Charleston, Here We Come!!

Fernandina Beach-Amelia Island

We thoroughly enjoyed St Augustine but we knew it was time to move northward so we reprovisioned, pumped out, fueled up and left this beautiful city.  Our next stop would be Fernandina Beach, FL, an adorable town on Amelia Island but we were somewhat taken back by the amount of pollution their two wood processing plants were producing.  Pete couldn't stand the smell and got up early to wash the soot off Tony M before we left.  Anyway, on the positive side we got to meet Tom and Gerry Clare, friends of Bob and Sue Hogeman (previous owners of Tony M who had called T & G about our arrival). We shared a delicious Italian meal and Loop stories with them for an enjoyable evening.  We're so glad they reached out to us...And again we forgot to take pictures!!!!

Jeckyll Island Club Hotel

Our next stop  was Jeckyll Island, Georgia, a small island located over the Florida border.  We knew nothing about it when we arrived so everything was a surprise to us.  It seems the rich and famous like the Rockefellars and the Vanderbilts  used to summer here. They have the remains of 29 "cottages" known as "The Millionaires Village" along with the Club House, now the pricey Jeckyll Island Club Hotel where we saw guests playing crochet on the front lawn dressed entirely in white.  I thought it was a movie set!  The island government moved all regular, not souvenir, shops to a new location so the ambiance of the island would be perfect.  The grocery store was a single wide trailer so you can guess the variety it offered-not a Shop Rite, that's for sure!  The place was full of golf courses, tennis courts and miles of bike trails.   This is definitely a vacation destination!

just a summer cottage

Marinas in the Georgia portion of the ICW are few and far between so we anchored in Wahlberg Creek.  There was a dock there and a man let Pete  tie up the dinghy so Buddy could do his thing.  Come to find out this place is St. Catherine's Island, owned by the St. Catherine's Island Foundation along with the New York Zoological Society.  The climate is suitable for breeding rare and endangered animals like gazelles, parrots and Madagascar turtles.  Pete and Buddy didn't see any of these but they did see many birds and other wild life, a small cemetery and many interesting structures.  What a jewel of an anchorage!

Savannah waterfront-we were tied up behind the schooner

Savannah, GA-From the solitude on Wahlberg Creek to the hustle and bustle of Savannah!!   What a great city!  We tied up to their city dock in front of the Cotton Exchange building so we right in the heart of their river district.  An Arts and Crafts Fair featuring local artists and a funky car exhibit  were going on so the place was jumping! We took the tourist trolley ride but had a hard time understanding the guide's twang so we caught one out of four words.We did get to see many of the 21 squares and parks that make up Savannah and did walk to many of them.  The gardens were beautiful, each a tribute to someone who made a difference in Savannah..

This Pirate's House Restaurant became a rendezvous for blood-thirsty pirates and sailors.

We ate in some interesting antique restaurants, all serving delicious meals.  We were surprised at how many container ships went by, day and night.  That has to be good for the economy!

The Waving Girl waves a handkerchief at passing ships on the Savannah River in hopes that her sailor/lover would be returning on one of them-he never did!

very long docks are needed because 

 

of the 8' tides

We left Savannah with smiles on our faces. Beaufort, SC was our next stop.  Beaufort is a lovely town with  gorgeous historic homes, many open for tours.  Somehow I just couldn't get into touring the houses.  We did walk through town where the sidewalks get rolled up at 6 PM.  The riverside park is very picturesque with  wonderful flowers and swings instead of park benches.  Maybe the marina people hit me the wrong way when I went to use the courtesy car.  Their Gestapo attitude about only having it for one hour and only going to the BiLo grocery store did it to me.  Have these people ever waited in a Deli line? Pete got the same vibes the next day when he needed to go to CVS so I wasn't being overly sensitive.  Then there was the husband and wife boaters who ran by (over) me on the dock (I have sneaker prints on my back!) to get to the washer and dryer before me.  I guess they didn't see the dock cart  full of dirty clothes I was pulling.  Onward to a nicer place...

Charles, Erika and Lucie on Tony M

And what better place than Charleston!  As we were leaving Elliot Cut before we entered the Ashley River, we were hailed by Charles, our son-in-law, welcoming us to Charleston.  We made arrangements to pick  up Charles, Erika and Lucie at their marina and took them to ours( Charleston Maritime Center).  It was great to spend time with them as we haven't seen them since Christmas.  They are selling their sailboat and then driving to FL to pick up a trawler.  We had a great time with Lucie while Erika and Charles packed boxes and more boxes. Thanks!

Charleston is a busy tourist center with lots of museums and places to spend your money.  We managed to do both.  We visited the Exchange, Fort Sumter(where they were "celebrating" the first shot of the Civil War fired there) and the Marketplace, putting mega mileage on our shoes. We saw exquisite homes with outstanding gardens across the Charleston peninsula.  I felt like I was walking through a virtual Southern Living Magazine.  We skipped the horse and buggy ride this time but will try that the next time we're here.  They are all over this place.

Sweetgrass baskets are sold everywhere

Fort Sumter

Cobblestone streets

Battery Park

Typical Charleston house with porch on side to take advantage of the breeze from the water

Lucie as Captain of her ship

We had an opportunity to connect with Dan and Debbie Brier, friends from Newtown who have since moved to SC.  We went out to eat at a restaurant and then they invited us to eat at their beautiful home.  They came to the marina to get us, fed us a yummy meal and then drove us back to the marina.  How nice is that!  Thanks, Dan and Deb, for the great company.  And, yes, I forgot to take pictures again!

 We're off to parts North now,  enjoying Spring.  Thinking of y'all...Happy Spring!