georgia. It was a very serpentine route and the temperature was hot, but we enjoyed the leisurely pace and the scenery. At the end of the day, we passed by Cumberland Island where, if you’re lucky, you might see wild horses on the beach. It was too hot for them to be out of the shade and on the leeward side of the island; however, Gale thought he caught a glimpse of one horse as it came out on a point, paused, and then walked back into the brush.
By 5:30 pm, we were ready for a break as we headed up Jekyll Creek at Jekyll Island. We anchored in a quiet spot near a small marina where we enjoyed a nice breeze for most of the night.
By 5:30 pm, we were ready for a break as we headed up Jekyll Creek at Jekyll Island. We anchored in a quiet spot near a small marina where we enjoyed a nice breeze for most of the night.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010 - Pablo Creek, Mile 744.2
Gale brought Maureen to shore so she could do a few loads of laundry and pay some online bills while he went back out to Blue Heron for boat chores. We met up at the marina at noon and grabbed a pork sandwich to share from the Cuban restaurant across the street. Good, but salty!!
At 2 pm, we hauled up the anchor and were on our way. After five hours and 30 nautical miles, we found an anchoring spot in Pablo Creek, our last stop in Florida.
At 2 pm, we hauled up the anchor and were on our way. After five hours and 30 nautical miles, we found an anchoring spot in Pablo Creek, our last stop in Florida.
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