The new Saving Grace is nearly ready for our next trip south! We plan to leave Oriental in October and spend Thanksgiving in St Augustine. Then we'll head to Fort Pierce and stay December 1-January 15 before heading to W. Palm Beach (Lake Worth Inlet). With a good weather window, we'll cross to the Bahamas and spend March-May at Man O War Cay. We look forward to plenty of company, so check your schedule and come see us!

That's Bu-fort, not Bow-fort...
We arrived in time for the Christmas flotilla beside the marina and enjoyed the Christmas lights. Next, Hilton Head and Shelter Cove Marina.

What a great town and visit! We took up the invitation from our friends Jack and Annelise Simmons to stay at the Carolina Yacht Club with the best view and closest proximity to downtown of any marinas in Charleston. Benjamin, Daniel, and my brother Bernie joined us and we all enjoyed a tremendous feast on Thanksgiving at the Simmons' home/B&B 15 Church Street. We toured Charleston, sailed in the harbor, visited Fort Sumpter, and had breakfast with our dear friends from Charlotte, Jim and Edith Hall. What a great place to spend Thanksgiving! Next on the agenda: the tortuous and shallow ICW of Georgia!

Georgetown SC is a great stop on the ICW with history, beautiful homes and even a record-setting (for its age) tree. The Kudzu Bakery supplied sustenance is preparation for our next leg to Charleston. We spent one night in McClellanville SC at Leland Oil Company next to the shrimp boats. We had a little fuel filter leak and Sheila flagged down a really helpful local fisherman who not only helped fix the leak and refused money but instead brought 2 servings of venison stew to us that he had just prepared for his crew. Cruising brings you together with the nicest folks!
The trip to Charleston was uneventful and we arrived at the Carolina Yacht Club in downtown Charleston to spend Thanksgiving with our boys, my brother, and friends.

Classic Myrtle Beach golf courses followed by the beautiful and undeveloped Waccamaw River all happen in the same leg of the trip today.
Tomorrow on to Georgetown.

First some numbers:

Oriental NC: ICW Statute mile 182
Charleston SC: ICW Statute mile 469
St. Augustine: ICW Statute mile 777
Miami FL: ICW Statute mile 1089

1 nautical mile= 6076 feet
1 statute mile =5280 feet
1 knot= 1 nautical mile/hour = 1.15 statute miles/hour

Our boat travels at 4-6 knots (5-7 mph) on the ICW and a normal day for us on the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) is 30-40 miles. Also, factor more than one day at many stops to sight-see, visit friends or just fix something. That is all to say:
1. It's good we are not in a hurry.
2. It's good we don't have a schedule.
3. It's likely we'll make it to Charleston for Thanksgiving, St. Augustine for Christmas, and south Florida and the Bahamas by February.
4. Once we get more comfortable with our boat, we'll do some outside passages and pick up the pace.

We left Oriental on Saturday, November 5 with good friends and marina pals seeing us off. So far we've been to Beaufort NC, Swan's Point, Wrightsville, Southport, Ocean Isle, and Myrtle Beach.
We'll be in Georgetown SC on Thursday for several days before heading for Charleston next week. Everything is working on the boat (except for the VHF radio, dinghy leak, cockpit light, and washer/dryer)--a normal boat list of things to repair. Enjoy the pictures and check back for an update soon.