November 17, 2007 - Fernandina Beach, FL

Finally Florida! This morning when we woke up in Thunderbolt, GA, the temperature was 38 degrees and there was frost on the docks. Today, we had sunny weather and calm winds and at the first opportunity we headed into the Atlantic, on the big water, heading south. By going out in the ocean, we missed many shallow areas, and having to reduce speed to properly pass slower boats.

We were able to make Fernandina Beach, Florida. This is just south of the Georgia border.


We are anchored in the Bells River, just west of town. It is very quiet with lots of stars out this evening. We are contemplating getting up to see the Leonid Meteor shower later tonight.










This anchorage is very serene and there are few boats around us. We have plenty of swing room and should have a very comfortable, quiet night.

November 16, 2007 - Thunderbolt, GA

Another quick day today as we traveled from Hilton Head to Thunderbolt, Georgia. Thunderbolt is located about 10 miles south of Savannah. We crossed the Savannah River, which is a busy access to the seaport. We were traveling with the 'big boats' again.









In Thunderbolt we docked across from the shrimp boats. The problem was that it was over a couple miles to walk across the bridge and get to the store - so no shrimp this evening.










We are docked at the Hinckley Service Yard. Once again, we are in search of quotes for the work we want to have completed next summer. Walking the boat yard was interesting, as always - seeing the different boats in states of repair. We are layering on the blankets for tonight as it is supposed to get into the mid-30's.

November 15, 2007 - Hilton Head Island, SC

Today was a quick trip from Beaufort SC, to Hilton Head. We wanted to arrive early to hose the salt off the boat, and to get ready to entertain Don & Sue Schlitt and Laird & Sue Spencer, old friends from the Detroit Yacht Club. We were staying at the South Carolina Yacht Club and had heard that the entrance would be "interesting." Imagine our surprise to see this tricky entrance to the Club. At the end of the piers is a lock used to control the water height in the Club basin. This also is their major protection against hurricanes.



When we talked to the Harbormaster, he said to just come on in and not worry about the lock, as it had fenders all along the walls.

After our arrival, Carl & Nancy Meyers, from Marco Island, Florida, arrived to join us for a portion of the cruise. We walked around the Club and admired this beautiful facility. Later, Schlitts and Spencers joined us on the boat for cocktails, and the evening wrapped up at Don & Sue Schlitt's house with a steak BBQ.

The next morning, we again navigated this narrow lock - without the strong following wind. The lock is 80 by 20 feet - but it sure seemed a tighter fit than that!

Here is Monarch docked in front of the South Carolina Yacht Club. The Club was beautiful, with every nautical decorating detail, including the Club logo inlaid in the beautiful wood floor, vanilla-colored leather banquettes, and Casablanca-style paddle fans on the ceiling.

November 14, 2007 - Beaufort, SC

Today was a picture perfect day on the water. The temperatures were in the high 70's, the winds were calm and we had dolphins jumping in the wake (this tested our photographic skills). The boat traffic seemed lighter than usual; we think the calm offshore Atlantic waters enabled the larger, faster powerboats to make good time in the ocean.






As we came into Ladys Island, SC, these two classic yachts were docked at the marina. What at sight to see. You can imagine the moguls of the 1930's on the aft deck enjoying a mint julep and their cruise south. (The boats were out of Newport, RI.)








We are anchored for the evening on Factory Creek with the town of Beaufort just to the north, Ladys Island off our stern and the rest of the creek ahead of us. We will be watchful during the seven-foot tidal swing.

November 10 - 13, 2007 - Tom Point Creek, SC

From Charleston, we made a fast trip to our good friends, Diane & Matt Zender's dock. They are located on Park Island along Tom Point Creek. This is roughly 30 miles south of Charleston. We had docked next to Matt & Diane for years at the DYC. It was fun seeing them. We had great food and conversation. Matt helped Jerry track down a replacement oil pressure guage for one of the transmissions (it was beginning to leak oil). While spending a few days at their dock, we had the chance to catch up on a few projects around Monarch (burnt out bulbs, oil changes, and the like).


Tom Point Creek has about an 8 foot tidal swing. This was the view off the bow of the boat at high tide.











Here is the same shot at low tide. Luckily, the creek is very deep and as long as you dodge a couple of shallow spots and stay to the outside of the corners where the water is deep, it is very navigable.

The area is quite remote, and we are enjoying the very quiet dockage - no traffic noise and very few neighbors who are quite far away.

November 9, 2007 - Charleston, SC

As we continued our trip down the ICW, we enjoyed looking at the homes along the waterway. The elegance of many homes is very impressive. Large docks are often a part of the property.

Every so often, we see a boat graveyard. The boats are in various stages of either repair or demolition. We thought these gave Monarch a good incentive to be on her best behavior.

Charleston really rolled out the welcome mat when Monarch hit town. Forget the Farmer's Markets and parades, they brought out Santa seven weeks early!!!!!!

We stayed at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina. This facility has almost 500 wells and a large resort complex. The harbor was interesting as all the docks were floating and there were no breakwalls to reduce the waves. As we walked down the undulating outer dock, we were weaving so much, you would have thought we had been at Happy Hour too long. But what we really enjoyed at the resort was the hot tub!

The new bridge spanning from Charleston to Mt. Pleasant, S.C. is visible just beyond our resort. Adjacent to our marina was the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier, which is now a musuem. Right along side were a Coast Guard Cutter, a Naval destroyer and a WWII submarine. We could see Fort Sumter from the pilothouse of Monarch at the dock. The city is most historic, with lovely period homes along "The Battery".

In Charleston, we also met Jerry's childhood friend, Janet and her husband Tom Carlson and their niece, Brooke, for a nice dinner out.

November 8, 2007 - South Santee River, SC

BRRRRRR - 38 degrees when we got up early this morning. But wasn't too cold for the golfers, and we went by numerous courses in the Myrtle Beach area, where they were playing.














This course used a gondola system to move the golfers from holes on one side of the ICW to the other!

The Intracoastal Waterway is quite narrow in this area of South Carolina. It makes for great sight-seeing but you have to keep on your toes at the helm to keep in the deeper middle portion of the waterway. A couple of inlets were shoaling, and the water got quite shallow.




We enjoyed looking at all the developments along the way. Quite a few are brand new and still have a lot of building activity. We liked the decorative lighthouse at this one and the nice marina that was behind it.














We only had to have two bridges open for us today - both of them were swing bridges. We appreciate South Carolina swing bridges, as they opened on demand, versus on the hour or half hour as it was in North Carolina. We reduced our waiting time for bridge openings significantly.







Marty makes sure the anchor is down securely for the evening.












There were three sailboats in the anchorage on the South Santee River, just 35 miles north of Charleston. The wind died as evening came on and we enjoyed a nice quiet night on the hook.