Hilton Head and Beyond

We finished up our fabulous time in Charleston with a visit from one of Sharon's old bosses, Ben, and his girlfriend Karen.  It was great to see them and catch up on life in the last several years.  While enjoying lunch on board, we had a great surprise when Pharrell Williams walked up the dock with a film crew in preparation for a documentary.  So cool!  (For those of you who do not know who Pharrell Williams is, he wrote the "Happy" song, is a current host on "The Voice", and is extremely accomplished in many ways - see his Wikipedia page!) He waved at us when he went by - cool!

After that, we went into town for Halloween, accompanied by "Popeye" (Eric) and Pat.  After dinner we did our own ghost walk to several in-city grave yards and finished our gastronomic tour of the town with a dessert treat at Carmella's - delish!

Our friend Pat, Popeye and Greg

Sunday morning, we waited for the tide to slacken and with Eric and Pat's able assistance, scooted out of the harbor and got on our way down the waterway.  It was a lovely, sunny day and we enjoyed the scenery along the way to our anchorage at South Edisto River.  With only one other boat in the distance we were the only masts to be seen amidst the trees, grasses and water.  Such peace.  

A nice shot of Dream Catcher taken by our friends on "Cutter Loose"

Weighing anchor at dawn the next morning, we pushed on to our next stop.  After a quick fuel stop in Skull Creek (on the north side of Hilton Head Island), we made our way around the south side of the island and up into Broad Creek, which bisects the island.  About mid-way up the creek, we took a sharp right and navigated our way into the lock at the Wexford Plantation.  Some of you who have traveled along with us, may remember our experience about this time last year when we were welcomed into this marina as guests.  Check the place out by clicking here: Wexford Plantation.

While there last year we made some new friends with whom we have stayed in touch.  This time, we were invited to dock at our friend Karen's house and stay for a couple of days.  Though we told her we were happy to stay on board, she insisted we enjoy her luxurious guest suite.  The clincher was when she said she thought she probably had a bigger shower than we did on board.  Ha!  Righto Karen!  

We had a lovely visit, meeting some of her friends at dinner, enjoying some yummy meals and seeing the sights on the island; but mostly enjoying seeing Karen and relaxing at her home. We hope to return again one day on our way north or south.  Thank you so much, Karen, for your generous and kind hospitality.  We had a great time!

View from our guest room balcony

Karen's home (and her neighbors) with Dream Catcher resting at dock

Karen's beautiful home

Our friend Karen after we enjoyed a yummy meal at "Ombra"

The Shower

After hugs and the promise to get together again soon (hopefully in the Keys or Vero), we made our way back through the lock and headed south down Broad Creek, across Calibogue Sound and down the waterway.  We had decided to take advantage of the pleasant weather and go "outside" for one overnight.  This would mean we'd leave the safety and security of the ICW, enter the ocean, and sail or motor until we arrived at either Jacksonville or St Augustine, 140 - 170 miles away.  We hit the Savannah River ten miles south of Karen's house and followed a 700 foot container ship out the Savanah River Channel and into the ocean.  

"Mona Lisa"

Turning south, we set a course of 201 degrees and realized we were going to have a rolly and bumpy ride.  Passage Weather called for light winds and waves less than two feet.  We found that even with those light winds and small waves, there was a very confused chop.  So, instead of a calm ride with some downwind sailing, we got a lot of roll and a lot of motoring.  Though it could have been much worse, it was not the best of passages.  In addition to the roll, it was extremely humid and damp.  We had the cockpit enclosure up and you could barely see through it half the night due to the heavy dew.  Throughout the night we relied on radar and occasional visuals by unzipping the enclosure and sticking our heads out (thank goodness for radar!)  Snacking our way through the night to prevent having to go below for too long to make a meal, catnapping in the cockpit and keeping an eye on the ships coming and going from Brunswick, GA and Jacksonville, FL, we were thrilled to see the sun rise and the trip meter grow.  By 9am we chugged into the channel at St. Augustine, turned a bit north and into the Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor.  After a boat wash, a dip in the pool and a shower, we both crashed for a couple hours, exhausted and happy to have air-conditioning!  The good news was that we were 170 miles further south and could poke our way to Vero casually since we aren't due there until after the 12th of November.  

The next morning we headed out by 8am and were happy to be back in flat water. We enjoyed the sunshine, the great photo ops of the ICW's birds and flora, and ended up anchoring just south of Daytona.  Yesterday, we weighed anchor again at 7:30, meandered our way past the Ponce de Leon inlet, New Smyrna Beach, through the Mosquito Lagoon, across Haulover Cut and into Titusville Marina for a couple nights. Titusville is adjacent to Cape Canaveral and we planned to visit the Kennedy Space Center.

Our view along the waterway - click on any photo to enlarge

We wanted to stop here in Titusville last year to visit the Kennedy Space Center, but couldn't find a way to anchor near the Center.  This time, we rented a car for a day to take us the 14 miles and back.  It was well worth the visit and if you ever have the opportunity we would highly recommend it.  For us, who grew up during the "Space Race", it was much like a look back in time.  Add to that the Space Shuttle, a couple of really cool IMAX movies and it was a terrific visit!

Lunar Module

Vehicle Assembly Building - you can see this building from at least 10 miles away on the waterway.
The flag itself is 21 stories tall

Space Shuttle Atlantis

Monday we'll be back on the water again.  We expect to be in Vero Beach in a couple of days and our plan is to hang out there for a couple of months.  Sharon's car is there and so we will have some land freedom to visit friends and family.  Come see us if you are in the area!

'Til next time.