Port Royal

    After leaving Oriental, with no leak at the rudderpost , Yea Francie, we continued to Mile Hammock to anchor for the night 57 nm.  The following day we made it to Carolina Beach,45 nm, before getting drenched taking Skipper ashore.  Monday 11/17/14 we arrived at Indigo Plantation Marina a hop of only 13 nm, but a great place to do laundry, get our prop changed and the bottom cleaned and checked.  Francie also did a lot of wet and dirty laundry.  It was cold also about 27 at night and warming to 35  during the day with a cold wind as well.  Our electric heater worked great.

   Wednesday we had a great day and caught all the right tides 57 nm.  We anchored at Enterprise Landing for the evening and left late after  8 oclock.  Found the alternator belt squealing, so cleaned out the starboard lazarette, crawled in and tightened the belt. This project would be easy if you could get to it, but on this boat  it is a chore. Even with the late start, we continued to Andawa Cr. 54 nm, but arrived after dark.  Next morning, Friday,  I took Skipper ashore early, before light, and we got a great start on the tides for the day.  We were trying for another long day.  Unfortunately it stopped!!!!! just a mile before the Ben Sawyer swing Bridge. I mean we stopped.  Ran aground in the middle of the channel.  A couple of other boats with lessor dafts got by, but then they started stacking up.  there were 4 of us in the channel waiting for the tide to finish going out and then back in enough to float our boats.  After 4 hours of watching the shallow draft boats go by we were on our way again.  We anchored in the Ashley River and decided to try for Beaufort SC a long run with 2 bridges and a real shallow cut to go through.  We motor sailed as much as possible and with the help of some other boaters calling out depths through the Ashapoo Cusaw cutoff  made it through and to Ladies Island Bridge in Beaufort for the 1530 opening.  We had called ahead to Port Royal Landing Marina and got the last transient opening.  We were fueled up and tied up by 1630, a great day 60nm.  we were fortunate to make it on saturday as saturday night it started pouring and heavy wind for the next 2 days. 

   Oh!! By the way we are living the dream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Happy Thanksgiving to all and we hope you have a great one.  We are a Port Royal Landing Marina in SC.  We had a great meal here with the local and cruising  community.  Bill a local boater smoked 6 turkeys and a roast pork last evening.  We had a pre Thanksgiving nibbles and drinks last night and at 1300 today the big event with everyone bringing a dish to pass.  There was also a huge dessert table with many pies and cakes. There was much discussion on where different ones were going and how.  A few left this morning a a few more of us are going tomorrow.  We will try to go around Georgia or else drag our way through on the ICW..

  The pictures are, the marina with the half mile walk to the boat, the dessert table, and the turkey chef Bill with the main buffet table in the background.  I believe I  have the order reversed