Happy Birthday Grandma Shimmin! Kelly’s mom celebrated her 78^th birthday today. We love you mom/grandma!

Today was a domestic day of cleaning and navigation planning.

The trip to Georgetown is a tricky one. There are many place with shallow depths during low tide. Tides in this area can change as much as 5 feet and some areas in the ICW can be as low as 5 feet. We have a draft of 4.5 feet so that is cutting it too close. Also, the tide changes were at inconvenient times. We think we are going to get as far as we can during low tide in the morning, anchor and wait till it switches and drive again on a rising tide. Let’s hope it works!

For breakfast, Jen and Mike made grits with cheese and bacon. We decided that since we were in the South, we should have grits! It was great and heavy.

After, we took and Uber to tour the USS Yorktown. Per the website, 

The USS YORKTOWN (CV-10) was the tenth aircraft carrier to serve in the United States Navy. Under construction as BON HOMME RICHARD, this new Essex-class carrier was renamed in honor of YORKTOWN (CV-5) sunk at the epic Battle of Midway (June 1942). Built in an amazing 16 ½ months at Newport News, Virginia, YORKTOWN was commissioned on April 15, 1943. World War II’s famous “Fighting Lady” would participate significantly in the Pacific offensive that began in late 1943 and ended with the defeat of Japan in 1945. YORKTOWN received the Presidential Unit Citation and earned 11 battle stars for service in World War II.

In the 1950s, YORKTOWN was modernized to operate jet aircraft as an attack carrier (CVA). In 1957, she was re-designated an anti-submarine aircraft carrier (CVS), and would later earn 5 battle stars for service off Vietnam (1965-68). The ship also recovered the Apollo 8 astronauts and capsule (December 1968). YORKTOWN was decommissioned in 1970 and placed in reserve.

In 1975, this historic ship was towed from Bayonne, NJ to Charleston to become the centerpiece of Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum.

We spent about 3 hours touring the ship. It was a like small city. They thought of everything, including a dentist, eye doctor, laundry/pressing….even a jail! The stairs (and there are a lot of them) were narrow and steep. We tried to imagine what it was like for soldiers to quickly move about the ship. 

We then took a ferry to Fort Sumter which has significance to our American History:

Fort Sumter is an island fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina most famous for being the site of the first shots of the Civil War (1861-65). Originally constructed in 1829 as a coastal garrison, U.S. Major Robert Anderson occupied the unfinished fort in December 1860 following South Carolina’s secession from the Union, initiating a standoff with the state’s militia forces. When President Abraham Lincoln announced plans to resupply the fort, Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard bombarded Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, kicking off the Battle of Fort Sumter. After a 34-hour exchange of artillery fire, Anderson and 86 soldiers surrendered the fort on April 13. Confederate troops then occupied Fort Sumter for nearly four years, resisting several bombardments by Union forces before abandoning the garrison prior to William T. Sherman’s capture of Charleston in February 1865. After the Civil War, Fort Sumter was restored by the U.S. military and manned during the Spanish-American War (1898), World War I (1914-18) and World War II (1939-45). It’s now a National Historic Site.

The ferry dropped us off in downtown Charleston so we used the opportunity have dinner in town. We had traditional Southern food at Rudy Royal. Mike and Kelly had fired chicken, they gave it a little twist by deep frying it in honey. Jen had chicken and dumpling, so yummy. After, we went to a desert bar called, Carmella’s Cafe and Desert Bar. We had a waffle sundae called the “Godfather” with cannoli and mascarpone ice cream on a waffle. Loved it!

Because of weather concerns, we got a late start. Jen made a light breakfast…crackers, smoked salmon, cucumbers, tomato cream cheese and capers. It was a refreshing breakfast. At noon, we pulled up the anchor and headed for Charleston. It was a short 4 hour travel day.  

There was a lot of current, wind and traffic approaching the Safe Harbor Marina in Charleston. It was a bit concerning but Mike got us straight into the slip! The marina is one of the largest marinas we’ve visited. They have 415 slips and can accommodate very large yachts, we saw one that was 120ft long. We enjoyed walking around the marina looking at the yachts and pristine sail boats. 

It was also helpful to watch (and learn) the boats dock on the long face dock. The best way to describe it is parallel parking. It is more of a challenge for us because we don’t have thrusters. 

Jen made a bruschetta as a light dinner….we were hungry later and Jen made a french onion dip with cut up brats while we played a card game, Shanghai. We didn’t get to finish the game but Jen is leading

After fueling up and getting ice at the dock, we pushed off for our next adventure. Some new friends we met on “Knot R O’Ky Home”. We hope to see them in Charleston.

The drive was a bit tricky today. We need to leave at high tide because some of the ICW areas were low on depth. Some areas were as low as 5 feet but with high tide, we had an extra 6-7 feet. Kelly helped closely navigate using “Bob tracks” to guide us.  

The highlight of the day was watching all the military aircraft training. Several flew low and close to our boat….that is the loud sound of freedom! It was excited to watch them do their touch and go landings.

There was a speedboat race taking place today as well, it was super loud. Brings back memories when we would take our first boat to Lake Of the Ozarks in Missouri for the summer. We used to get waked by speed boats all the time. But now in our big 42ft we hardly rock at all from their wakes.

At 4 pm, we arrived at our anchorage – Church Creek Anchorage , mile marker 488. Jen made some bruschetta and we had leftover hamburgers for dinner from last night.  

BTW. We traveled 48.5 miles and 5.5 hours.  

Today, we took Marcia and Steve’s car to the car wash. We found a car wash that only washes and offers vacuuming and cleaning towels for free. Jen and Kelly were dressed nice and it was a hot day but we cleaned the car anyway. We also stopped and the gas station to fill up the car. We then did the usual provision before leaving tomorrow….include a stop at the liquor store to buy some local beers!

Jen and Kelly finished some last minute shopping in town before Mike finished work.  We spent the evening at Marcia and Steve’s boat dock. It is a cute enclosed “porch” with a kitchen, bathroom and breezy living area. Steve made fantastic burgers and we spent the evening chatting and playing games. We are so fortunate to have friends like them. We love you Steve and Marcia!!

We they dropped us off at the marina, we said “see you soon!” because don’t say goodbye.

Today is 200 days on our adventure!!

Here are some stats about our trip:

Traveled 2,030 miles and 253 hours

Out of 200 days, we cruised 37 days 

Used 1,150 gallons of diesel

Kelly and Jen did some shopping at the local shops in downtown Beaufort. Jen bought a cute sundress. At lunch, Mike joined us for a horse and carriage ride around town. We learned about the history and architecture of Beaufort.  

Here is some brief history during the Civil War:

In the antebellum era, Beaufort became a summer retreat for rich Sea Island cotton planters and even richer mainland rice planters, who maintained a wealthy and cultivated society in the town. By 1860 Beaufort was one of the wealthiest towns in America and a center of the secession movement, led by Beaufort native Robert Barnwell Rhett, the “Father of Secession” in South Carolina. During the Civil War, Beaufort was the first southern city conquered by Union forces after the U.S. Navy victory in Port Royal Sound on November 7, 1861. Beaufort became the headquarters of the U.S. Army, Department of the South, and most of the buildings were converted into hospitals for Union army wounded.  

When the wealthy left their homes in Beaufort, they didn’t continue to pay their taxes.  After the war, their homes were auctioned to pay the taxes. Freed slaves worked for the Union and used the money saved to buy those homes. 

After Mike finished work in the afternoon, we took Harley for a walk, got some ice cream and enjoyed the swings along the coast at the park. Later, we celebrated our 200 days with beers and appetizers at “Q on the Bay”.

At 8:30 am, we were told we had to move our boat to a different slip than we agreed upon the day before. And, we had to do it now because the owner of the slip was waiting for us to move even though the day prior we were told they were coming in the afternoon. We were frustrated that we were put in a rush situation. It was not slack tide, but the current wasn’t bad. We hurried up and moved the boat. Mornings seem to be challenging while we’ve been here. Mike and crew did great and we docked the boat with no issues. In moments like this ti reminds us we’ve got skill and should try to stress less. We now have a great view of a nearby bridge!

Kelly caught Jen’s cold. It isn’t covid, it is just a regular cold. Jen has been sick for several days now, so Kelly is hoping to shorten the time. She is gargling with salt water, taking vitamin C and strong OTC meds. It was a quiet, uneventful day. 

Jen made breakfast and took a nap, as she is still a little sick too. Kelly worked on blog posts and Mike worked.

After work, Jen and Mike ran some errands including going to Sea Eagle Fish Store for local shrimp. Jen cooked it with pasta and it was great. Our Beaufort friends, Marsha and Steve, are right…the local shrimp here is great!

In the pictures below you’ll see Jen standing next to one of the pilings at low tide, a similar picture can be found in yesterdays post of her next to the piling at high tide… The 9.5ft tide change around here is insane!

Happy Birthday Michael!!! Hard to believe Michael is 20 years old today. It’s true that time flies. We are so proud of what great young man Michael he has become. Also, we are thankful of all the work Michael did on our boat to get us ready for our big journey. He may not be traveling with us physically, but he is always with us. We love you with all our hearts, Michael.

Our morning started with a bit of a scare. Our neighbor at the dock pulled away just before high tide which was a strong current. He got away from the dock fine, but as he tried to make the turn into the ICW in reverse, the current pushed his stern into our anchor at the bow. Jen and Kelly were still sleeping, and it was a very loud awakening.  Mike was outside at the stern and we all came running to the bow. There is no visible damage to the boat, but it took some time to free our anchor from his boat. They have some damage, but it could have been worse. They were shaken by it and decided to bring the boat back to its slip and not go anywhere. Smart move. Don’t travel when you are stressed. The lesson learned is to wait for currents to slow down. When maneuvering in tight spaces, currents can be your worst enemy.

Mid-morning, the dock master told us we had to move our boat because someone that rents our slip full time is coming back! After some negotiating and expressing some frustration, we agreed to move the boat tomorrow to the slip next to us in the morning during slack tide. We were not happy about moving because there is always some risk moving the boat.  

In the afternoon, Kelly did 8 loads of laundry which included sheets and blankets.  Marina laundry prices range from occasionally free to $6 for wash/dry load. Today, laundry is $3.50 to wash and dry. There were 3 washers and 3 dryers and a nice folding table and because some machines were occupied, laundry took 5 hours. We were glad to have it done. The prior marina had broken machines and Hilton had none, due to a past hurricane.  

Mike did some boat projects in the evening, and we called it an early night.

One of our friends from Marathon, Marsha and Steve Parkes, live in Beaufort, SC. They dropped off one of their cars today for us to use while we are here. So awesome!  

Marsha and Steve are both recovering from COVID so we are unable to spend time with them. However, Steve did take us for a short drive around town and show us many points of interest. Marsha and her family have a lot of history in town. He showed the house she was born in and all the homes her family has owned and still owns. It was so much fun.

Afterwards, we went to “Q on Bay” for lunch. Because of staffing issues at all restaurants, the wait was 45 min. long so we ate at the bar instead. It turned out to be more fun anyway. We met a nice couple from Chicago that loved hearing about our trip. We also met Andrew, on a sailboat by himself. We saw him in the morning, pull his boat up to a free city dock all by himself!! It was so impressive, and it was fun to meet him.  The food was really good – brisket sliders, loaded grits, stew, mozzarella sticks…. We also enjoyed beer flights. We each had 4 flights and loved all of them. We will definitely be coming back.

Afterwards, Jen was still recovering from being sick, so she rested on the boat while Mike and Kelly took a drive.  Beaufort is a nice small town. There are a lot parks to explore. It was late in the day, so nothing was open, but we enjoyed driving around.  

Later that night, we got a pizza from a famous restaurant in town, “Hearth Wood Fired Pizza”. The mushroom pizza with truffle oil was great. The caesar salad was a bit sad and boring. We might be back but won’t order a salad!!

At 8:30 am this morning, we pushed off from Palmetto Bay Marina, Hilton Head to Beaufort SC. It was a 4.5 hour trip and the weather was great. There was little wind and current, so the travel was easy. Jen was still recovering from being sick, so she slept in her cave most of the trip.

We arrived at Safe Harbor Marina, Beaufort SC not only safely but Mike did a great job pulling into the space. Kelly was hungry so we ate a big lunch at “Lost Local” in downtown. They had great tacos – Ahi Tuna, Mahi Mahi, chicken mac cheese, pulled pork and pork belly. All were fantastic!

 A word on showers….

Most of the marina showers have been ok. Some are nice – they are clean and have places to put your stuff and a place to hang your towel. Some are not so nice – they have inconsistent hot water, broken or unpleasant/cheap amenities. Palmetto Bay Hilton did not have a shower due to a hurricane. Safe Harbor Beaufort was designed by a very tall person. Everything is out of reach for us – towel hook, shower head and shelf!!  Out boat has a shower, but it is a very small space. We are getting a bit frustrated with showers lately. Hopefully, the Charleston marina is better.