Two more down

Georgia is beautiful! On our run up to St. Simon's Island we saw the King's Bay Submarine Base. It is just amazing and a bit spooky how close the ICW runs along the side of this base. When we passed by we could see a submarine in port as well as the gun boats that were keeping an eye on us. Upon arrival at St. Simon's we were lucky enough to take out the courtesy car and check out the local sights. The trees and scenery were so peaceful and what you think of when you think Georgia- large trees with moss hanging off. After leaving St. Simon's we haded to Isle of Hope Marina. We had planned on going from here by car to downtown Savannah but did not have the time and were worried about the weather north of us so we enjoyed a night on the boat with our long lost boating pal, Uncle Ed. He drove down to greet us as he was in Dawtaw having a survey done on his new home. It was great to see him and we were excited the next day to be given his personal tour of Beaufort and of his new digs. Little did we know on the way to Beaufort, SC we would be boarded by the Coast Guard in Port Royal Sound. They wanted to come aboard for a safety inspection. We said we had one less than a year ago but they informed us in the south it is every 6 months were as in the North it is once a year. Needless to say we passed but it was quite interesting to be in the middle of the sound with a 2-3 foot chop and the winds blowing 20 knots and be boarded. We asked them why they were boarding boats in such crappy conditions. The two guys shrugged there shoulders and said it gets pretty boring sitting on that big boat. Anna and I looked at each other and decided to change the topic or they could get really picky. After our rocky and rolly inspection we moved on to Beaufort for a rainy day and our much anticipated tour with Ed. Our next port was Charleston where we were lucky enough to meet up with Mark and Ashley who had recently relocated from Nantucket. They gave us the 4 star tour of the restaurants, downtown and outlying areas. Luckily we had a beautiful Saturday to see the sights. It is easy to see why so many people move to Charleston and its outlying areas. After leaving the big city we stopped in Georgetown. Maybe it was the weather or our state of mind but we both found Georgetown to have some amazing charm. It just felt right to us and we loved strolling along the streets. Our final stop before entering North Carolina was Myrtle Beach. We pulled in for the night to Barefoot Landing and had a nice bite to eat. The plan had been to wander over for a stroll on the beach but the weather just would not cooperate so we decided to move on up to another state. Believe it or not we covered those two states with only 6 stops. We really enjoyed the scenery along the waterways here. It was beautiful. We got a surprise phone call before we entered North Carolina. Looks like there might be something interesting on the horizon.

Submarine Base

Military people in trucks following and watching us as we moved past the sub base

We kept trying to explain to these birds that we were not a fishing boat and we would not be throwing scraps but they insisted on flying behind us for miles and miles

A beautiful old church on St. Simons Island

This moss hanging off the trees over the road has a mystical feeling to it

Our boat tied up safe and sound at Morning Star Marina

When you come from the North you can never take enough palm tree pictures

We spotted this boat from a far and had to take a closer look. We asked a fellow boater and he said this boat is a treasure hunting boat. They use the large fans to blow the sand away from the bottom

Ed's new man cave in Dawtaw

Anna loved all the plantings in Beaufort

Along the waterfront in Beaufort are these great swings to relax and take in the scenery

Occasionally Captain Mobey finds a new place that he is going to monitor the boat from. Today it was Anna's lap

It was impressive to see this Nordic Tug 26 on a lift along the ICW. She reminded of us of our 26' Tootsie

Popular downtown spot in Charleston

A visit to see Mark and Ashley in Charleston. Always good to see friends from Nantucket

The beautiful South Carolina ICW

I am not sure how many Yacht Clubs hang signs on the front gate about firearms and fireworks. South Carolina!!

Mark and Ashley let the dogs run around this amazing park

Reminds me of the South Carolina flag

We voted this the ugliest light house we had seen along the trip. Someone said you can actually rent a apartment in the top of this

A delicious home cooked meal at Mark and Ashley's

You are never far from home in the boating community. This boat was parked behind us at Charleston. It is owned by Rob from Nantucket

Three boats away from us in Charleston was this boat which is owned by the daughter and family of one of our fellow loopers we had cruised with. Not only that but this boat was purchased on Nantucket from Bob and Roz Rank. Bob you would fall over if you saw all the work they have done to her. She looks great!

The Mega Dock is really quite a large a dock with lots of room for the big boys. We were quite small here

A view down the Mega Dock

We viewed these houses up close and personal on a tour but they almost look more impressive from the water. One of these is the home of Mr. Piggly Wiggly

Georgetown is probably the most beautiful small town we have seen along this whole route

The best breakfast of the trip came out of this Cafe in Georgetown

This is the first town in awhile that just about every home was proudly displaying their American flags

Wow. Daffodils. I hope the ones on Nantucket are in bloom like this when we get home

The peaceful tree lined streets of Georgetown

It is always cheerful to read the signs at the dock and realize what creatures are lurking below the water

The shops at Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach. The last time we had been here was in 1996 for Senior Week. Makes you feel kind of old when you start to think about it