4/12/2010

Today was a short day as far as travel distance & helm time: 6.5 nm & 1.1 hours running time. We went from Cowen Creek to Port Royal Landing Marina. This particular marina is just south of Beaufort, SC. Scooter tucked in among all the bigger craft with a minimum of fuss. Nice place, really. Has an eatery on the premises that serves cold drinks & decent food. Staff is very friendly & helpful. Also has a great exercise area for walking to & from the shower. Place is quiet, set in a neat little community. Some of the houses are built out over the tidal plain on pilings. Remember, this is an area of 8' to 9' tides. For those of you that might have been in the USMC, it is also just down the road from Parris Island. We acquired the courtesy car; a relatively new F150 & went shopping for motor oil, TP, groceries, the usual " keep the boat going"stuff. Part of the intention was to explore the historic district of Beaufort. I hate to be cynical, but these towns are all starting to look the same. Wood siding in pastel colors, on streets lined with live oaks, draped with Spanish moss. And tourists all over the place. I can't blame them, that 's what the market is all about. Draw in the $$;( lord knows people that own boats gotta have big bucks), by renovating the waterfront & shopping areas in a cutesy manner, populate it with trendy shops & sit back & count the dollars. I hope it all works, but I'm not overly optimistic. It is almost like everyone is trying too hard.
Tomorrow we are pushing further North towards Charleston, SC. The tides will not be in our favor in the morning, so I'm not sure how far we will get. I'm not even sure if we will stop in that fair city again. A frontal system is forecast to drop south in that area, bringing strong winds and lumpy seas to visit with us. We'll see how it goes. Be safe; we'll catch you on the flip side.