26 October 2024
Depart: Steam Boat Creek anchorage 7:15
Arrive: Safe Harbor Port Royal Landing Marina near Beaufort, SC 12:10
Distance: 38 nm
We planned to meet our friends, Steve and Marcia on the boat "Low Country Lady 2", for lunch today at Beaufort, SC. When Clark did the math yesterday, he said that if we left at our usual time, we would not make it there for 12:00 lunch. So, I suggested we target leaving at 7:00 instead of 7:30.
Sunrise today was just about 7:30 a.m. Clark said, "Won't it be too dark to leave?" I figured with twilight, we would be fine. Given that, we were up well before the sun today. In fact we were ready to go but waited for the sun to start to make its appearance to pull up the anchor. Being in unfamiliar water with fish traps, it seemed prudent to have enough light to see what might be in the water ahead of us.
Clark said he wanted to navigate us out of the anchorage today as he had seen some shoaling coming in yesterday. Consequently, I pulled out my camera and got some early morning photos as the sky slowly brightened.
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| Sunrise over the trap farm |
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| Sea Gulls chasing the boat |
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| Sun just barely above the horizon made for interesting color formations with our wake |
We did not factor humidity into our travel plan. Before we could pull up the anchor to leave, we had to wipe the dew off the panels of the full enclosure to be able to see where we were going. I opened the front panel of the full enclosure for better visibility and was surprised by the chill in the air. Clark and I bundled up to stay warm.
Underway, we ran the radar due to the fog cover. Markers would be invisible and then suddenly appear as if by magic.
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| Where's that next marker? |
The fog had an interesting effect on the appearance of the sun. I decided to have fun with taking photos.
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| Off our stern, underway |
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| Bridge disappearing into the fog |
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| The water looks bronze in color from the muted sun |
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| Bridge Reflection on a foggy day |
Occasionally the fog would clear and we would think we were fine and could turn off the running lights. Then, around the next bend, it would be back again.
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| Another bridge reflection |
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| I took a Bridge architecture picture (since Clark was busy at the helm) |
The picture below shows where a new, tall bridge has replaced an older bridge which is now just a pier out into the waterway. The two form a V shape from the angle I took the picture with a park-like setting between.
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| Bridge reflections |
The sun hitting the marsh grass gave the tops a bright golden color -- not quite as vibrant in the picture as in reality.
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| Pipe reflection |
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| Egret reflection |
The water was at low tide as we traversed this area, and we got a good view of the mud flats.
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| Beaufort, SC |
Steve was right there at the dock when we arrived and helped grab our lines as we tied to the dock. Marcia, unfortunately, was feeling "under the weather" and decided not to join us. Steve suggested that we grab lunch together at the marina restaurant called "Marker 244". He said that I could throw the laundry in the washer next door to the restaurant and eat while the clothes got done. That is exactly what I did.
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| Clark and Steve at "Marker 244" restaurant |
The price for a load of laundry was $1.25 wash and $1.25 dry. I did two loads, so that totaled $5.00. Add to that the $150 for the slip, and that adds up to a hefty price for clean clothes. If that had been all we did while here, it would sound crazy. However, Steve offered to take us for provisions as well as to take us over to see Lady's Island for dinner.
Clark took advantage of fresh water at the dock to fill our water tanks and wash some salt off the hull. Afterwards, Clark went to get a tour of Steve's new-to-him boat. I stayed on our boat and took advantage of the break in traveling to do some cleaning.
Clark and I have never been to Lady's Island although we have stopped in the Beaufort, SC area many times. Clark said after multiple attempts to get a slip at the marina in Lady's Island, and being told they could not accommodate us, he gave up trying.
At 5:30 Clark returned from Steve's boat and said it was time to leave for dinner. We had agreed on eating at Dockside, and Steve hoped to get there early enough not to have a long wait. Unfortunately, even though we got there somewhat early, since it was a Saturday, there was already quite a crowd. We ended up with a 45 minute wait for a table.
While we waited, we sat outside to talk and admired the creative decorations on the property.
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| Is he always here or is he here for Halloween coming soon? |
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| My new friend - the deep sea diver |
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| I'm not sure about the mileages on here. Mexico 779 nm? |
After a lovely seafood dinner, Steve took us to Publix where I picked up another loaf of bread and some other nice-to-haves. I did not really need that ice cream I bought, but I am sure I will enjoy every mouthful.
As we talked about where we go from here, we realized we have a bit of an issue. We have traveled down the coast quite quickly. Perhaps too quickly. As now that we are so close to Florida, we realize that we have to put the brakes on. Our boat insurance does not allow us past Cumberland Island in Georgia until after November 1st. We are 3 travel days away with 5 days on the calendar, so we will need to hang out somewhere until insurance says we can continue south.
Steve told us about a creek at Cumberland Island where we can anchor and should be able to see the wild horses of the island from the boat. That sounds like a nice place to hang out and wait for the calendar to flip to November. Clark said he would look into it.
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