The good, bad and ugly of boating!

 Ah, the boating life!  Most of the time it is great, but there will be not-so-great times as well.  We had ours leaving Charleston.  I had planned to run offshore to our next stop, Georgetown, SC, but the waves were up from T-storms, so we elected to take the ICW.  Mistake.  We grounded in the infamous Isle of Palm area.  I managed to get off and proceeded to Georgetown, but we were taking on water.  The bilge pumps kept up, but I had obviously damaged the starboard rudder, hence the leak.  It was obvious I needed a haul out, but no worries as Georgetown had a yard with a travel lift.  But wait!  When I called bright and early the next morning, the owner told me he had no labor force, so while he could haul me, he could not fix the boat.  Fortunately, we were told about a new shipyard just opened in Myrtle Beach.  They could take us!  So, leaking all the way, we went to Myrtle Beach for repairs.    We were going to fly home out of Myrtle Beach anyway for Memorial Day weekend, so it all works. 

But not to worry, we did have good times.  The stop in Charleston was wonderful, and we got to have time with my cousins.  Here are some pics:

At Gayle's house. 

Gayle and Scott on the boat.  

On the way to Myrtle Beach. 

Fort Sumpter, where the Civil War started.  

Charleston.

The Charleston City Marina is huge. 

These are the two pump out boats at the marina-check out the names...

Perfect Fit on the travel lift.  

Talk about a bent rudder!  

Savannah and Beaufort

We have had a great time with Walter and Trish exploring Savannah, GA and Beaufort, SC.  Both cities have rich history dating back to before the Revolutionary War.  We are underway to Charleston to visit Scott and Gayle.  Here are some pics. 

Underway at dawn on the Beaufort River.  Overtaking the sailboat Forever on the two whistle.  

 

  

We took trolley tours in each city and learned history. 

Beaufort has a magnificent waterfront, and a history lesson to boot. Note-click on any pic to enlarge it to read.  

Note the sign over my shoulder-priceless! 

The above eight pics are all from Beaufort, where the force is strong....

Savannah-the city of squares.  

We found Walter's deceased grandparent's house in Savannah.  He visited here as a small boy.

Incredibly, we found his grandparents resting place in a huge cemetery in Savannah.  

Isle of Hope Marina in Savannah.  Note because of the 10' tides, it does not have a boat launch, but rather a lift to take the boats off their trailers and put them in the water.  

Isle of Hope area. 

Isle of Hope

 

Well, we made it to the Isle of Hope Marina outside Savannah.  It was a grueling trip in the ICW.  I forgot that Georgia has miles of coastal wetlands with many tributaries to the Atlantic Ocean.  Most of the inlets from the ocean are not safely navigable for boats with a 5’ draft, so we were constrained to the ICW for this leg of the trip.  Georgia has up to a 10’ tide, so currents are extreme, and the ICW in some spots is as low as 3-4 ft at low tide.  During one stretch we encountered 4’ depths, and we draw 5’!  That was in the aptly named Mud River. 

The ICW over here is just a series of small canals connecting to natural water bodies, such as rivers and sounds.  The small, dredged canals are usually the trouble spots, as the Corps does not keep up with dredging.  The route is often serpentine, as it follows rivers with bends, etc.  So, we can only travel about 60 miles a day before we wear out.  We broke the trip by anchoring in the Wahoo River two nights ago, which is miles from civilization, but has spectacular scenery (except for the ever-present sandflys). 

Trish and Walter arrive tomorrow, so we pick up a car today, and will provision and then explore downtown Savannah.  Next stop is Beaufort, SC and then Charleston where we will visit cousin Gayle. 

Sunrise on the Wahoo River. 

Isle of Hope neighborhood.  

Cumberland Island and St Marys,GA

 We travelled 100 miles in the Atlantic and came in at Cumberland Island, GA.  Cumberland is the most southern Georgia Island, and is a beauty.  It is mostly a national park, where wild horses roam free.  It can only be accessed by boat, so we anchored by the park's office and did some sightseeing on the nature trails, and huge beach.  From there we went a few miles  up the St Marys river to the town of St. Marys.  The small town is rich in history and recently opened a small marina so boaters can enjoy the town and its great waterfront with bars, restaurants and museums.  It is the home of the Atlantic nuclear  submarine base for the US, Kings Bay Navy Submarine Base.  It is on the ICW, and the inlet we came in, is dredged to 50' and is how the subs access the Atlantic.

These dolphin were a hoot!

Can you spot the Sub?

At the Sub museum. 

St Marys is an old town with lots of history.  

Who knew the Acadians stopped here?  

Us at the town dock with a 39' Mainship, my first Trawler.  

Folk lore or fact?? 

Royal terns on Cumberland. 

Horse poop everywhere, but I did  not get pictures of the horses... 

Rangers office-Cumberland. 

Yikes!

This guy came speeding out of Jacksonville and although I had the right of way, I yielded.....