Fort Pierce FL to Charleston SC

with stops in Melbourne FL, Palm Coast FL, New Teakettle Creek, Beaufort, SC.

We left Fort Pierce on the day before Memorial Day, May 26th.  The evening before many of our dockmates combined a Saturday night cookout with a little going away party for us.  We have made many friends there and as you can see by the following, they are quite a group.

Their wives/significant others refuse to pose with them.

 

Upon our departure, our dockmates gave us a warm, sincere sendoff.

We spent that night at the Melbourne Harbor Marina, and enjoyed one of our favorite restaurants, The Mansion.  It is a most interesting place, with room after room of beers, wines, liquors, a deli, food gifts, etc.  Then we had dinner on the rooftop overlooking the ICW.  The food is wonderful.  If you ever get the chance and are in the area, you'll be glad you stopped there.

Rooftop Dining at The Mansion

Another lovely day on the ICW

Mal's next boat will be a fixer-upper.

Condos along the ICW

St Augustine

Black Raven, Pirate Ship in St. Augustine

The ICW traffic on Memorial Day was unbelievable, mostly crowded by jet skis trying to jump our wake, lots of small boats buzzing about like mosquitos, and larger boats as well.  Carol was so distracted by all this activity that she missed a marker and we almost ended up going out the Ponce de Leon inlet near Daytona Beach and into the Atlantic.  Wouldn't be so awful to go on the outside but there were 6-10 ft seas that day.

After an 8 hour run the next day we spent the night in Palm Coast (an unremarkable place where a restaurant is a good walk.)

We stayed over for 2 nights in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island.  We really like the town and besides, we all needed pedicures or manicures. There we enjoyed  a really excellent dinner at a restaurant that Harold's cousin Becky had recommended: Joe's 2nd Street Bistro.

BTW, all this eating out is partly for professional reasons, as Harold's latest enterprise is working as a restaurant critic for a couple of local newspapers in the Morehead City area.  He also does some restaurant critiques for Claiborne Young's Waterway Guides.  And these boys both LOVE their food.

Crew in Fernandina Beach

The following night decided to anchor out at a secluded spot on New Teakettle Creek.  It's very peaceful out there, not a building in sight, now and then an isolated house or hunting cabin.  The stars are amazing and the only sound is (unfortunately/fortunately) our generator running.  We are always amazed that one can go for miles and see nothing but marshland and woods, especially in Georgia.  Of course, that's why the area is called "the lowcountry" because so much of it is at or below sea level and so cannot be built on. 

Fishing at anchor - no luck.  Note that Mal does not need a rod.

Sunset, New Teakettle Creek GA

We spent the next night is Beaufort, SC, another lovely coastal town.  Carol's choice of restaurant was not such a hot pick.

We are now in Charleston for our second night at the Charleston City Marina.  MANY megayachts in.  We didn't realize that this week was the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, so downtown is packed with people and restaurants were very busy.  So last night Harold's friends Cindy and Ed took us out to one of their favorite places, the Sunrise Bistro, on St. John's Island, nearby Charleston.  Today they took us to breakfast, shopping, Trader Joe's and West Marine.  It's nice to have friends in some of these stops, since at many marinas you are not nearby grocery stores, etc.  Carol did find a fold-up bicycle for $40 at a nautical swap meet (she's probably the only one of the crew who can ride it, however.)

Carol's new toy

"Slow down!  You're throwing a big wake!"

The Commander and the Captain.