Hilton Head, GA to Palm Coast, FL

Ship’s Log – November 1 - Hilton Head, GA to November 11 - Palm Coast, FL

11/1, Sunday – Mark decided that we needed to hook up a real propane tank to the grill as it is using too many of the small cylinders. After a yummy breakfast at the marina complex (outside dining) we jumped back in the car. The West Marine and Walmart are well disguised in Hilton Head zoning but all parts were obtained. We found one of the public beach accesses and walked down to find a very wide (at low tide) long, lovely beach. We walked around for awhile and then back to the car to check out the south end of the island. They charge $5 to get past the gate for the southern part of the island. We almost blew it off but decided to check out how the other half lives. We finally decided that it is merely a deterrent to keep the riff-raff out. It is gorgeous down here. We guesstimated thousands of homes all extremely neat and tidy. Cars or bicycles – no golf carts. We ended at the marina complex that has the red and white striped light house that is featured in all the publicity for HH. The marina area has shops and restaurants – all playing the same music and all with the same sales.

11/2, Monday - Best night’s sleep I’ve had the entire trip. I picked up some Benadryl yesterday. The next leg we have to time everything to the tides – not hitting certain areas at low tide as they have shoaled over and Georgia has not dredged in years. Other states are at least making the attempt but it hasn’t been part of their budget. Lunch at the restaurant at the marina complex, water the boat, adjust the head fittings again and off the dock at low tide at 1:45ish. The ride started out gray but got nicer down the line. The bridge that we were timing turned out to be fine at 24 feet and we were 22 – just squeaked under. We went through the town of Thunderbolt which has a marina / boat building place owned by Hinckley – located in Maine and they were building some 100+ footers there. Pulled into Herb Creek right after Thunderbolt along with a few other boats and dropped a hook, again in the marshes. The current was not too bad – we are getting used to it.


11/3, Tuesday – Got going about 8am – needed to time the tide again – some skinny spots ahead. On our way out we passed a very loaded shrimp boat. We did so well on the tide / speed that we kept on going to Duplin Creek and pulled in behind “Diamond Girl”. They had been in front of us most of the day and had forewarned us of a few issues in the water. Dropped a hook there again in the marshes and after a long day we enjoyed the very lovely evening. The days have been breezy and about 70 degrees with the evenings cooling down to the mid fifty’s.

11/4, Wednesday – followed “Diamond Girl” and after just a short day we dropped off at Jekyll Island. We got there on a decent tide in order to be able to dock – on the face again. Jekyll is a different feel from Hilton Head. The marina is more quaint – and somewhat dated, but nice. They had loaner bicycles at the marina. Mark picked out two that had decent seats and still had grips on their handlebars. After getting some air in the tires, we took off to see the “cottages” from the golden area of the extremely wealthy. They have been beautifully restored and the entire complex is open for touring. We merely peeked into windows. We explored some more but as our butts were not used to bicycle seats we soon headed back.


11/5, Thursday – We made plans for the courtesy car to take us to the golf course for an afternoon game. We warmed up at the range and played 9 holes – we were the only folks there. We could have played every hole twice except that we started at 3pm and forgot that it gets dark now before 6! The deer were coming out to examine our play. After dinner Mark went up to hear the band at the marina restaurant – the Wharf Rats and I joined him later. They were three hippies planting for tips. Not great but they were having a great time.

11/6, Friday – off the dock at about 8am to take advantage of the slack tide. Another short day. A 30 mile run to Fernandina, FL. Woo-hoo we’re in FL. Crossing the first sound tested my stomach as the wind and tide were very much opposing. Once back behind the islands it was better. We had hoped to get a mooring (some of the few down here) but they were full so we dropped a hook across the way in Bells Creek. The dingy got dropped in and we went to town for lunch and a walkabout. There are large paper mills on either side with a cute historical downtown district in-between. Back at the boat our new friends from “Diamond Girl” Bud and Elaine had caught up with us and stopped by and invited us over for drinks. A good time was had and we ended up feeling our way back to the boat in the dark – thinking that we would have returned before dark we neglected to take a flashlight or to leave lights on in the boat. There were several other boats moored nearby with anchor lights on. That helped as they hadn’t been there earlier.

11/7, Saturday – Set the alarm for 7 for an 8 departure o keep with the rising tide. Sunny warm day, nice ride and we were headed for the St. Augustine anchorage as the marina $ are going up. We passed many homes on the waterway, some with interesting docks. We managed to show up at the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine just at 2:57 for the 3:00 opening. There were stacked up there. Probably half a dozen boats in front of us and more behind. We found a spot in the “southern” anchorage. It is in the river in a wider area, but still quite the current. We stayed put on the boat to keep an eye on it and just did boat work and relaxed.

11/8, Sunday – Just before lunch we got the dingy launched and headed to the marina and town. Armed with a map, we wandered around for awhile admiring the Spanish architecture and the outdoor living. We love that – the outdoor living. A local brew pub enticed us for lunch and then we headed to the Lightner Museum. It has an interesting history and its collection is unique to its owner which was then was donated to the city. In the collection seems to be some family history? After the museum we wandered down St. George Street (like Exchange Street but longer and even more touristy) and ended up at the Fort. Part of the National Park System, it is the oldest, undefeated fort in the US. It only ever changed flags by treaty. They had an interesting demonstration of canon firing. The canons could accurately reach as far away as three miles. Quite amazing. An outdoor restaurant enticed us for a martini and before heading back to the boat we checked out another “Eagle” in the harbor. Eagle is the make of our boat – there are not many of them and it is the first one we have seen.

11/9, Monday – I did some postcards and took the dingy in to mail them. When I got back in the dingy I looked up to see that the sky had suddenly turned very dark in the distance. It was a race to see which would get to the boat first – the rain or me. I won by a nose. We let the shower pass us by before heading out. There were several issues on the plate today. Hurricane Ida was pressing closer and we hoped to get far enough south to get out of her way. We had also been debating the idea of heading to Maine for awhile before making the crossing and Mark wanted to have some things checked out on the boat that would require parking somewhere for a week or so. Bud and Elaine on “Diamond Girl” had recommended a marina, a diver and a mechanic. Some phone calls enroute and it all started falling into place. The ride was again at high tide, we managed to skinny under one bridge that was 25 feet (the tender did not respond to calls from me and as it turns out for others too), and we got through a particular shoaled inlet with no problems. Doing it at high tide really makes a big difference. Then down another stretch of ditch part in the marsh and part lined with homes and we pulled into Palm Coast Marina. It is off the highway as it were, out of the waterway and current. I got the boat rigged for landing but had to scramble when the landing was for pilings and not floating docks. The diver was on premise waiting for us. He and his crew spent some time working with Mark on issues under the boat and eventually pulled the prop to have it worked on. In the meantime I started the laundry and took a shower – ah – lots of water. Mark hooked up the cable and we vegged the night away.

11/10, Tuesday – Mark started right in on some sanding and prep work for varnishing. “Ida” had come ashore on the Gulf Coast and we were only expecting a small hit from the most remote outer bands. We just hung around all day but another big decision was that we decided on a two week run to Maine - Friday to Friday and we spent some time planning that. I did break a barrier today – I got the violin out. It’s been 5 months; I think the longest I have gone without playing. She was a bit peeved with me – two strings loose, one broken and one holding it all together. It was fun to play for about a half hour. Mark’s mechanic came and they discussed things to be worked on while we were away. Otherwise again a vegge night. Did absolutely nothing worthwhile. It was great.

11/11, Wednesday – They predicted more “Ida” rain today, but nothing has come of it and it is warm and partly cloudy. Mark is varnishing coat one. We did get ourselves off the boat for a walk around the premises and we plan to drop the dingy and check out the canals in the area. The canals are manmade with home sites and you can park your boat in your back yard. Attractive as it seems, I have come to realize that we do have the best cruising grounds in Maine. South of New England the boating requires getting to an inlet and then out onto the ocean so unless you like to sail out and back or go fishing or get from point A to point B, it’s not the kind of boating I care for. As we are doing the “point A to B” trip that part works and there are tons of folks doing that here. I forgot the other kind – lots of folks living on their boats.

This will be the last posting for awhile as we are headed back to Maine for two weeks before continuing south and making the crossing. Finding a secure and reasonably priced marina with access to good contractors all fell into place and we grabbed it.

Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head

Ship’s Log, October 31, 2009

10/22, Thursday – It’s dark at 7am. We set the alarm for just before sunrise and as it came up we pulled out (along with all of the sail boats) and headed into the cut to the Cape Fear River. The cut looked just like that – slashed right out of the hill side. Good name for the Cape Fear River. Immediately on the right going downstream is the largest military munitions holding area in the US. For as safe as I felt in Norfolk, I couldn’t wait to get out of this area. Then it was back into the Ditch. We decided to call a break after a number of days on the hook and pulled in to the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club just over the South Carolina line.

10/23, Friday – slept in and then gathered forces for the day. We took advantage of the rental car on premise. It turned out to be a terrible clunker, but it did work. We located all the necessary retail establishments required (Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Food Lion and package store) and headed out with our list. After shopping next on the agenda was the driving range and then we played 9 holes at the adjacent club – Little River Eastport. What a hoot – it was a perfect day, warm with a light breeze and $22 per person with a cart. I had played terribly at the driving range but did work out some kinks and played pretty decently on the course. Since it was 5:30 when we finished we decided to go in search of dinner. Following out noses, we headed back down to the river. There were three local fish houses vying for our patronage and in between was a casino boat preparing to load and take folks out over the 3 mile limit – or maybe they can gamble in SC. The menu was a bit scary, heavy on fried, but we landed on sharing a plate of grilled shrimp and the local white fish called Trigger Fish. The plate came with hush puppies, French fries and deep fried corn on the cob. The corn was unfortunately very good.

10/24, Saturday – Today would be a combination of more retail (Bed, Bath and Beyond, and Dick’s and then a tour of Myrtle Beach starting with Myrtle Beach State Park. It was great that they could carve off a big chunk – it was several miles long, keeping it from the high rises that dominate the landscape in this area. They also have a huge fish pier very well set up with cutting and cleaning tables, signs with size limits and running water – probably salt. From there we took the local route about 10 miles worth, back north to the marina. One could easily get great deals at this time of year at the resorts. The prices were unbelievable and there were
lots of vacancies.

10/25, Sunday - We got off the dock at 8:30 or so to a nice day now passing behind all the retail that we had seen from the road. All the bridges were high enough to get under except one - the only remaining pontoon bridge on the ICW. We couldn’t make the hourly passing at noon and were preparing to wait it out. A new bridge is being built to replace it and a construction barge from the other side needed to come through. The
bridge tender was not going to let him though – no-sir-ee. About 10 minutes later there was an announcement on the radio saying that the bridge would be opening and the rest of us would also be allowed to pass. Someone made a phone call! After lunch we entered the Wacamaw River. Folks had told us that this was the most beautiful section and indeed it was. It was also suggested that we make a small side trip through Prince Creek. It was gorgeous with the trees showing some color, the Spanish moss, lots of turtles and…. a blue alligator? We continued back in the Wacamaw and turned into Thoroughfare Creek to anchor up for the evening. Nice quiet place. We put a trip line out as advised. It seems more trouble than it is worth but I guess if you snag it would be better than diving.
10/26, Monday - For once I slept and the anchor line kept Mark up. He usually sleeps through anything. As always the trip line was annoying to pull up but at least it was not tangled under the boat. We passed another trawler later in the day that had theirs tangled on their stabilizer. We headed out in mist and light rain but flew down the rest of the river at 9.5 knots (@10.8mph). Great, as we planned a 70 mile day. It remained drizzly and gray all day. Depressing. We anchored at Big Marsh Island. It was right by a non navigable inlet and was really quite exposed. Probably would have been lovely had it been nice out but it wierded me out a bit.

10/27, Tuesday – Still dreary and we had gotten the anchor in a bit tight to the “island” so hit bottom getting it up. Fortunately the tide was rising. Charleston was next but was very unappealing in the fog and rain so we went on through the Elliot Cut to the St. John’s Yacht Harbor Marine where we fueled and decided to call it a day. Mark made his list, called a cab and headed to West Marine to get a new antennae for our VHF. We have been having problems with it. Hey – nothing has been broken for weeks. I did a big boat clean, laundry and shower in their extremely nice facility, though the marina itself was not as scenic. Mark came up with some coaxial cable and was able to hook us up to the marina cable. We spent the rest of the evening channel surfing and watching the …..tornado warnings for our area! The dismal weather had turned into quite the storm system. Fortunately we were able to tell from the radar that the storm had passed us and we went to bed.

10/28, Wednesday – Mark woke up when the skies opened up and got the hatches closed. I had my earplugs in thinking we were past the weather and hoping that a cell would not fire up and hadn’t heard a thing. We got off the dock at @ 8:30, no small challenge in a river. The air did smell nice – summer air. In putting away the lines I realized that somehow during the night a fender went missing. The bad weather from the night before had me feeling off and I napped a bit. The ride was otherwise lovely. The next stop was to be the Beaufort Intown Marina so we would have easy access to shore. Also hearing that being on the outside of the docks was not good we requested an inside space. Once tied up we installed the new antennae which entailed pulling the boat halfway apart to run the new cable. After that we headed ashore for dinner.

10/29, Thursday – Gorgeous summer day. We got the courtesy car for an hour and drove a loop that took us through Lady’s Island, Port Royal and back to back to Beaufort by way of the grocery and West M. to pick up a fender to replace the one that disappeared. It is much lovelier here in Beaufort than we have seen. After dropping the car we ran into friends we had met earlier. They were coming up the dock and we quickly decided that a reciprocal beverage on our boat and dinner would be in order. They were headed out and we also were going to do the walk about checking out the town starting with the waterfront which was amazingly beautiful. They did a wonderful job with it. Also amazing were the antebellum homes. Many went back to Civil War era and were quite just stunning. For me the most amazing were the huge Water Oaks with all the Spanish moss. I smelled some Gardenia along the way but could not find the actual plants. After our walk we had some boat work to do then our boat friends came over. It was Halloween so on our way to dinner we caught the end of the town celebration with all the local area merchants doing trick or treat with the kids. Unfortunately the down side of being in the town marina in the evening was that there was a restaurant nearby that had a loud band that played until 11 or so both nights that we were there. It wreaked havoc with my sleep and attitude.

10/30, Friday – Departure was a bit of a challenge. This river thing is for the birds and the inside dock position went against us. Current and tide against us – Mark misjudged and we ended up sideways. Fortunately all the other boats had departed and we only did damage to a concrete pillar (can hardly see the nick on our fortunately massive rub-rail) and our egos. Also the day was overcast and rather yucky. We only had a short ride to Hilton Head, and not having slept well, I took a quick nap. That helped but after we got tied up at Palmetto Marine, Mark worked out a car rental and dealt with that and I went back to sleep for several hours. That helped a lot.

10/31, Saturday – Dawned…foggy! The fog left the sky and my brain by mid morning and we headed out to get an overview of the infamous Hilton Head and to find a golf course – there are only 20 or 30 here. Some time at the range to warm up and then we had a grand time playing…terribly. We each got some good shots in and just had fun. The whole southern thing with the Spanish Oaks, palm trees, ponds and warm air was just spectacular and of course Mr. Alligator was sitting behind one island on the outskirts of the 9th hole! We had picked up some groceries and decided to cook on the boat for dinner. Some more exploring is on the agenda for tomorrow and then we tackle the area of the ICW that has not been dredged for years.


And we get another hour of sleep tonight!