Return to Charleston

The view of old Charleston during an afternoon cruise. Two-hundred year-old, grand homes with three stories. 

Charleston was a one-week, planned stop/respite on our Loop march. There were a slew of things we wanted to do that were more convenient to do during a one-week pause.(1)

We had some great meals with local friends Paula and Carl. Spending good times with old friends and driving our own car made us feel at home, again, in Charleston.

   

Cruising Charleston Harbor with Paula and Carl

 
You may recall we had our truck in storage in Charleston, where we bought Sacagawea.(2) It actually felt novel to drive around in our own car again. 

About a month ago, we decided that we, and Sacagawea, deserved a brand-new mattress. The existing foam mattress was probably original. Eww. We ordered a custom mattress from a factory in Charleston. We absolutely love it. It also helped make Sacagawea feel like she was truly ours.

At the not-so-glamorous, but super-interesting mattress factory. They used our old foam mattress as a guide—notice the trapezoidal shape. The factory was huge with specialized cutting and sewing machines. There was no production line. Everything was custom.

When Mike took a break from his continual work updating and simplifying the boat's electronics, we took a day to visit the aircraft carrier/museum, The Yorktown. Originally we thought we would stay for a couple hours. We surprised ourselves by staying for six hours! There was so much to read and learn about. 

Mike in The Yorktown, reading about the antique fighter planes. What a great museum—with each plane there were stories about notable pilots.

In the interior of The Yorktown. One of the original electronics schematics. It looks just like the crazy wiring in Sacagawea! 

This photo was part of The Yorktown museum too! So cute…(read caption below)…

The used kayak we bought for our son AJ's visit was gathering dust (salt?). We found it to be too heavy and awkward to pull up on our kayak holder, so we listed it on Craigslist. SOLD.  In two days. When we only stayed one night at a stop, so far, we didn't have much time to do any kayaking. And there haven't been enough great places to kayak right from the boat. Who knows if that will change?

One nagging item on our ToDo list was to get all the right items to comply with the United States Coast Guard regulations. Nagging item number one: fire extinguishers. You could say we were pretty sure there were no fires on Sacagawea because all the fire extinguishers on board were dated 2007, the year she was built--and out of compliance.  Sacagawea came with a Fireboy system (3) which was also out of date. We hired a fire suppression professional to tell us how to bring the system into compliance. We were nervous that this would be a high-ticket item but were pleased to hear that all we needed was an hour of his time to test and re-certify the system. Phew! And, he taught us about this amazing system. 

The Fireboy in the engine room down below deck.

NEW SITES NORTHWARDS

After tucking the truck back into storage and waving goodbye to Charleston, we continued North. This time, we were pushing through new waters. Just when we thought we had left behind shallow (aka “skinny”) waters, we had many more nail-biting moments traversing through the Northern part of South Carolina on the ICW. We have very good navigational tools at our disposal, like seeing recent US Army Core of Engineers precise depth soundings overlayed on our digital charts.

  

Here are USACE soundings overlayed on a digital chart. You would see our boat and its path if this was in use.  This is just an example of the precise data we have available. The challenge is staying in the path if there is oncoming traffic. We had to work around active dredging rigs smack in the middle of the canal.

We had only two more stops in South Carolina before we crossed the line into North Carolina. The first was a quiet anchorage among the broad, peaceful marches. As we continued North we noticed that marshes were starting to shrink and foresty swamps started to grow. We also saw more sandy beaches. By the time we got to a quaint, rural marina for a one-night stop, we were surrounded by tall pines and oaks and the ICW channel was only 150 feet wide. By this time, we were appreciating Southern accents more and more. And, we were hearing differences from one state to the next.(4) 

We always pilot Sacagawea from the fly bridge with the exception of one day. It turned from expected rain to unexpected thunderstorms! Here’s Mike running the boat from the inside. He said, “I’m surprised at the great visibility down here.” Luckily, there were no lightening strikes near us. 

After Charleston, we soon crossed into North Carolina. We had four more one-night stops at marinas before our next multi-night stay. (5)  

Right after we docked at one quaint marina, a half-dozen cute-as-can-be turtles swam over to our swim step. Perhaps people feed them?

When we left the marina early the next morning, we were stunned by the beauty of fog rising off the lovely waterway just outside the marina’s cove:

And here was the view out my galley window while we were at anchor one of these days. I find these rural anchorages very peaceful:

At first, we found North Carolina pretty much like South Carolina, from the viewpoint of our fly bridge. However, we started to see differences in the homes. They tended to be in pastel hues of Easter eggs. Also, some of the land seemed less swampy and a tad bit higher off the water. There were fewer palm trees and more pine trees. 

FOOTNOTES FOR FUN FACT FANS

(1) We found a wonderful dentist who would see us for a short-notice, preventative visit. I got a much-needed professional haircut! Like all of you, we needed to spend some time preparing taxes. All our statements were digitized--so it was not an issue getting this to a tax preparer. 

(2) Mike installed a trickle charger in the storage unit. Now we're confident the truck will start when we need it. Thanks to Paula and Carl for starting it on a periodic basis!

(3) Fireboy is simply a brand of fixed, automatic extinguishers. We learned that when it senses 180 degrees it automatically goes off. The system also shuts down the engines and turns off the engine room blowers, reducing oxygen. There's a loud alarm, too. We learned how to bypass the engine shut down so we could turn on the working engine and blower, if needed, to limp "home." The system sprays a gas that does not hurt the engine! However, if you breathe a good amount of it, you pass out. But if you're in the engine room when it's 180 degrees, you're toast anyway?

(4) Just when I thought I could understand everything locals were saying with their charming accents I got caught up. I was making reservations via phone with a marina. You typically tell them your length and draft. Then she said, "What is your baah-eeem, darlin'? Confused, I asked, "Can you repeat that?" Patiently and slowly she said, "Your baaaaah-eeeeeem?" She was using two syllables to say, "beam." So funny. We both laughed about it when I met her in person and now I know! 

(5) The quaint stop was Osprey Marina, South of Myrtle Beach. We got there late and hardly got off the boat. Then we stopped at Southport Marina which is along Cape Fear River. We watched "Cape Fear" that night. So scary! So appropriate! Next, we anchored in a large bay among more marshlands which also hosted a Navy training facility. This was the first place where we had challenges getting our anchor to hold with two engines in reverse. We moved to another spot in the same bay and had the same problem. We were so tired after six hours underway that we decided to see if it would stick with only one engine in reverse. It stuck! The Weather app forecasted the wind to be mild, so we were confident we would not drag; the anchor did not drag overnight. Finally, we stayed at a rustic shrimp boat dock and seafood store called R.E. Mayo. I was so happy to stock up on inexpensive shrimp, scallops, and flounder. The owner was so kind and friendly.

Hilton Head + Bicycling

 

At the end of a three-day stay at Hilton Head Island. This was the ultimate stop of our longest bike ride—a pier at Harbour Town.

At the moment we moved over the imaginary line from Florida to Georgia, the winter months officially ended for us. 

It was a great moment when we crossed over the line from Florida into Georgia. 

We only stayed two nights in Georgia. Georgia's coast is just 100 miles, as the seagull flies, and there weren't any more coastal towns(1) in Georgia that we didn't hit on our Southernly shake-down cruise. 

Georgia and South Carolina’s coasts are marked by the mostly rural Sea Islands, also known as the Low Country. The ICW meanders through The Sea Islands. Sometimes the man-made canals had nail-biting shallow spots.(2) 

After a leisurely cruise East, the canal makes a 90 degree turn North through a narrow, shallow cut called Hell Gate. Not for the meek. We made it through fine.

Picture flat islands, fitting together like puzzle pieces, separated by rivers and sounds, that drain into the Atlantic Ocean. There are wildlife refuges and parks, farmlands, military enclaves (Paris Island), small towns, and golf-centered community developments. They are ringed by grass marshes (sometimes a mile wide).

The island interiors are often swampy, with creeks and lakes, and looked unique to us with their tall, straight pines and tall, straight oaks. We traversed through mile-wide rivers as well as man-made, narrow cuts 100 feet wide. 

Most of this portion had no waterfront homes. However, in the areas with waterfront homes, they tended to be palatial. And they would be attached to hundreds of feet of private boardwalks pushing straight through their backyard marshland. These wharves terminated in deep enough water for a raised boat slip and a covered dock. We rarely saw people in the yards or docks, which made these areas peaceful. We often felt it was just us and the birds on the ICW in the Sea Islands.(3)

Mike chats with the Looper just ahead of us on the VHF in his right hand, while holding the remote for the autopilot in his left hand. You can see a sea island in the distance.

The exceptions to this were Brunswick Landing and Hilton Head Island. Brunswick Landing Marina was a large marina that catered to its guests in a way not many marinas do. It had organized events daily, such as well-attended, hosted happy hours. We met some other Loopers there and heard their backstories. 

We've met quite a few Loopers now and it seems everyone has their own way of doing the Loop. Unlike us, some seem to start and stop. For instance, they fly home every month or so. Others take a few years to complete their trip, as they leave their boat in storage and come back another season. Everyone started at a different point, so we met people who just started, were halfway in, or were almost done. To our surprise, we met Loopers who were working part-time or full-time. Everyone was free with their advice about where to stop and how to make living aboard more comfortable. 

After Brunswick, we headed towards Hilton Head for a three-day stay. We left early so we had time to pull over at a state park dock at sparsely populated Daufuskie Island.

Daufuskie Island, like all of the Sea Islands, is known for the Gullah Geechee people; the descendants of escaped African slaves who made a modest, self-sufficient life and unique culture on the islands. Today, part of Daufuskie is developed with a gated suburban development. The other part that we saw was rural with modest old homes. We walked from a public dock to the quaint museum where we learned more about the waves of peoples who populated Daufuskie island. (4)

I felt a little awestruck reading this sign at the Daufuskie ferry dock. Human history goes way back.

On the way, a local man offered us a ride in his golf cart. We've seen a lot of communities along the Southeast coast with golf carts. Not sure if they have been a common site for a while, or if this is new.   

Next stop: Hilton Head Island. Hilton Head is a 42-square-mile, developed island with a dozen distinct, planned communities. The developers designed the communities in the 1950s around 26 golf courses. There are also wide, flat beaches on the South side, and tons of tennis and pickleball courts.(5)

This simplified map shows the developments on Hilton Head. We stayed at a marina in the middle of the island: Shelter Cove. 

Hilton Island promotional literature emphasizes that the original plan was to leave the marshes on the North side (instead of filling them in) and to restrict development in order to create green spaces. I saw perhaps half of Hilton Head's neighborhoods and I would say that despite the original plan, I didn't see any unusually large emphasis on green spaces (except golf courses and a larger park of eight square miles in the Southern end). It seemed a lot like suburban developments I've seen elsewhere. The homes and condos I saw were typical 1970s styles. I think the parts of the island I didn't see to the North had more spectacular homes. 

Back in Daytona, we ordered folding Damon bikes. We read that Hilton Head was also well-known for its bike trails so we had been looking forward to using them during our stay. 

Our Dahon bike—ready for folding. Note the smaller-than-normal wheels. These were similar to the bikes we used during the French canal cruise in 2023. I cheekily refer to them as our clown bikes.

First, you fold down the handlebars…

…then push down the seat…

…then fold the front of frame to the back. And it’s ready to be put in our zippered cases. We store two of these bikes in our lazerette compartment which is below deck in the stern.

We were pleased to find that the bike trails were paved, six feet wide, and conveniently placed along major roads. Our first use was a practical trip eight-mile round-trip ride to West Marine for an errand. We got caught in a downpour, but we survived. On day two we took out the tourist map and felt confident about a slightly longer, ten-mile round-trip ride on our funny little biles. 

A cute, manicured bikeway next to the road. The rhododendrons were blooming, reminding us that it’s spring outside of Florida. You can’t really tell what season it is from a boat. 

We biked through the well-manicured, condo-heavy resort developments of Palmetto Dunes and Indigo Run to see the beaches. 

The beach view at Hilton Head. Very flat, broad, and with calm water.

A picturesque stop on the bicycling trail. You can see it’s about six feet wide and it meanders along a main road.

On day three we ventured South for a six-mile ride to the Sea Pines Park for a little hike. Here’s Mike leading the walk on a raised boardwalk through a swamp in the Sea Pines park on Hilton Head. These raised boardwalks were a great way to admire the beauty below and all around—without getting our shoes muddy. I guess we are less disruptive to the natural surroundings to boot.

Looper friends we just met encouraged us to see Harbour Town, the first planned development on Hilton Head. We huffed and puffed two more miles South to arrive at a family-friendly scene; there was a jumpy house by the waterfront as well as a live band blasting 80s music. There were some restaurants, tourist shops, and a U-shaped marina filled with impressive boats. were surprised to see the picturesque lighthouse tower was stamped with the RBC Bank logo!

Two things in this pic. One, the famous red and white striped tower, that inexplicably had a large RBC logo stamped on the side?! Two, there was a huge oak called “the million dollar oak” because the founder father insisted that they retain the oak when the marina alongside was built. It was a pretty impressive oak.

We rewarded ourselves with some refreshing drinks and tasty food while overlooking the marina in the neighborhood's upscale restaurant, somewhat removed from the throngs of tourists (like us). We made it eight miles back to Sacagawea safe and sound. We love the freedom of biking on dedicated bike sidewalks--and without a fixed schedule.  

Some of our best times now are afternoons like that one where we don't have to rush or meet a schedule. In our first year of retirement, I admit that this did not feel natural. But now, this retirement `thing is getting more comfortable.

From our turn around start point at Fort Pierce, FL, we’ve gone 383 miles to get to Hilton Head. The Great Loop will take us between 6,000 and 7,000 miles.

FOOTNOTES FOR FUN FACT FANS

(1) Savannah is a large town on the coast of Georgia. We had already seen it twice. 

(2) We mark the shallow spots ahead of time in our Navionics software and go through these ever so slowly. Mike puts one engine in gear at a time, just into slow forward. If we hit ground it could be bad news for our stabilizers and propellers. They are not protected by a keel on our Ocean Alexander.

(3) At one point while we were underway, I got up from my chair in the flybridge and turned around to go get something from down below. I immediately saw four terns, at my eye level, just drafting us. I think my motion startled them and they banked away. Mike and I don't think we'll get tired of seeing all the amazing, beautiful birds from the boat. 

(4) At the enthusiastic recommendation of the little Daufauskie Museum volunteer, I added The Water is Wide to my books-to-read list. It’s a highly acclaimed memoir, and later made into a movie, written by the teacher of the little school house we saw on Daufauskie Island. 

(5) A pickleball center had so much activity that we squeezed our brakes to stop and stare at perhaps 200 players. This one had 25 courts! Perhaps because it was a Saturday afternoon?