3/23/22
Rejoining the ICW, for an inland passage of 55 miles, was like visiting an old friend. We calmly left Isle of Hope Marina, in an adverse 2 knot current, to meander north on the Skidaway River. This part of the ICW is largely uninhabited and returning to the bucolic passages through low country marshes provided a relaxing change from our previous 2 days of ocean transit. After the tide turned, we were traveling at 7 knots through the water for a combined speed-over-ground of 9 knots. The relatively short day, combined with a confirmed reservation for the night, good weather prediction and a minimum of slow speed zones, allowed us to take our time, enjoy the scenery and conserve a little fuel.
We arrived at Lady’s Island Marina which tucked into the small & secluded estuary of Factory Creek, across the Beaufort River from the city of Beaufort South Carolina. This marina has great reviews in the Waterway Guide and features solid floating docks (an important consideration when leaving the boat unattended). It also has laundry facilities, a DIY workshop, massage therapist and both a restaurant and separate, self proclaimed ”dive bar”…our kind of place!
We opted for dinner at the dive bar because it was $5 burger night. Walking up to the bar, the bartender winked at Kathy and said “welcome to the shit show (wink, wink, wink)…order food at the window. On advice of a local, we ignored the menu and ordered cheeseburgers (which appeared to be the only thing they were actually serving). Great burgers and cold beer! After we returned to the boat, we could still hear the ”show” carrying on.
We will be leaving the boat here for about 3 weeks while we fly home to reconnect with family & friends, sort through our mail and start the summer preparations for the rest of our fleet. Tomorrow, we will taxi to Hilton Head Airport and briefly resume our ”normal” life. We leave with mixed feelings, looking forward to both our trip home and returning to spend some time in Beaufort before starting the last leg of our adventure.
And so…no more blog posts, until we return on April 14th, and start our third and final leg of this adventure. Thanks for following us and for your comments. We look forward to seeing some of you very soon!