Back on the ICW, March 28, 2014

We have not done a very good job of keeping up our blog. There are several reasons. We have left the islands and we are on our way home. Although this is still a part of the Glory Days voyage, it has not seemed all that exciting or interesting (like the rest of our trip, some would say). We are covering the same waters that we travelled on the way down and not taking as many pictures.




We left Grand Cay in the Bahamas on March 14th and sailed northwest in the Gulf Stream, arriving at the Florida coast about 24 hours later. We were disappointed that the winds were lighter than forecasted, which meant we motored a lot of the way, but it was a good safe crossing.

We came in at the Ponce Inlet, south of Daytona and entered the Intracoastal Waterway.

After one night anchored in Daytona, we pushed on to St. Augustine, where we sat out some rainy, cool weather for three nights.



After St. Augustine, we bundled up for an all day motor to Fernandina Beach. Here we stayed two nights and enjoyed a day with our Michigan friends, Craig and Cindy. They have a Tartan called Windigo and were getting away from the Michigan winter for a couple of months in Florida.

After carefully watching the forecast, we decided we had a great opportunity to "go outside," and sail up the Georgia coast and not motor up the ICW. The Georgia section of the ICW winds and twists through marshland. There are many shallow spots and severe tidal currents. We (Dan especially) wanted to avoid it if at all possible.



We left Fernandina, went out into the Atlantic and 18 uneventful hours later, we arrived in Beaufort, South Carolina. This trip that would have taken three days in the ICW. We really like Beaufort and after walking around the town a bit, we decided to move to a quiet anchorage north of town.

We now find ourselves playing a "timing game," of when to move and when to sit. We have a tentative goal of reaching Michigan by Memorial Day, but we know if we go too far too fast, we will run into colder weather. A very smart man once told Dan, "the most dangerous thing on a boat is a calendar."




On days like this, we sit.




After three nights in Georgetown, SC, waiting for the weather to warm up, we continued to a beautiful spot to anchor for the night in the Waccamaw River.




Now we are at a dock in Myrtle Beech, where we had an opportunity to connect with our friends, Lee and Mary Pat.

We sat at the bar at Dirty Don's Oyster Bar and watched Michigan and Michigan State advance to the Elite Eight in the NCAA basketball tournament. Now we will stay here until after the games on Sunday.

Go Blue! Go Green!

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Location:North Myrtle Beach, SC