12/0715

Nana had a wonderful day today on Hilton Head. Now for those of you who have visited Hilton you will know that the island is 12 miles by 5 miles wide. It is devided into Plantations. IE is on a slip at Shelter Cove and they are very accommodating. It was raining this morning so our bike ride with Vicky and Peter got postponed so Nana decided to have a spa day at The Marriott which was wonderful. She rode her bike to the Spa and had three hours of wonderful relaxation which included a massage, sauna, long shower and the perfect walk along the beach. Nandad remained on IE to plan our trip to Georgia tomorrow. He also got to relax up on the bridge and did some reading. We are going to Vicky and Peters for dinner. Wonderful to have BWSC members as ambassadors. Nana has included a map of Hilton, a picture of the beach ( just a small section) and the bike at the bridge that goes under the highway - very cool. 

12/06/15

IE arrived by escort into Shelter Cove Marina at Hilton Head today. The marina is quite a distance up Broad Creek so it was very welcoming to have Jason assist us into the marina. Today on our ride over leaving Beaufort a trail of seagulls were in our wake ( picture to follow). Nana thinks they thought IE was a shrimp boat. A lovely fresh sunny day and we arrived just in time to have a delicious brunch at one of their many restaurants Ela's Blue Water Grille. Vicky and Peter Pasquale ( BWSC) live right next door so after lunch Peter picked us up and we went to see their condo and meet Vicky. We did some provisioning - thank you Vicky & Peter and had a wonderful walk along the beach. Tomorrow Nana & Nandad will have a layday.

12/05/15

Boating always has its stories to tell. Just as IE was preparing to set off for Beaufort SC the skipper went to turn on the engines and the starboard engine refused to start! Another call to Larry and by 9.15am we were ready to go. Larry thanks us for helping him out with his Christmas shopping! With expert help and the Skipper's skills IE left her slip without any difficulty. It was very windy and the current was strong. Today's journey took us along a beautiful more rugged section of the ICW. The Elliott Cut is very narrow but has beautiful homes all along its edge. Cruising down the Stono River was challenging and Nana and Nandad had to pay close attention. As IE was cruising down the South Ediston River she came across the sail boat again from Canada with its beautiful sails. We arrived into Beaufort where they are having a Festival of Lights taking place tonite so we will have the front row seats. Nana wishes she had her festive flags tonite so that IE would look the part. Tomorrow we may head for Hilton Head - who knows! 

12/04/15

Nana had the perfect layday today. It started off with the most delicious breakfast.  Traditional Southern style biscuits at Callie's Hot Little Biscuits were yummy. Y'all have a nice day has a whole new meaning. It was very windy and cold today but sunny. We returned to IE to do some boat maintenance and then had a wonderful lunch at Victoria's on King St. Nandad had to return to IE to meet Larry who is going to hopefully fix the shower pump! Nana took a stroll down the historic district and did a tour of Calhoun Mansion. Tonite we are going to the Footlight Players to see Miracle on 34th Street. Nandad is very excited. The first picture is Nathaniel House Museum, the second is the Hibernian Club- very stylish for the Irish, and the third is IE looking very snug in Charlston Maritime Centre - actually we bounced around all night due to the high winds! 

12/03/15

Well yesterday Nandad almost left Nana on the dock and today Nana booked the wrong marina but all turns our well- a story for another time. IE arrived into Charleston  Maritime Center at 1.15pm. Actually Nana thought she had made a reservation however it turned out to be a different place. George was incredibly helpful and found us a slip for two nights - off the hook this time! Our journey today brought us through a floating bridge called The Tom Yawkey Wildelife floating bridge. Along the side edge perched on a dead branch was the largest blue heron I have ever seen. When it stretched its neck it was as tall as Nandad. The ICW turns southwest into the Estherville Minim Creek. There is a 20 mile long barrier island that is called the Romain National Wildlife Refuge. Nana spotted a bald eagle along the edge simply perched on a tree branch. When you see these birds initially you think they are fake but when you take out the binoculars you can see them move. Absolutely beautiful. The dolphins also had fun chasing IE on the bow. These are the special events that are impossible to catch on camera.  There were more boats today and although the sun was shining it was colder. As IE was approaching the Ben Sawyer Swing bridge there was a dredging project taking place which made passage a little tricky. Nana and Nandad are looking forward to a lay day exploring Charleston tomorrow. The second picture is the Charleston Bridge from the marina.

12/02/15

The second day of Leg 2. Leaving Myrtle Beach area this morning with a thin film of fog all along the ICW with the Cataraman ahead of us was a little unsettling. The Cataraman had to go under the Robert Grisson bridge which is 65 feet and her mast is 64 plus her antannae- barely made it!!!Lambay would not! The area along this section is called the Rockpile - mm 347 to 365 - due to the many rock ledges abutting the deep portions- the shipper would rather not have any incidences with IE so we go nice and slow. Some of the homes are very decorative for Christmas which is fun to see. We fill with diesel once again at Osprey Marina which is a very quite spot and had great price for diesel. After that the weather picks up, there is no more fog and it's nice and sunny - for a while. We join the Waccaman River at mm 375 with its windy stretches of swamp, creeks , cypress and oak with its trailing Spanish moss that has a very creepy look. Coastal Carolina is called the Palmetto State and I can see why - the palm like trees are all along the ICW. The rain is schedules for late afternoon and this evening so IE heads into Georgetown which turns out to be a very pretty town. We went through two bridges today Seaboard Coast Line at mile 365.4 Bascule and Socastee which is a swing that is on demand. Hoping to get to Charleston tomorrow which is about 65miles. The skipper was given a bottle of Gorilla glue free by the very nice gentleman in this store. Nana would like her yard to look like this on in the picture!

12/01/15

Continuing our journey after a wonderful Thanksgiving. Nana and Nandad travelled yesterday by train,bus,plane and car to arrive back onboard IE. We have appointed Janet and Bill Brown as ambassadors for visiting BWSC members in Southport. Once again they picked us up for dinner and pointed out the best places to eat and grocery shop. IE was waiting for our return after a great makeover ( bottom painted, hull waxed and some repairs). We took our time heading towards Myrtle Beach and through Lockwoods Folly Inlet where the ICW meets the ocean and the shoreline is lined with Pelicans. So pretty. We decided to stay at Marina at Grande Dunes. In 2009 Nana and Nandad stayed here over Feburaury vacation to check out the ICW and here we are! I guess putting those plans into writing does help. We are now officially in SC. The houses seem more glamorous with infinity pools overlooking the ICW. We also came across some fishing boats that did not quite make it. Today we came through two swing bridges that opened on demand, Little River and Barefoot Landing.