Today, on May 25, we are starting this post, sitting tight at Southport Marina, waiting out a storm packing 30-40 mph winds. I figure this is a good time to finally bring our blog up to date. Leaving Florida on April 8, we decided to forego the ICW through Georgia with all its switchbacks and shallow areas. We entered the Atlantic at Fernandina Beach and came back in at Wassaw Sound to take the southern route to Savannah. While most loopers choose to stay several miles outside the city to avoid the fast currents and heavy commercial traffic of the Savannah River, we chose to take a face dock at the Downtown Riverwalk Dock. The current is tough (there's a nine foot tide here), and commercial traffic is awesome (about eighteen ocean freighters plus their accompanying tugs and pilot boats come through every day), but we would be right in the middle of the action.
After orienting ourselves with a trolley tour, we took to walking the narrow streets and square shaped parks that run through the city, enjoying the live oaks, spanish moss, and especially the azalias which were in full bloom. Built on trade, Savannah was a rich city even before the Civil War, and was one of only two Cotton Exchanges in the world, the other set in London.
Over three days we must have seen most of the one thousand historically significant homes and other structures in the city's two square mile historic district. We also enjoyed the riverwalk with its seventy boutiques, restaurants, and pubs including the "Oyster Bar" where we had dinner one night.
After running a short twenty five miles, we spent the next four days enjoying the resort island of Hilton Head. Though we rode our bikes quite a bit, exploring the island, we spent a lot of time with our long time friends, Rick and Kathy Munger who keep their motor coach on their lot which overlooks the ICW. Besides dining and exploring together, the four of us had fun watching the pro's warm up for the Verizon Heritage at Harbor Town, famous for the lighthouse which stands behind the 18th green. I (Dave) even got Boo Weekley to autograph my straw hat.
Another twenty five or so miles north, we visited the great little town of Beaufort, SC. Like most of the coastal cities and towns from northern Florida through the Carolinas, Beaufort is proud of its rich heritage. In fact, Beaufort can boast that its entire downtown is on the National Register of Historic places
Then came Charleston. Tying up lines at the City Marina, we ducked as the Blue Angels, using the megayacht in front of us as a spot, screamed low over our boat, practicing their routine for the performances to be held in the city over the next two days. After that rather loud welcome, things quieted down quite a bit the next day, as we set off for breakfast at a farmers market, then for a carriage tour of the city. Founded in 1670 by the British, Charleston is steeped in history, and we spent the next two days getting to know the city and its history by bike. Where it was too dangerous for us to explore Savannah by bike because of its narrow streets, we spent hours riding through Charleston on two wheels. Its beautiful homes, gardens, and churches were a feast for the eyes, and visiting in April when the azaleas were in bloom added to the wow factor for us.
We learned that much of the city's beauty stems from the fact that after the Civil War, most citizens had no money to build new homes, and buildings were preserved because people instead made do with what they had. Many of the homes were trimmed with wrought iron, some of which was spiked, showing the fear these homeowners had of the potential for slave uprisings.
We next moved up the Waccamaw River to Georgetown, another quaint, historic South Carolina town.
Then we stayed two days in Myrtle Beach, where we docked next to Barefoot Landing, a development with over one hundred shops, pubs, and restaurants. Next we moved into North Carolina, docking a day each in Southport and Topsail. Arriving in Morehead City, the winds were so strong at our designated marina that the dockmaster felt it too dangerous for us to enter, and he found a slip for us at a more protected marina nearby.
Next, Belhaven, one of our favorite places, set in a pine forest wilderness;
Next, Belhaven, one of our favorite places, set in a pine forest wilderness;
then Coinjock, popular with delivery captains because of its restaurant's famous prime rib.
Moving up the Carolina coasts, we cruised beautiful rivers through the wilderness, rivers with colorful names like Alligator, Ashepoo, Pungo, Neuse, and Waccamo. We crossed large bodies of water in crossing the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds. We dodged thousands of crab pots, and often fought strong cross winds intent on pushing us out of narrow channels. We touched bottom twice. Our trip is still proving to be quite an adventure, and we are loving it.
It's now the 2nd of May, and Perfect Timing is twelve miles south of Norfolk, at the Atlantic Yacht Basin in Great Bridge, VA. There it will remain for three weeks while we take care of things back home.
