Beaufort, S.C.

Eleanor & Dick supervising Marie

Although it has only been two months since our return from the Gulf, it seems like an eternity!  Marie and I are both anxious for another lengthy adventure, but that will have to wait for another day because I only get 30 days vacation a year.

We have not just been sitting at the dock, however, and as I always like to say, "any excuse to cruise somewhere."  Our first excuse came in the way of my mother, Eleanor, and her husband, Dick, coming to visit less than 2 weeks after our return.  I guess we did not work Dick hard enough when he rode with us in Florida so he came back for more!

They arrived by RV and parked at the Skidaway Island State Park.  On Friday we took them to the River Street area of Savannah, where all the little shops and restaurants are located.  Then on Saturday, we took them up river to where the Skidaway and Wilmington Rivers meet and dropped anchor for a relaxing lunch.  It was a short trip but there is something special about eating and visiting while the boat rocks back and forth in the waves!

 In mid April, the Palmetto Cruisers held a luncheon in Beaufort, S.C.  The Palmetto Cruisers is a regional branch of the Marine Trawler Owners Association (MTOA) which is an international organization for trawler owners.  We were new MTOA members and had not yet met anyone from the Palmetto Cruisers, which covers north Georgia and North and South Carolinas.  But hey, any excuse to cruise!  So we planned a three night trip and off we went!

Marshside Mammas

Before leaving Georgia, we passed the last remaining draw bridge in the state, the Causton Bluff Bridge.  Some day it too will be gone and future generations will not know the excitement, anxiety, and wonder that all goes in to having all the traffic stop while a bridge opens just for you!  Of course, this time it only opened because a sailboat was in front of us.  Elixir can pass under it without it opening.

We had been told by friends that Marshside Mammas was a must see.  It is a restaurant located on Daufuskie Island in South Carolina.  There are no bridges going to the island, so the only way to eat at the restaurant (except for residents) is by boat.  Yet it is so popular that you need reservations for dinner!  We stopped for an early lunch, so we had no problem getting a seat.  But by the time we left, there was not an empty table in the place!

Residents arrive by golf cart to Marshside Mammas

 The atmosphere was quaint and the food was good so I do recommend it as a fun stop!

After lunch, we continued on to Beaufort.  Along the way we passed Paris Island, where they train boys to become marines.

We then arrived at Port Royal Landing Marina, where we would be staying for the next few days.  It is a beautiful marina with floating docks and a very friendly staff.  They have a restaurant on site and several more within walking distance.

Paris Island, S.C.

We arrived on Thursday and the luncheon was not until Saturday, so we had a few days to just relax.  We met some of the other boaters that were there including Judy who was holding down the fort on a beautiful 53 foot trawler, Passage, while her husband was away for a few days.  She was a serious amateur chef and gave us lots of great ideas for cooking aboard!  We also met Perry and Nancy, who are doing a great job restoring a cute 30 foot Willard Nomad named Dubhe.  We got some good ideas from them on how to restore Elixir.

Port Royal Landing Marina

When Saturday arrived, we made our way up to the luncheon where we were greeted with friendly smiles.  A presentation was given on a huge wildlife sanctuary in the area.  It was very informative and enjoyable!   While we were at the luncheon, we met a couple from Savannah, Al and Lynn.  Once again, we travel great distances so we can meet new friends that live around the corner!  They own a trawler named Adrian Leigh which they keep at a private marina one block from their house!  And better yet, their house is smack on the ICW!  We actually passed it on the way up!  Needless to say, I was envious!

The wide blue (ok, it was green) ocean!

Captain takes a break

On our return trip home, the weather was predicted to be calm and so I decided to make our first cruise in the ocean!  We had only poked our nose out before but had never committed ourselves to going somewhere until now.  If the weather turned sour while we were out there, we would be stuck as there was no where to run at 7 knots!  As it turned out, it was a beautiful day and the next 3 hours was the most relaxing cruise to date!  There was no little boats cutting across your path, no slow boats to have to pass or fast boats causing your boat to violently roll in their wake, no "Idle Speed" zones, no shallow water alarms, and best of all, no crab pots!
From now on, I will be travelling outside whenever the weather permits!

We made such good time that we arrived too early to pull in to our slip, so we dropped anchor off a sandbar in the Ossabaw Sound and kicked back and enjoyed the sun!  Marie had found a nice little hammock that I strung up to the boom and we both took turns swaying to the waves!

Al and Lynn had invited us to stop at their house on the way back, since they are right on the ICW.  Unfortunately, Marie was not feeling well so we declined and I chose to go outside on the way home, so we did not even pass their house.  However, they were gracious enough to give us a rain check and so the next weekend, we were back on the water again, to go visit our new friends at their home.  After a short cruise we arrived at their marina to find Al waiting with one of their 4 dogs to help us tie up.  Once secured to the dock, he gave us a tour of their Mariner 38 trawler, Adrian Leigh.  He then led us down the path to their beautiful home with an even more beautiful view of the ICW!  They had prepared a feast for us to enjoy and we filled our bellies!  After dinner, we walked back to the marina so they could tour Elixir.  We visited awhile longer on the fly bridge and then we had to say goodnight as we all had early morning commitments.  Al had arranged for us to stay the night on the dock, so we did not have to try to find an anchorage in the dark.  It was nice to meet such great people and even better that they live nearby.  We hope to get to visit with them more in the future!

Enjoying a snack overlooking the ICW

The Adrian Leigh