Georgetown, SC, to Myrtle Beach, SC

The cruise from Georgetown to Myrtle Beach was beautiful. We had two beautiful, warm days for cruising. The river banks along the Waccamaw River are covered with Cypress Tress and wild flowers, and the absence of condos and highrises and other commercial development made for a delightful cruise on Sunday and Monday.

There were a lot of boaters and sea doo’ers out on Sunday, enjoying what was most likely the first warm day in a while to get out and enjoy boating, as well as many bikini clad females who caught the eye of the captain. He knew the first mate saw what he was looking at through the binoculars, but he looked anyway. She could see them quite well without the binoculars, but then, why was she looking!?! Hmmm!

We took our time traveling from Butler Island to Myrtle Beach, since our reservations at Barefoot Landing did not begin until Monday, April 23. We left Butler Island around 11:15 a.m. on a rising tide on Monday and dropped the anchor about 2:30 p.m. This anchorage was the last anchorage before getting to Barefoot Landing, and we were glad that we got there when we did. As we pulled into the anchorage there were several pontoon boats, bass boats, and other boats of various sizes at anchor, enjoying the warm, beautiful day. We finally found a good spot at the other end of the cove and decided we better take it while we could. A couple of sailboats joined us later in the evening, once the majority of other boats moved out of the anchorage.

After we got the anchor set and were settled for the rest of the day, enjoying this pretty little anchorage, we heard what sounded like fighter jets coming down the river. These “jets” turned out to be VERY LOUD “cigarette” boats traveling at very high speeds. From where we were anchored, we could see all the boats coming and going. And come and go they did until dark. We were thankful for nightfall and the peace and quiet that followed. We had a very calm and nice night at anchor.

Traveling along the Waccamaw, we saw a ferry boat used as a South Carolina Public Schools “School Boat” that was docked along the waterfront around MM387. We also spotted a pretty ragged-looking houseboat that had been pulled up on dry land being used as a camper or a homesite. We had to take a picture of this houseboat, because no one would believe this one.

We arrived at Barefoot Landing Marina early on Monday, 23 April. We only had about 15 more miles to travel from our last anchorage on the Waccamaw River (MM 377) in order to get to Barefoot Landing, so it was a short day in terms of cruising. We left our anchorage about 7:30 a.m. and arrived here at 9:30 a.m. We had to pay close attention to the water because of all the debris that was in the water. It reminded us a lot of the Tennessee River during the first part of spring when there is a lot of debris floating in the water.

Barefoot Landing Marina is not really a marina as we know marinas. It is a long, “face” dock with power and water, and there are no showers/bathrooms or pump out facilities. A big tourist attraction, Barefoot Landing, that includes numerous restaurants and shops, is directly behind the marina. (The House of Blues restaurant is a great place to have breakfast.) Barefoot Landing is is a nice place to stop for a day or two, but if you are looking for all the amenities that a lot of marinas offer, this is not the place to stay. We have heard that being docked here on the weekend can be somewhat uncomfortable when there is a lot of boat traffic coming and going on the ICW, although being here during the week, we did not have any trouble being rocked and rolled.

Mike’s son, Mike Jr., joined us on Monday afternoon. Since he had a car, he hauled us around all week to run errands and to make several trips to West Marine. We spent most of Wednesday afternoon and Thursday with family from Dillon, SC, and Effingham, SC, who were vacationing at Myrtle Beach. We had a great time and enjoyed spending time with family.

Late Thursday evening, we said our goodbyes to family and headed back to the boat to prepare for leaving on Friday morning. Next stop Holden Beach, NC.

Beaufort, SC, to Charleston, SC

We left Toogoodoo Creek (one of our best anchorages) at 6:30 a.m. on 12 April and headed to Charleston City Marina in downtown Charleston, SC, and arrived there at 10:00 a.m. Once settled, we immediately began washing and cleaning the boat. There was a month's worth of salt and dirt on the boat and we could not wait to get to work on the boat once we got tied up! Later in the evening, we had dinner with Jack and Judy, owners of JJ's ODYSSEY. We met Jack and Judy last spring in Beaufort. They are from Chattanooga and own the 49 foot version of our boat, and it is gorgeous.

We spent Friday and Saturday touring downtown Charleston, visiting Battery Park and walking the streets of historic downtown. We took a carriage tour of Charleston on Friday which turned out not to be one our better tours, unfortunately. The disappointment was not in what we saw but in the tour guide. She was a chatty young girl who spent more time talking about herself and her home in Missouri than talking about Charleston.

Homes in historic downtown are beautiful and almost all of the homes have beautiful gardens.

Late Saturday evening through early Monday morning (14-16 April), we spent rocking and rolling due to high winds and heavy seas. We were glad to be tied to a dock at Charleston City Marina, although there were times we thought we might be better off at anchor somewhere. There were boats that lost their canvas in the high winds. Thankfully, our boat did not sustain any damage. Two sail boats that were anchored out adjacent to the City Marina lost their holding and ran into each other. Other boaters were able to gain control of the boats and towed them to the marina. No injuries, just a couple of damaged boats.

The America’s Great Loop Cruisers' Association Rendezvous began on Monday. We spent the week (16-19 April) at the rendezvous. We made new friends at the rendezvous and it was good to see old friends again and acquaintences we have made over the years while boating. We also got to spend time with friends Paul and Jackie Fish from Knoxville who now live in Charleston. It was good to see them again and to hear about what they have been up to since moving here.

We also spent an afternoon with long time friends, Randy and Margaret Elliott and their granddaughter Lauren, who happened to be vacationing in Charleston. We toured the Patriot Point Naval and Maritime Museum located in Charleston Harbor. This museum is one of the largest museums of its kind in the world. The museum includes the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier, the destroyer USS Laffey known as the Ship that Would Not Die, a Coast Guard cutter, Ingham, and a submarine, Clamagore. On the hangar of the USS Yorktown are planes from the WWII and Korean wars. On the flight deck of the USS Yorktown are aircraft from the Vietnam and Desert Storm wars. Unfortunately, we did not have time to see the Destroyer and the Coast Guard Cutter, but what we did see of the USS Yorktown and the submarine was fascinating. If ever in Charleston, we highly recommend this tour, but plan on an entire day to see it all—it is well worth cost of admission. Guided tours can be arranged at no extra charge or you can go it alone at your own pace.

The rendezvous ended on Thursday, and our plan was to leave early on Friday. However, the high winds and seas returned, so we decided that it would be best if we stayed over in Charleston one more day. We left Charleston City Marina on Saturday, April 21, and anchored at Georgetown, SC, across from the Town Clock. However, the anchorage was full of boats, mainly sailboats, and there wasn’t much anchoring room. Because we were not sure that our anchor was going to hold, the captain did not think it was wise to leave the boat to check out the little town of Georgetown.

After dinner on the boat, we decided to pull up the anchor and head to Butler Island, an anchorage about 5 miles up the ICW. It was a large, beautiful anchorage. Another boat joined us in the anchorage later in the evening. It was a beautiful day for cruising, and we had a quiet, peaceful night at anchor. Next stop is Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach.

Savannah, GA to Beaufort, SC

We left Savannah on 6 April. As it always seems to happen when we get ready to dock or drop the dock lines, the winds pick up! It was very windy, and thanks to our boating buddies we had help getting away from the dock. "This is part of the adventure" as the Captain likes to remind his first mate when she gets a little uneasy about docking and leaving a dock.

We had decided on an anchorage (Bryan Creek) before leaving Savannah, but once we got there we realized that the anchorage was way too small for our boat. So, we ended up anchoring in Cowan Creek about three miles from Bryan Creek, which turned out to be a very nice anchorage. We stayed in this anchorage for two nights. Because it was windy and the weather was rather cool, the fishermen and pleasure boaters were not out, so we had the anchorage all to ourselves and had a pleasant and quiet time there.

We pulled anchor on Monday, 9 April and arrived at Beaufort City Marina free dock around 9:30 a.m. Again it was windy when pulling up to the dock. The crew from HARMONY was there at the dock waiting to assist us once again. We then joined Phillip and Virginia on their boat for hot coffee and tea. Afterwards, all of us, to include Laura and Ginger from STARGAZER, had lunch at Plums, which is a great little restaurant on the waterfront. They have wonderful sandwiches and soups.

After lunch we took a carriage ride through historic Charleston which was a lot of fun. The carriage driver was from Beaufort and was very knowledgeable about the area and the history of Beaufort. We also recommend this tour if you visit Beaufort. It is the best way to get the history of the historic town. Mermaids are the city's mascot and are scattered throughout the city.

Since we had been to Beaufort last spring by car, we did not want to stay at the marina or anchor in the nearby anchorage, so we left the dock about 3:30 p.m. and anchored in Wimbee Creek for two nights. HARMONY, STARGAZER, and Jack and Judy on JJ's ODYSSEY, joined us on the second night. This anchorage is large enough for many boats and is beautiful and well protected.

If we haven't said it before, anchoring out in a small cove is one of the best parts of this trip. Watching the sun set and the moon rise in a nice, quiet anchorage with an adult beverage in hand is just fantastic. Nothing but us and nature, and perhaps a few friends on their boats, is about as good as it gets. It's also free, and considering the cost of marinas these days, which is usually at least $1.50 per foot and up. What's not to like ?

On to Charleston. Stay tuned.

Cumberland Island, GA to Savannah, GA

From Cumberland Island we headed to Savannah, GA, on 2 April, anchoring in Wahoo River overnight. Ellen and Woody on DOUBLE SS were there when we arrived. We, along with DOUBLE SS, had the anchorage to ourselves. This is a great anchorage with plenty of swing room, although the No-See-Ems were rather active. These little things manage to get through the screens on the windows. Now, if you don’t know what No-See-Ems are, then you haven’t experienced one of God’s more interesting creations. In short, they are very small insects that you can barely see (hence the name), with biting ability that rivals a horsefly. The locals call them “flying teeth”, and they are a real PITA.

After getting settled, we had dinner and then watched a full moon rise, which was absolutely beautiful. The colors of the moon and the reflection of the moon on the water were breathtaking. We had a quiet evening with almost no wind and smooth water--a great night to be at anchor. There’s nothing quite like sitting on the flybridge with a Captain Morgan’s and Coke, watching the sun descend into the water on a beautiful spring evening, especially if you are with your best friend.

We left Wahoo River anchorage early on 3 April headed to Thunderbolt Marina in Savannah. This was another gorgeous day for cruising. We arrived at Thunderbolt around noon. Phillip and Virginia on HARMONY were there when we arrived. Ginger and Laura on STARGAZER arrived a day later.

Thunderbolt is a nice marina with clean restrooms/showers and laundry room, and a security guard is on duty all night.

Tubby’s, Tank House restaurant is within walking distance of the marina. However, to get to historic downtown Savannah, you must take a taxi. You can get to a pharmacy, banks, grocery store, gas stations, numerous fast food restaurants, etc., on your bicycle. We rode our bicycles to the nearest grocery store, Piggly Wiggly, for a few grocery items to hold us over until we get to Charleston.

By the way, Mike’s long experience in the Army with ruck sacks has come in handy on this trip. Those of you who served with him can probably imagine that he would never leave home without one. When we go to the grocery store, he just loads up the groceries in his ruck and marches (or rides them on the bike) them back to the boat. So, all of you who thought he was crazy for all that rucking, well, there was a purpose for it.

The highlight of staying at Thunderbolt marina was that Krispy Kreme doughnuts and a USA Today newspaper were left on our boat every morning!! Now, those of you who know how much Mike loves doughnuts know that he thought he had died and gone to heaven!!

Early afternoon, we took a taxi downtown to meet Phillip and Virginia, and Doug and Sue on BEACHCAT, at Boar’s Head. Afterwards we went to Doug and Sue’s boat that was docked at the downtown marina. They have a beautiful Trawler Catamaran that is just gorgeous. We watched the tugs come and go and assist large container ships through the ICW. Later, all of us went to dinner at The Old Pink House Restaurant and Tavern.

We spent our days in Savannah being tourists, walking the city streets, and window shopping. Our last day there, we took a trolley tour of Historic Savannah. Taking these trolley tours is the best way to find out about the city. You can get off at different stops and then catch another trolley later and continue on with the tour.

We enjoyed our time in Savannah and look forward to visiting there again. As always, there is more to see and do than there is time to do it all. Next stop is Charleston.

Cumberland Island, Georgia #4

On our second day on Cumberland Island we went south on the island to see the Dungeness ruins. This part of the island has a small museum and, as the name implies, ruins of times gone by. For example, a mansion owned by Thomas Carnegie and his wife Lucy in the late 1800s is located at the end of a long pathway lined with moss-filled arched trees. It was once a fabulous mansion with many acres of land.

Today, the mansion is unsafe and not open to the public for obvious reasons upon first glance, not to mention that diamond back rattlesnakes are said to live in the ruins! However, from what remains standing of the mansion and surrounding buildings and the property, you can tell that it was once a lovely place to live. A daughter of Thomas and Lucy Carnegie lived in one of the large houses nearby the mansion many years ago, and today the house is privately owned and is occupied.

In an area not far from the occupied house were about six rusted out cars from days gone by. They look to be from the 1920's - 1930's, but it's hard to tell. The cars look as though they were parked there, waiting for the next trip to wherever. It appears they never moved from that spot and rusted, literally, to the ground.

We left the ruins and walked the path leading to the beach. We walked the beach back to the path leading to the Sea Camp Ranger Station and rested on the porch in rocking chairs at the Ranger Station before getting in our dinghy and heading back to the boat for the evening.

This is the end of our Cumberland Island visit. Now, it's on to Savannah !! Stay tuned.

Cumberland Island, Georgia #3

One of the most interesting sights of the forest was the formation of the trees and the masses of vines throughout the forest. The Spanish moss-filled trees arch over the paths and are hundreds of years old. The quietness and the beauty of the forest was peaceful, and we hope you enjoy these pictures.

This picture with benches and podium appears to be an area possibly used for church services.

Cumberland Island, Georgia #2

From the point where we touched land on Cumberland Island at the Sea Camp Ranger Station, we were about a 1/2 mile walk through a lush maritime forest, which was absolutely breathtaking, to a beautiful beach known as Sea Camp Beach. If you like nature, like to hike/walk, like the outdoors, and/or like the beach, you will love this island. The beach is beautiful for many reasons, but the one that comes to mind first is the fact that it is not commercialized. There are no condos, stores, shops, restaurants, vendors, etc., along the beach. It is all natural and seems to stretch for miles and miles.

Our first day on the island was spent shelling with Ginger and Laura from STARGAZER, who are both from Michigan and are "sailing" the Loop in their Mainship trawler. We had a blast walking along the beach with the ladies and their dog, Coppertop, and found numerous, beautiful shells which now grace a shelf on IRISH AYES.

The island is busy with the ferry from St. Mary's Island, dropping off tourists several times throughout the day for sightseeing and boy scout troops and families for overnight camping. Boaters are allowed to anchor alongside the island to go ashore to enjoy the sights, as long as they don't get in the way of the ferry's path and its dock.

The beach is beautiful, deserted, and stretches as far as the eye can see.

A walking trail through the maritime forest leading to the beach.

A fewof the other boaters in the anchorage at Cumberland Island. Interestingly, there were more boats in front of us, and all were sailboats.

The ferry dropping off and picking up visitors to the island.

Mike on one of the boardwalks leading to the beach.

Our friends from STARGAZER, Ginger and Laura.

Cumberland Island, Georgia #1

Our plan after leaving Fernandina Beach was to go on to Savannah, anchoring at least for one night before arriving there. However, as we were pulling away from the fuel dock at Fernandina, Pat said that she would really like to stop at Cumberland Island. Mike was somewhat reluctant about stopping there, only because it was such a short distance from where we had been for the last couple of days, and his type A personality told him that we needed to put some water under the keel. However, he gave in and we anchored at Cumberland Island for two nights.

Here are pictures of wild horses that could be seen all over the island. They were beautiful!

There were horses also grazing along the beach. They were not afraid or scared off by people walking along or getting close enough to take pictures.

Fernandina Beach, FL (Amelia Island)

We left anchorage at 7:15 a.m. on 29 March and cruised to Fernandina Harbor Marina, located in historic downtown Fernandina Beach, which is a quaint Victorian seaport. The cruise to here was beautiful, although the winds picked up about the time we were ready to dock—never fails!! Our friend Tom Clare was there to greet us and to help us get tied up. We met Tom and his wife Gerry in 2003 while they were in doing the Great Loop from FL to TN and were staying at Fort Loudon Marina.

There were three other “Looper” boats docked here who are also doing the loop (Double SS, Stargazer, Harmony). Tom Clare arranged for us all to meet for dinner on Thursday evening at an Italian restaurant in the lovely town of Amelia Island, which was just a short walk from the marina. We had a great dinner, and we enjoyed meeting new folks and hearing about their experiences.

Access to downtown Amelia is right across the street from the marina. It is a pretty town with many unique and interesting stores. There is also a train station and a train that runs parallel to the marina.

Directly in front of us were several docked shrimp boats. Not many of them left while we were there. The weather may have kept them from going out.

Our plan to leave Fernandina Harbor Marina on Friday was delayed a day due to very high winds and uncomfortable seas. Since we were there an extra day, Gerry Clare volunteered to take us on our own private tour of the island. Gerry is a realtor and knows all there is to know about the island. We thoroughly enjoyed her driving us around and telling us all she knows about the area. It is a beautiful island and one we recommend seeing by boat or car.

Later in the evening, we joined Tom and Gerry for dinner at their home. We had a delicious dinner and a nice evening chatting and discussing, what else, boating. Tom and Gerry will be starting the next phase of their Loop on April 7th, and will be in Charleston for the AGLCA Rendezvous, and we look forward to seeing them again and cruising with them up the east coast and on into Canada.

A small cruise ship came in on Friday afternoon and docked behind us. This area is popular for small cruise ships and for local cruises that can be arranged there at the marina.

We left Fernandina Harbor Marina on Saturday morning (31 March) along with the other Loopers. This picture shows Ginger and Laura on Stargazer getting fuel and preparing to depart Fernandina Harbor Marina. It was a beautiful morning with very little wind and calm seas! We cruised about five miles to Cumberland Island and anchored, and we are so glad we did. More on this later.

St. Augustine, Florida

The next day (26 March) we departed Smyrna Yacht Club at about 0700, heading toward St. Augustine, arriving at about 4:00 pm. The St. Augustine Municipal Marina is a very nice marina right in the center of the action downtown. Approaching the marina we saw to our starboard the St. Augustine Lighthouse.

Our boat was docked with the stern facing the Bridge of Lions. This bridge was originally constructed in 1928. The bridge in the picture is a temporary bridge until the new bridge is completed. This bridge has been under construction for some time and the predicted completion date is 2010. There seemed to be work going on around the clock, but we were not bothered by the noise. We were not at the boat most of the day while there so were weren’t bothered by the noise, and at night we were so tired that we slept through the noise.

Docked two boats down from us was a 1925 Trumpy, a beautiful classic boat. These boats are constructed of all wood and require a lot of maintenance. Most folks who own these boats have crews who maintain them daily. We have seen several of these classic boats on this trip, and they are absolutely beautiful.

Our original plan was to spend two nights in St. Augustine being tourists, but we were having so much fun we stayed an extra night. We rode the tourist train all around the city, and then walked most of it again. St. Augustine claims to be the oldest continuously occupied city in what is now the United States, and they have preserved much of the original city that was originally founded by Ponce de Leon, and Spain, in the mid-1500s.

After touring the city for a while on our first day out, we decided to go back to the boat shortly after noon so that Mike could get into his SCUBA gear and check out the bottom of the boat. During the run from New Smyrna Beach to St. Augustine, the boat seemed to be pulling to port for some reason, and we didn’t know if it was wind and tidal current that was causing the problem, or if we had something like another crab pot line wrapped around the shaft. After our experience with crab pot lines in the past, we had decided to buy Mike a wetsuit and a SCUBA tank in case he had to dive under the boat again. Holding one’s breath while trying to dive under a boat is terribly inefficient. So, Mike got into his gear and went under the boat. Other than a couple of minor dings in the props, and some barnacles attached to the shafts, everything looked pretty good. Consequently, we decided that we really didn’t have a problem. It was, in fact, the wind and tidal currents that were altering our course slightly to port.

We confirmed that the next day when at slack tide, we were running straight as a boat should. Problem solved. The dockmaster saw Mike getting out of his gear and came by to let us know that there were many Man of War jellyfish in the water and that he should be cautious. He said they have a pretty serious sting that can cause a diver prolems. Too late, we said, he was finished. I guess ignorance really can be bliss!! Certainly had we known, Mike would not have gone in the water. However, after hearing this bit of information, we looked all over and never saw one jellyfish. Maybe Mike scared them away.

By the way, we decided to move out of the St. Augustine Marina for our third night and anchor out in the St. Augustine harbor for free, which we did. We got the dinghy down off the boat and tied up at the Dinghy Dock with about a dozen other dinghies, and continued our tourist activities.

As we were returning to our anchorage, we noticed that several other boats had joined us in the anchorage while we were out sightseeing. As we approached a beautiful DeFever 49, we were greeted with “Hello Fellow Knoxvillians.” At first, we had no idea who was greeting us, but we soon learned they were friends, Chuck and Pat Berry, from Knoxville. What a great surprise! We were welcomed aboard their boat for drinks and a tour of their boat that they just took delivery of in January out of Fort Lauderdale. We enjoyed our visit with Chuck and Pat and hope to see them again along the way. We ended the evening with a beautiful sunset.