Day 27 - Hilton Head, SC
27 April 2012 | Anchored N end of Skull Creek, SC (Hilton Head)
Fri 27 Apr 2012
Anchored N end of Skull Creek, SC (Hilton Head)
[photo: At the northern tip of the island looking W]
It seems that I have not quite gotten used to how boats can move while at anchor in a strong current with an opposing wind. I thought for sure that we had dragged anchor during the early part of the evening and it caused me some anxiety for a while, but finally I realized all was well and we both had a very restful sleep.
It was so restful, that after going to bed at 2130, I was wide awake at 0430. I used that time to study the available resources for important trip info, such as tide heights for shallow stretches, strength and direction of currents, distances between likely stops, bridge opening restrictions, etc. I had decided early on not to try to pre-plan all this before we left, thinking it would be a simple task to take it a week at a time. It turns out that it takes me about 30-40 minutes per day of travel. That's not a bad thing, just an observation.
This morning, chef Duane made scrambled eggs and bacon on a small roll, along with some fresh fruit. We enjoy our cereal and fruit in the morning, but this was a special treat. Diane elected to defrost the refrigerator and then we got our stuff assembled for a long day ashore with the bicycles.
When I telephoned to ask permission to use their small-boat dock and offered to pay a reasonable fee, the new management at the Skull Creek Marina said until they get a policy in place, we were welcome to use it for free. They also got a bag of trash and some recyclable items in the bargain.
Bicycling around this section of Hilton Head was one of the most picturesque and delightful biking experiences we have ever had. They have mostly asphalt trails paralleling the main roads that wind through a dense population of mature oaks and other trees. The many trails were mostly shaded and had the fragrance of so many pine cones and occasionally jasmine and other very aromatic fauna.
We biked a little over 8 miles through just a portion of the Hilton Head Plantation (one of several very large gated communities) and enjoyed every minute of it. The bluff trail at the northern tip of the island was somewhat soft sand at times, but we made it through. The strange part was that if you leave through the gate, you need to either be a resident or have a pass to get back in. Since we are not technically guests of the marina, we did not have a pass, so we elected not to leave.
On the way back, we knew we had passed two nice looking restaurants, but neither of them serve lunch, just dinner. Back at Diva Di, I used the Internet to check them out and we would have been in for at least $50 for a simple lunch for two, so maybe it was a good thing. Diane is reading her book on the deck in her swimsuit under gorgeous blue skies and a light breeze.
Reflecting further on the island, since neither of us had ever visited here, we were completely unprepared for the natural beauty we saw. Keeping in mind we only experienced one section, everything we saw was clean, neat, and well-maintained. While some of the homes we passed were in the VERY nice category, most were relatively modest homes that were, again, just really attractive in the woodsy setting.
For those readers who may not be cruisers, I should explain that depending upon the size of your refrigerator and freezer compartments, and how well they truly maintain the appropriate temperature, you are wise to limit how many perishables you have aboard at any one time. Similarly, some vegetables keep well enough when whole, but spoil more rapidly once cut. Unless you have a fussy eater aboard, you often wind up having the same foods several times in succession, although in different guise at the chef's discretion. Fortunately, Diane does a wonderful job at provisioning for us; we rarely have any waste and we eat well.
It is now almost 1900, dinner is done and we are ready for some time in the cockpit with well over an hour of sunlight left. Tomorrow is Beaufort, SC (Byew-fort, not Bo-fort) and perhaps two days there. Hope all our blog followers are doing well and enjoying the cruise with us. Despite a few setbacks here and there, we are having a wonderful time.