Oct 23, 2008/Oct 24, Thursday & Friday

Left this morning around 8:30 from Jacksonville and arrived in Palm Coast Marina in Palm Coast, Flordia around 4:30. It is a true paradise here. It is the nicest marina we have stayed at yet. The winds were tenacious today and thankfully we were greeted at the dock by a crowd of fellow boaters eager to help us dock in such windy conditions. We met Barbara and her husband who were sailing on the ICW. Barbara gave me great input about the different stops in Florida and where to go. She suggested the European Village just five minutes down the road. I took her advice and we headed for the Mezalunna pizzaria there for dinner that night. We ate at Barbara Jean's restaurant the next day for lunch and visited some of the specialty shops.
We also met Joanne and Bob Updegrave. They also are traveling to Marathon, Florida. We had hordeurves and drinks on the back of their boat the following evening.
We stayed at Palm Coast for two days due to the rainy weather. Not too much fun to travel in the rain.
Happy Boating until my next post.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

We left Golden Isles Marina around 9:15. It was an eventful day for us. We bumped aground in a tricky area around Jekyll Island where you have to go out to the entrance of the ocean and come around to the back side of the island. I was below when we bumped and it knocked me off my socks. Due to Captain's Joe's quick response we quickly rebounded and got back on track. Note - just because Shrimp boats are in shallow water - doesn't mean that's where your vessel should be. Ha Ha. The weather was blustery and cool. We crossed St. John's River and saw some of the largest boats we have ever seen. I took a great picture of one in dry dock. We arrived at Palm Cove Marina in Jacksonville, Florida around 5:00 pm.
We missed a marker coming into the marina and scrubbed again. The greatest pro about this day was the majority of the time we were running with the wind and current which gave us better fuel economy and faster speed. Oh well Moma said there would be days like this Mama said, Mama said.
We ate at Restaurant 32 at the marina that night. We highly recommend this eatery. It was delicious. We had grilled Salmon with risotto rice and apple smoked port medallions with poached Shrimp. There is a true Chef in that kitchen.
When we got back to the boat, we tried to repair our air conditioner, which had sucked up debris through the raw water intake. Thank goodness for fans.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

We left Kilkenney Creek around 9:30 and arrived to the Golden Isles Marina near Jekyll Island, Georgia. It was the easiest docking so far. The water was like a pond. The marina is new, so everything is pristine and nice. The marina had a nice Captain's store, where we purchased a new bell for the boat. We grilled brats with peppers and onions on the back porch. We were tired and it was nice to watch all of the boats coming in and docking from their journeys. Not very eventful, but very fulfilling.

Monday, October 20, 2008

To catch up on our dates, the following happened. Saturday, Oct. 18th, we stayed in Beaufort for an extra day. It was rainy and cold that day, so we did not want to travel.
Sunday, October 19th, we arrived in Savannah, Georgia. Took the Trolley stop tour and learned many historical references of Savannah. We stayed until Monday afternoon. We docked at the city dock, which was in the heart of the downtown area. Thanks to a great Dockmaster, Chaze, who helped us dock and took our mail to the post office. Thanks Chaze, for all of your help.
We ate lunch at Paula Dean's restaurant. It was delicious! After a brisk walk back to the boat, we departed to go further into the Georgian coast. The Georgia sawgrass on the banks of the ICW is beautiful. It is almost prairie like. We docked this evening at Kilkenney Creek. It is a quaint country marina that looks like a gentlemen's fish camp. Danny helped us dock. He's lived on Kilkenney Creek all of his life. In fact his father bought the marina years ago and he is now the owner. The pace here is slow and easy. Even the otter we saw cross the creek this evening while sitting on the back of the boat was in no hurry. We are happy to be docked and there was a crossing called; "Hell's Gate," that we were nervous about. All notes and references we have read in regards to this spot stated boldly to cross on high tide only, "NO JOKING." We crossed this area and yes it was high tide. Hallelujah another difficult area accomplished. The weather is cool and the mosquitos on the back porch will tote you off. We ate leftovers from our Saturday night supper at Vic's and are now retiring for the night. As they say in Georgia:
I'll see yall later.

Friday, October 17, 2008

We left Charleston at 9:30 am and arrived in Beaufort, South Carolina at 4:30 pm. Today was a seven hour ride, but it gave us time to work on some maintenance issues on the boat.
Beaufort is pronounced like Buefort. It is an historical place. Small with lots of shops and almost a step back in time. Everyone we passed on the streets speaks to you. We docked at the city marina in downtown Beaufort. We were delighted with the row of super large porch swings lined up around the harbour walk. We sat and swang after a delicious dinner at "Luthers." We ate crab cakes and the very best pork chops I have ever put in my mouth. They come to the table black, charred with a molasses sauce that is sweet and tangy. Yum Yum. Years ago, Luther's restaurant used to be Luther's Drug Store and Mercantile. They have pictures hanging from 1908 to its current restaurant days. It's a very interesting collection of history. The original plank floors are still being walked on.
Tomorrow we will set our sights toward Savannah. Paula Dean, here we come baby.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Joey and I left Georgetown this morning at 8:15 am and arrived in Charleston at Ashley Marina around 3:15 pm. It was a long ride but we had lots of entertainment along the way. We could not count how many dolphin we saw. Some joined our wake and jumped along with the boat and others had splash parties on the banks of the waterway just like children. It was absolutely amazing.
We also saw an aligator and yes we saw an abundance of indigenous palm trees.
Charleston Harbour was our first large body of water. It was somewhat imtimidating to cross, but we managed.
Docking went smoothly and afterwards we took a nice stroll to the maritime market. Charleston is a beautiful town. We have been here many times so we decided to stay aboard and grill out. We noticed noses and looks as we were grilling. I think we were making people hungry.
We met a nice fellow on the dock who was a captain for a boat being repaired two doors down from ours. Conversation was easy and breezy on this lazy afternoon on the back porch of the boat.
Watched Commander and Chief after dinner and retiring for another day of adventure and exploration.
We're having a ball. Happy Boating!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

This morning we left Murrell's Inlet around 9:00 and arrived in Georgetown, South Carolina at 12:00. We traveled 8 knots. We were apprehensive to try and make it to Charleston, so we decided go the safe route and travel the shorter distance to Georgetown. Tomorrow will be the long haul to Charleston. The weather has been beautiful.
We had traveled many times to Charleston by car and passed through Georgetown. We always wanted to stop and now we finally had the opportunity to see what we were missing.
Georgetown is a quaint historical town with a deep south feel. Joey and I enjoyed the harbour walk. Dinner was not that great at a local restaurant, but hey you win some and you lose some when you dine out.
We docked at Boatshed Marina. The docking fee of $1.40 per foot was very reasonable and it has a beautiful view of the downtown area. The harbour is adorned with moored sailboats. I close with Happy Boating and please note about South Carolina a tidbit of information I was told by a local on the streets. The State Bird of South Carolina is a mosquito! I will post pictures of our day.