Beaufort to Charleston

We left Beaufort and headed North up the ICW. We anchored in Steamboat creek off the North Edisto river with a view of the low country marshes and a beautiful evening.
We awoke to a fantastic sunrise and after one of Jo's gourmet breakfasts, headed North again to Charleston. Upon hearing of some horror stories about the exposure at the City Marina, we decided to go up the Cooper River to a small marina at the Charleston Maritime Center, across from Patriot's Point, home of the USS Yorktown. We thought it would be more protected until a Submarine decided to head out and rock the boat during the middle of the night. We enjoyed visiting Fort Sumter, the old marketplace and walked tne historic streets of Charleston. One of the most interesting visits was the old Slave Market, where domestic slaves, (American Citizens) were bought and sold. Later, we ate dinner at Magnolia's, a real
Southern Cuisine experience. We also visited Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Rich Bossey, our friend in Punta Gorda, was right. Charlston is an epicurian delight! We are enjoying eating our way through the southern "Low Country".

Beaufort, South Carolina

We left Thunderbolt Marina with our complimentary Krispy Cremes and once again headed North. Our original goal was to stop and experience Hilton Head, however, due to the Verizon PGA Golf Tournament they had hiked the price up to $10.00 per foot. So we continued through Port Royal sound to Beaufort South Carolina. Beaufort is another historic town rich with history from the days of "King Cotton" and the Civil War. We stayed at the downtown Beaufort marina, and enjoyed seeing the georgeous spring flowers, historic antibellum homes and Saint Helena Island, home of several former plantations. After the Union Army occupied Beaufort in 1861, using it as a strategic port for the southern blockade, 10,000 slaves were later given their freedom. The Penn school was founded on St. Helena in the late 1800's, to teach the freed men to read, write and fend for themselves, continuing to operate until 1948 when South Carolina took over the public education for the sea islands. We enjoyed seeing several plantations and an old "Praise House" where the slaves were allowed to worship in their own way three times a week. An elderly black gentleman, Mr. Middleton, who actually prayed here, sang one of the original hymns.

Savannah

After a long day on the Water, we arrived in Thunderbolt, Georgia. The following day, we took the bus to Savannah, and toured this wonderful, historic city. Savannah has preserved it's heritage and maintains the beautiful parks which are the original squares layed out by General Oglethorpe, founder of Savannah. Shown is a picture of the site of Forrest Gump's bench, which was one of several movies filmed in Savannah. Savannah is a major port with a thriving waterfront.

Cheri's Art Show

Robbins Dock

On the road again

April 13th, 2010. We left Cheri and Dick Robbin's dock and headed down the river, destination Golden Isles Marina. We had some last minute guests as Cheri and Dick decided to join us for the day. We had a good trip even when the tide, opposing the winds, kicked up a nasty chop. The wee tug handled it fine,however,and we arrived safely at our destination. That night we ate in the Coastal Cafe (on site restaurant) and could not resist the local favorite, Shrimp and Grits.

Robbins Yacht Club and Amenities

The Robbins Yacht Club offered golf, art shows, meeting many wonderful friends of Dick & Cheri and fine dining! On Thursday night we had the opportunity to attend Cheri's opening night at a local gallery in nearby Darien, Ga. Cheri is an accomplished local artist. Fans were buying her paintings off the wall. Afterwards, we tried some local fare at Skipper's Restaurant famous for their Chrispy Flounder.
On Sunday, John went to the last day of the Masters tournament, courtesy of our friend, Dick Robbins. Saw Tiger's return, and saw Phil win the Tournament. Rooted for Fredie Couples and he played well for an "Old" guy. Augusta National was beatiful. We never saw a more well behaved crowd. The members of Augusta National really don't try or need to make money. All in all, an awesome day! Jo enjoyed a Low Country Boil at the Oak Grove Yacht Club. Spent Monday shopping and resting for our next move to Golden Isles Marina on Saint Simons Island.

Shuttle Launch

Great Loop Journey

Welcome to our new blog. We plan to update our travels as we progress on our Great Loop Journey. We left Legacy Harbor in Ft. Myers, Fl. on March 23 and proceeded to cross Florida. We stopped at Roland Martin Marina in Clewiston for a night at the dock and left the next morning to cross Lake Okeechobee early in the morning before a cold front passed through the area. We then stopped in Stuart to pick up a mooring for several days waiting out the cold front while enjoying the Stuart Municipal Marina and the beautiful downtown area. We anchored out the next night in Melbourne, Fl. and then arrived at Titusville Municipal Marina for a few days to take time to visit Kennedy Space Center. We were fortunate to see the Shuttle on the pad being prepared for the Launch that was to happen on Monday, April 3 at 6:23 a.m. We left Titusville on Sunday, April 2 and proceeded to anchor in Daytona Beach. The next morning we were able to see the launch and saw a spectacular sight. Traveling on the waterway, we arrived in St. Augustine and walked the old streets and enjoyed the history of this wonderful city. The next day, we left St. Augustine and picked up a mooring at Ferandina Beach Municipal Marina. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Brett's on the Water and had a very nice evening. On Wednesday at 2 p.m. we arrived at our friends house in Brunswick,Ga. Cheri and Dick have a beautiful home on the Buffalo River and the best Yacht Club a person could want at their docks! John and Dick played golf and are getting ready to go to Augusta on Sunday to see the Masters! We will continue this blog with entries as we progress on our journey.