St Catherines to Thunderbolt, Ga to Hillton Head, SC - May 21 thru 23

Jim and Gail were right, the anchorage was perfect, even with the current.  Once the anchor is set, there is hardly any movement, like you were in a marina.  As soon as the anchor is set we watch another sunset. We wake early, early enough to see our neighbors for the night leaving. Our thought is to go to Isle of Palms and find a marina and walk around the town. Although, once we called, there was "no room at the inn".  Beth tries Thunderbolt Marine (home of Krispy Kreme and a paper) and they are full, but the Morningstar Marina has space and we book it.  It is a relatively short run (30 miles to the marina), so we take our time as they do not want us there until 3 PM.  Well, a favorable current gets us there at 2, and we wait while a boat with an issue is moved.  We pull in, but not with some issues as an outgoing tide reeks havoc with our docking.  The folks at the marina pull our boat around and get us tied off; problem solved. 

The next day, we are off to Hilton Head, SC, which is just 20 miles away.  We wake to great sunrise even though we are in the marina.  Since we are in the marina, I check in with work and finish some documentation that did not get done before we left.  Beth goes for a walk around the area and finds Savannah State College, and wanders about. All is quiet on the boat and I complete my work, before we shove off for Hilton Head.  It is an easy trip, although we have to cross the Savannah River.  Jim noted that navigation in Georgia is not as well marked as it is in Florida and you have to pay attention.  Just crossing the Savannah River to get back on to the ICW was testament enough.  As we are entering the ICW from the Savannah River, we encounter the first of several barges on our way to Hilton Head.  Once on the ICW there is a stiff southwest breeze blowing and it warrants hoisting the jib.  We cut the throttle to 1/3 and we are still doing over 6+ knots, hitting 7.3 in some gusts.

We left Thunderbolt about 12 and we get to Hilton Head at around 3 PM.  We cross Calibogue Sound and the red and white lighthouse stands in front of us.  In the cruising guide, Broad Creek is an anchorage that is recommended and we find a place right near red marker 4.  We set the anchor and are good for the night.  Across the marsh are several huge houses and town homes.  Another sunset ends our day. 

Friday, we are off to the Harbour Town Marina.  We called to inquire if there was a fee for our dingy and they responded that they would find us room.  They put us on a dock near some condos, and did not charge us anything.  We pass several megayachts, which reminds us of our Bahamas encounter where we were the smallest boat in the marina.  Although this time there were several boats our size.  We went to the lighthouse and did the tour.  This is the first lighthouse that we have encountered where there is a gift shop at the top and the lighthouse is still operational.  We take several pix including hole number 18 where the Heritage Classic golf tournament is played.  Of course, the largest yacht in the marina is anchored in front of that hole. 

We wander through some shops and then decide that we should replenish our fresh provisions.  A quick glance at one of the guides shows that there is a couple of markets on the island.  We find that there is a trolley system that would get us close to the markets.  We wait for the trolley to take us there and are pleased that the operator shares his local knowledge.  The market is about half a mile from his last stop but he will wait for us as his route is on demand.  We pick up fruits and veggies and some fresh fish for tonight's meal.  We ask for some ice to keep the fish and veggies cool on our trip back and we get a small bag from the deli.  Nice!!!  As we approach the trolley stop, the operator comes and gets us about a hundred yards up the road.  He noted that there was a great ice cream place at one of his stops, so we ask him if he would stop there for us.  The ice cream is excellent and after we were expecting to take another trolley, but no, there is our driver ready to take us back to the marina.   Even though it is a Friday, it is already busy.  The driver notes that tomorrow and the rest of the weekend will be crazy.  We are glad we are on the move to Beaufort in the morning.