On to Osprey . . . .

On Friday, April 8th we pulled out of Georgetown, SC & headed for a marina about 20 miles south of Myrtle Beach.  This stretch of the ICW had very few homes along the shorelines.  It was miles of beautiful trees, water & wild life.

We were excited to arrive at Osprey Marina, as several other Loopers were there awaiting our arrival.

It wasn't long before we were reconnecting with the crews of Morningstar II and Lone Star, as well as meeting several new crusiers.  Docktails on the deck in the sunshine was a great end to a peaceful day on the water.

We had read in the cruising guide that the Osprey Marina was known for its "begging southern turtles" looking to eat anything thrown overboard to them.  At the shoreline across from our boat slip we saw plenty of turtles, but none of them came begging.

After several fun & relaxing days at Osprey, we pulled away from the docks in the light fog & headed north in a convoy with 2 other Loopers.

It's a lot of fun travelling with other boats, chatting on the radio.  Here we are passing through a swing bridge.

It was back to civilization along the Myrtle Beach ICW.  Huge houses,

golf courses,

 & boat storage racks were a common sight.

At times the ICW is miles inland & other times it runs a stones throw from the Atlantic Ocean, as you can see here at Holden Beach just north of Myrtle.

And when you are near an inlet, the waters are a beautiful blue color.

After a long 65 mile run, we reached our destination ~ Southport, NC ~ at the mouth of the Cape Fear River.   We were able to stay at the Provision Co. restaurant docks overnight for free if we ate there, 

which obviously wasn't a problem!

The quaint downtown area of Southport was just a short walk, so we all decided to walk off our lunch & set out to explore.  After passing several beautiful historic homes & lovely gift shops, the Captains could be convinced to pop in to the local wine & beer tasting store, of course!!

The next morning the convoy pulled away from Southport

 & headed into the sunrise, up the Cape Fear River to our next stop at Wrightsville Beach. 

Cruising the Carolina's . . . .

So sorry it's been so long since our last post, but we have been busier than I ever imagined!  Our first destination in South Carolina was the city of Beaufort (pronounced "bue-fort", not "bo-fort" as in the North Carolina town, & trust me, you don't want to mispronounce it!)  We had quickly passed through here years before, but this time we stayed 3 days to explore this charming city.  We started off with a horse drawn carriage ride,

learning the history of beautiful old homes.

It was so intriguing that we walked through the neighborhoods again the next day to see more of the beautiful gardens,

historic homes, & unbelievably huge, old trees.

We also stumbled upon an old cemetery, rich in American wartime history.   It was so interesting reading the headstones & the trees & flowers were just beautiful.

We also enjoyed the restaurants & shops of the downtown area.

Dave was in heaven in the olive oil & balsalmic vinegar store.

This is a city where the Intercoastal Waterway cruise line stops.  You can see Phase II docked in the background at the City Marina.

With another beautiful sunrise, we departed Beaufort heading to Charleston, SC.  

The ICW can be very shallow in places which makes it tricky to navigate, especially if markers are missing.  If you are not careful, you can easily "run aground", which  basically means you're stuck on the bottom.  If that happens, you can wait for the tide to rise or call Tow Boat US to come pull you off, which is what this sail boat did.

This cut is a good indication of how narrow & shallow the waterway can get, depending on the tide.  I'm happy to say that we have never run aground, thanks to my great captain!

The shorelines of the Carolina's are so different than Florida & Georgia.  It's a perfect mix of natural beauty, quaint communities & big cities.

Many golf courses line the ICW in the Carolinas.

And along the way, you see all kinds of boats, like this old classic,

abandoned ones, 

tugs pushing barges,

& an occasional speed boat with babes in bikinis!

 Since we had visited Charleston several times already, we decided not to stop.  Cruising past the city through Charleston Harbor was a beautiful sight,

& it required awareness to stay out of the path of the super tankers & cargo ships coming in from the Atlantic Ocean.

Past Charleston, we picked up a couple of dolphins.  Watching the dolphins play in our wake never gets old!  They are amazing animals & so fun to watch.

We anchored out the next 2 nights, finding beautiful, remote spots, usually with at least 1 other boat.  It truly is hard to describe the incredible sunrise & sunsets!

Our next stop was Georgetown, SC, which is known for its waterfront boardwalk & great restaurants.  We are definitely "eating our way" around the Loop!!

Behind the boardwalk is historic downtown Georgetown,

which (like so many of the coastal towns) had a great Maritime Museum.

The Bassmaster Elite Series professional fishing tournament was taking place while we there, so we got to enjoy the festivities, including 3 nights of outdoor concerts downtown.

Before we started the Loop, we were told the best part of this adventure was the wonderful people that you meet ~ other Loopers & the locals in the towns you visit.  We can absolutely say this is true!!  With the Loopers,  the best part is you keep running into them along the way.  Here's Dave with Mel, who we initially met with his wife Ann in Marathon in the Florida Keys & who was also at the marina in Hilton Head with us.  By the end of the day, we had 4 Looper boats in the marina.

From here it was off to Myrtle Beach.

Easter on Hilton Head Island with the kids . . . .

On Sunday, March 13th we left Amelia Island and headed for Hilton Head, SC where all of our kids & grandkids were meeting us.  We crossed the Florida-Georgia line, waving good bye to Florida via the boat for the first time in 3 years!  The eastern shores of many of the islands in Georgia are very steep, as we could see here crossing the Cumberland Sound.

 Unlike the heavily populated shorelines of Florida, when travelling through Georgia, you are usually "out in the middle of nowhere".   The ICW twists & turns through miles & miles of uninhabited, beautiful marshland, where you occasionally see a lone house.

What's also so amazing about Georgia is the huge tide change, where the water level drops as much as 8 feet at low tide.  At low tide, you can see exposed crab pots....

... & sandbars that the birds use to gather and feed.

There are very few marinas along the ICW in Georgia, so we anchored most of the time.  We did pass Thunderbolt Marina where we saw the largest ever "stretch wrap job" on a boat!

On Wednesday, March 16th we pulled into the famous Harbour Town Yacht Basin on Hilton Head Island for a one night stay. 

 

At the club house of the Harbour Town Links course, they were already setting up the gallery stands for The Heritage Golf Tournament, which will be played there the week of April 11th.

When Stephen & Kendall joined us the following week, we walked the famous 18th hole overlooking the Calibogue Sound.

On St. Patrick's Day, we arrived at Skull Creek Marina, which is located on the north end of Hilton Head.  At the fall AGLCA Rendezvous we attended in Alabama in October, I won 2 free weeks dockage at this marina, which worked out perfect for the kids to come visit us.  We took the dingy to Hudson's for a fun happy hour.

The next day we walked to the site of Fort Mitchel, where replicas of the cannons used in the Civil War were displayed.  It is so interesting learning the history of towns we are visiting.  Most of them are filled with Civil War history.

Stephen was the first to arrive on Friday (Kendall had her sister's baby shower, but returned with Stephen the following weekend), for a short visit for the weekend.  We took in some golf waiting for the others to arrive.

The alligators made for an interesting round of golf!

The following day, Steve(Beave), Heather, Max, Leah, Mike, Jamie, Sophie, Jude &  Jonah arrived.  Obviously there wasn't enough room on the boat, so we all stayed at a house on Sea Pines Plantation.   It was so great to see everyone!!!  We celebrated Leah's 1st birthday, which was on March 13th.

Dave took the opportunity to remind the boys why he is the "grill master"!

Everyone enjoyed experiencing our "salt life".

And we very much enjoyed some "land life" with everyone, like putt putt . . . 

the beach . . . . 

Harbour Town . . . .

 great waterfront restaurants. . . . 

chilly pool time. . . .

and fun & games, like this password standoff (which Max won, of course!).

After a great time with our sons, daughter-in-laws & grandkids (we are so blessed!!!) & one last Hilton Head sunset, it was off the Beaufort.