Charleston, SC to the North Newport River, GA

I awoke Monday, October 18th, to find a beautiful red rose, a wonderful card and a fresh Krispy Kreme donut from the Captain for my birthday. What a guy!

From my in-laws, via Todd, I also received a very cool portable ice machine that I have been putting to good use. Thanks again, Bill & Marilyn. I love it!

A sampling of ice from the Admiral’s new toy.

That afternoon we kicked around town, did some shopping at Harris Teeter and then went back in to town for a nice dinner. We decided on Italian and tried Mercato but were very disappointed in the veal marsala, which we returned and did not reorder. But everything else was good and we still had a very enjoyable evening. (We had Sticky Fingers ribs the previous night for those of you who may be wondering!)

A shot of downtown Charleston.

Enjoying a nice glass of wine at Mercato.

We left Charleston Tuesday around noon with about 25 miles to Tom Point Creek. A very slow four hours later we arrived. The current in this part of the cruising world makes a huge difference in your travel speed! After we anchored, Todd decided to fish for a while but didn’t have any luck.

Our anchorage at Tom Point Creek.

Wednesday we took the day off from traveling. Todd went fishing again that morning for a few hours but again came back empty-handed.

A beautiful sunrise on Tom Point Creek.

And off he goes….

Then Gail & Maureen aboard “Blue Heron” arrived in the anchorage and Gale fished all afternoon to no avail. That evening we had Gale & Maureen over for dinner, followed by the game Drink While You Think, which is always fun to play.

Thursday we hauled anchor about 10:30 a.m. and covered 40 miles. We ended up anchoring just south of Beaufort by 4:00 p.m. “Blue Heron” anchored north of the Lady’s Island Bridge and spent a few hours exploring Beaufort while we had a quiet evening on “Life’s2Short.”

One of many shrimp boats along this part of the waterway. Notice the birds on the rigging getting a free ride!

Our destination Friday was Bull Creek, another 30 miles south. We left Beaufort at 10:00 a.m. and we anchored by 1:30 p.m. “Blue Heron” again joined us in the anchorage and Todd and Gale were fishing within the hour. This time, however, they had success!

Todd and Gale were very pleased with their catches!

In addition, a local shrimper came by about 5:00 p.m. and asked if we wanted to buy some fresh shrimp for $5 a pound. They were very nice shrimp so each couple bought a few pounds.

That evening we enjoyed fresh fish and shrimp for dinner on “Blue Heron.” Todd had caught a flounder so we had shrimp-stuffed flounder along with grilled red fish and shrimp, rice and salad. What a special meal!

Todd did a little more fishing Saturday morning but the bugs (no-see-ums, sand gnats/fleas/flies – whatever you want to call them) were eating him alive so he gave it up. We’ve had this problem in several of our recent anchorages. Unless the wind is blowing hard enough to keep them away, they tend to be a real nuisance, especially when you’re out fishing next to the marsh grass on shore. They love hanging around that stuff!

Maureen & Gale enjoying a lovely morning on the bow of “Blue Heron.”

At any rate, the Captain decided to spend a few hours on the boat changing the oil in the generator and both engines. Late that afternoon he went out to catch a fish to supplement our dinner and was back in no time. Then the shrimp guy stopped by again with more fresh shrimp, so we bought some to share with Bob & Stephanie on “September Song” who we will be seeing in a few days.

Our local shrimper in Bull Creek. What a nice mess of shrimp!

Sunday we were underway by 8:30 a.m. We crossed the Savannah River, thus entering Georgia, and arrived at the Isle of Hope marina, just south of Savannah, about noon. “Blue Heron” was headed up the Savannah River to spend a few days exploring downtown Savannah. We plan to meet up with them again Halloween weekend at Blackbeard Island in southern Georgia.

This interesting-looking mega yacht was docked at Thunderbolt when we passed through.

Sunday afternoon our friends Howard & Sue, who live in nearby Richmond Hill, picked us up at the marina and took us to their lovely house for dinner. We had a fun afternoon catching up on travels and activities over the past few years (we last saw Howard & Sue in October of 2008) followed by a wonderful dinner, thanks to grill-master Howard and the very talented homemaker Sue!

Howard & Sue with their cat Buttons.

Since the marina has courtesy cars and a nearby Wal-Mart, Todd decided to make a shopping run early Monday morning to purchase engine oil, filters and other bulky, heavy items that we needed to resupply.

About 10:00 a.m. “Blue Heron” showed up unexpectedly to take a slip at the marina for a couple of nights. They had elected not to fight the current for another eight miles up the Savannah River on Sunday and spent the night at anchor just outside Turner’s Creek, south of Thunderbolt. Since they had bypassed Savannah, they are going to spend a few nights at Isle of Hope and explore Savannah from there.

We left the marina about 11:00 a.m. and spent the next five hours covering 40 miles to arrive at Bob & Stephanie’s home dock on the North Newport River, home (for now) of “September Song.” Bob & Stephanie are in the process of selling their beautiful waterfront home and will soon officially become “homeless boat people,” not that anyone who has seen their boat would feel very sorry for them!

Not too shabby, eh?

Stephanie was on the dock ready to catch a line for us and Bob arrived a short time later. That evening we steamed some of the fresh shrimp we had purchased in Bull Creek and finished off a very tasty lamb casserole that Stephanie had prepared. Then we introduced them to Drink While You Think and finally called it quits at midnight!

The next day Todd did a couple of loads of laundry at Bob & Stephanie’s house while I kept myself busy in the kitchen, enjoying unlimited use of the appliances! That evening Bob & Stephanie treated us to Popeye’s chicken (a.k.a. the best fried chicken in the South!) when they returned from Hinesville. And for dessert we had raspberry walnut shortbread bars that I had baked earlier in the day.

The four of us spent the afternoon in the Savannah area on Wednesday taking care of a few errands and doing some shopping. We also had a very nice late lunch at a newly re-opened restaurant in Richmond Hill called 69 East Eatery, formerly the 606 East Cafe.

Todd spent a good part of Thursday washing the exterior of the boat while I did some interior cleaning and food preparation. Norm & Vicki on “Tide Hiker” arrived early afternoon and Joe & Julia on “Sea Pearl” arrived about 5:30 p.m., just before the skies opened up!

“Tide Hiker” arrives!

Captain Norm promptly starts washing the boat.

The dock is filling up!

The gang all watches and waits as “Sea Pearl” approaches the dock.

Once the rain let up a bit, we all piled in to Bob & Stephanie’s van and went to the Sunbury Crab Company for a fun dinner with good food and a great group of people!

Today is Friday, October 29th, and we awoke to a clear, cool morning after three days of record high and/or near record high temperatures. And the weekend forecast looks wonderful!

The gang is all here but there is still room for one more.

Later this afternoon we will use Bob & Stephanie’s van to meet Steve & Lisa, our friends from the Tampa area, in Darien, GA. They will travel with us aboard “Life’s2Short” to Blackbeard Island on Saturday where we will spend the weekend before returning them to their vehicle on Tuesday. We will be joined at Blackbeard Island by “September Song,” “Tide Hiker,” “Sea Pearl” and “Blue Heron.” Should be a fun-filled weekend!