Log 4/21-27/2013

April 21, 2013

Woke up to a rather windy day today. Took on a little fuel this morning at Brunswick, then ventured forth at 9 a.m. Moving north once more, our plan today is to get up the ICW to the Darien River and take advantage of the free dock there. We cruised 37 miles to do this, with the winds ripping at a constant 30+ knots, gusting to 40!

4-21 Nasty Day

In places, the chop on the water was pretty nasty - at one point we were passing the Sailing Vessel Northern Spirit, and they were hobby-horsing pretty bad. Nobody was having a comfy time of it today! We made it up to Darien, and tied up at the dock at 2 with a little help from someone else already docked there. We (once more!) had no steering today, just adding to the adventure, and making docking against a strong current (never mind the dam wind!) lotsa fun! So we tied up, and strolled around the little historic town a bit. Most places here are closed Sunday/Monday, so there's not much going on. We're disappointed to find out the "Purple Pickle" restaurant is closed - wanted to go there just 'cause of the name! There's a little Gourmet Wine & Cheese shop that was open, so Matt strolled thru to ogle the cheese. Didn't buy any though, as there's still some in the fridge, and it's definitely time to cut back to prepare for travel home. We also walked by some waterfront ruins - according to the sign there, they were old warehouses used back in the early 1800's. The construction material is very interesting - it seems to be a mixture of cement and lots and lots of shells. There's one building further up the hill (would have been in back of the "shell" buildings"), that seems to be mostly brick, and in some places construction materials seem mixed - don't know if that's original, or attempts at repairs in later years introduced block, brick and other materials. Under the bridge a stone's throw from where we are docked, there's paintings sea life, shore stuff, and a lighthouse. Looks like it's been there quite a while, but it brightens up the area somewhat. We returned to the boat about 4:30-ish, and in comes Northern Spirit - I think they're following us! They're also "Loopers", and we've met up with them several times/places during our travels. Aboard are Canadians Ron and Lynne - we all got together for dinner at the local open restaurant, "Skipper's Fish Camp". Absolutely fabulous dinner there! And super friendly staff! Gotta love the south!! We're chatting before our meal arrives, and there's another couple at nearby table who is obviously listening to some of the boating stories under discussion. As they rise to leave, the gentleman stops by our table and says he overheard some of our tales of the Bahamas, and that they live part time in the Abaco Islands. We invite them to sit for a minute, and we start talking about our visit there. We mention that several years ago we had rented a house there with another couple. Said the name of the house was "Hidden Cove" - the man's eyes got absolutely huge, and he said "That's our house!". Talk about a small world!!! Imagine meeting him here in a tiny restaurant in Darien, Georgia!? What the heck are those chances??? And so, we have a picture of Hidden Cove's owners, Mike and Kathye Fairman (and yes - that is the correct spelling of her name!). And glad we had witnesses to that conversation! I don't think anybody would believe a tale like that one!! Back to the boat for a little movie watching, and a good night's sleep. The weather is predicted to be crappy again tomorrow, so we're probably staying here rather than another day of hell on the water.

Yep - another super windy and icky day! Free dock - we're hanging for the day! And it's a nice little town, so that's fine. Kick back, do some reading, pretty much just blow the day off . . .

Weather's improving - we say good-by to Darien just before 8 a.m. We head on up the ICW, and tie up at the Fort McAllister Marina, which is 5 miles off the ICW in the Ogeechee River. We put 52 miles behind us today - getting closer and closer to the end of the adventure!

Left Fort McAllister Marina at 8:30 this morning, planning to head outside today - we leave the ICW via the Ossabaw Sound, head north up the ocean, then back inside by 11:15 at Warsaw Sound, into the Wilmington River. We reached Savannah by quarter past one - saw another boat that had been back at McAllister, they apparently took the ICW to come north. We both arrived about the same time, so we're guessing the ocean route wasn't much of a time saver. . . 45 miles today, and we tied up at Savannah's waterfront. Lots of little shops and restaurants along the cobblestone roadway - another neat town!

Pulled out of Savannah just before 8:30, north bound once again. We pulled into Hilton Head Harbor Marina to fuel up (one of the cheaper fuel stations in the area). We tied up there at 11:40, took on fuel, and got permission to stay tied up at the fuel dock to go into their restaurant, the Sunset Grille, for lunch. Headed back out by 1, and arrived at Lady's Island Marina in South Carolina about 3:30, covering 46 miles today.

Left Lady's Island Marina early, under way by 7:30. We're expecting to reach Cooper River Marina in North Charleston, SC, today, which is where we expect to be leaving the boat. Kind of windy and choppy today, and we put a long 64 miles behind us before reaching Cooper River. We radio in our arrival, and are met on the dock when we're ready to tie up at about 3:30. Not so nice though - we are at the end of a long dock, not in an inside slip. Not the best for a long-term stay. We get tied up, and discussed it with the marina's manager - unfortunately, they have no inside slips available for a 42 foot boat. And then they let us know we can't leave the boat for more than 2 months (not what we were told when we phoned them to inquire). Well, looks like the trip's not over yet! And thank heavens we have provisions aboard - there's nothing around here for miles. Dinner and a movie on board, then early to bed.