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?