Tidings of Joy: May 2017

After leaving Georgia our first stop in South Carolina was Hilton Head. Growing up I remember Midwesterners vacationing there and if I remember correctly I think we too vacationed there as a family although I couldn't remember anything about it. When we arrived at Shelter Cover Marina we were surrounded by shops and restaurants. After we were tied up we inquired how we get to town. We were told, "this is town." Little did we know that Hilton Head is just a series of golf courses, hotels and condos with strip centers in between. There really is "no there there" as my former poetry professor used to say. We launched out bikes and rode to Whole Foods and did some provisioning and then cruised all around the bike paths. We wanted to check out the beach but all the access points are through hotels. So we locked up our bikes and walked through the Disney Hotel onto the beach. There is no boardwalk or shops just a long string of hotels. We sat in lounge chairs for awhile until a lady who had reserved them informed us that we were in her seats. We decided that was enough beach for us and headed back to the boat. Coming from Savannah where everything is old and historic and meaningful to Hilton Head was quiet the shock. We learned that Hilton Head was established in 1985 well over 200 years after Savannah.

Hilton Head Beach

Shelter Cove Marina

Sunset Shelter Cover Marina

After one night in Hilton Head we were more then ready to move on. We had a short 4 hour cruise to Beaufort, South Carolina. For months and months we have been hearing about Beaufort (Bew-Fort), SC and Beaufort (Bow-Fort), NC and to make sure we pronounce them correctly when we are in each place because the locals take offense to being called the wrong place. It was a cool day in the 70's with little to no breeze when we tied up along the finger dock. We could see from the Downtown marina a beautiful park along the water and the town was within a few feet. Finally after all this time we were here. The first day we just cruised the town and got our bearings and signed up for a walking tour the next day. Fellow loopers told us we must take Janet's walking tour that she was the best and not to miss it. We were all signed up. That night was uneventful. The next morning we got a knock on the boat and it was Mike from AquaFennatic. He and his wife were staying in Beaufort too at the anchorage. We hadn't seen them since the Rendezvous in Joe Wheeler State Park in Alabama. You can imagine how excited we were to see them. We made a plan for happy hour later in the day then proceeded to our walking tour. Janet was this super spunky 60ish year old woman who loved to walk and talk all about her town. A transplant from the north she made sure to throw in her share of ya'lls and to tell us all about Haint Blue (it haint blue and it haint green) on the porch ceilings to keep the birds away We were very entertained by Janet and the two hours flew by. At 1o'clock when the tour ended we thanked her then went to lunch. Back at the boat we rested a little bit before Mike and Maria came over. We were so excited to catch up and hear all about their adventures since last seeing them in October.

Tiding of Joy in Beaufort

Jeff & Joy Beaufort

Between Two Buildings Beaufort

Downtown Beaufort

Beautiful House in Beaufort

Church in Beaufort

Another Beautiful House in Beaufort

House in Beaufort

Mike and Maria from AquaFennatic

It was great catching up with Mike in Maria but after two days we were all ready to move on. We had a 6 hour cruise to a really pretty anchorage called Church Creek. It was super hot that day and there was also an air quality alert so we ran the air conditioning most of the day. At anchor we just relaxed and enjoyed the seclusion while spacing out on the scenery. Later that day Mike and Maria showed up and anchored just ahead of us. Quiet night of dinner and reading on the boat.

The next day we were heading to Charleston, well sorta. We were going to St. John's Yacht Basin which is about 20 miles outside of Charleston in order to leave the boat (for a reasonable price) for a week and fly back to San Diego to visit Jeff's parents. St. John's was only three hours past our anchorage and we couldn't believe it when we arrived we saw our friends on Tug'O My Heart - Libby and Ron. We hadn't seen them since Chattanooga shortly after the Rendezvous. We are always amazed how we just run into people after not seeing them for months and months. We had a chat with Libby on the dock and were so happy to see her. The marina was nice and we felt good about leaving the boat here for 5 days while we went home. Libby said she would keep an eye out while we were gone.

St. John's Yacht Basin

The five days in San Diego flew by. We spent everyday with Eddie (Jeff's dad) and visited Joan everyday but one. We were lucky to be there on Mother's Day and got to see Joan on the day. We stayed in Laura's house despite her not being there (see was in Florida with her daughter) and drove her car all around. It felt kinda weird. We also managed to see Zach and Maria (Jeff's cousins) and their baby Sesame. After a nice visit we were ready to get back on the water. We were home without our home and wanted to be back on our boat home. We arrived late and decided to spend the next night at St. John's in order to provision and make sure everything was good.

We made the hour long cruise into Charleston to the City Marina and finally we were going to see Charleston. Later that day our good good friends the Kuhn's were arriving and we could hardly wait. When we tied up at the dock our Looper Buddies on Have Another Day (Laura & Ben and their kids Molly and Maddie) were tied up right behind us. They came out to give us hand and we were happy to be right by them. We spent the day strolling through town and getting the lay of the land. It was a Friday night which meant that the marina put on a free happy hour for tall it's tenants from 5:30-7:00 with beer, wine and appetizers. We couldn't believe it. A Lopper's favorite word is "free." We gladly partook of the free happy hour. Our friends on Have Another Day couldn't come due to other plans. Earlier that day we learned that the Kuhn's missed their flight. They were waiting to see if they could go standby on another flight. After much anticipation they got on another flight which would get them into Charleston at midnight. Three hours pasted our typical looper bedtime. Jeff couldn't make it and went to be around 10. I fell asleep on the couch at some point and then my phone dinged and they were here. After several phone calls and trying to figure out where they were we finally found each other. They were noticeably tired but still in good spirits considering. We came back to the boat, had some wine and decided to go to bed. The Kuhn's are great. The four of us are very compatible. We are all into the same things - relaxation, no schedules, good food and drinks and that's about it.

Customs Building Charleston

Charleston City Marina

Huge Sailboat at Charleston City Marina

Pretty House Charleston

Another Pretty House in Charleston

The next morning we all woke up well after 10 and slowly started to motivate. Today another set of good friends the Taflinger's were coming to Charleston to meet up with the four of us. Several years ago Chris and Natalie Taflinger moved to Florence, SC and when we started the loop I told Nat that we would get ahold of them when we were close. And here we were. Around noon they arrived and everyone was excited. Matt, Natalie and I have gone to school together since Kindergarten and have known each other for 34 years. Matt knew a good place for lunch so we all hopped in the marina shuttle and headed to Leon's for lunch. Apparently fried chicken is the thing to get there but the Tafflingers are vegans and Jeff and I vegetarian so that was out. We all had great cocktails and lovely meals - salads, fish and Kuhn got the fried chicken and some amazing potatoes which we all shared. It was a great way to kick off our time together.

Friends In Front of Marina

Lunch at Leon's

Outside of Leon's

Little did my friends know that after lunch I had a little surprise in store for them. One of our old friends Jesse Derbyshire moved to Charleston after our 7th grade year. When I think of Charleston I think of him. None of us have seen or communicated with Jesse since he left St. Charles. I somehow had his phone number maybe from Twitter and sent him a text several days before. He wrote back and said he was excited we all were in town and really wanted to meet up with us. So he and I devised a plan to meet at a rooftop bar with everyone. We got there first and he showed up several minutes later. Mid conversation with everyone I said, "I have a surprise for you guys" and pointed to Jesse. It took everyone a few minutes to register and then I heard Kuhn say, "Jesse Derbyshire?" Hugs all around and then all the questions and conversation started flying.

The Gang With Jesses Derbyshire

Natalie & Joy

After awhile at the bar we decided to wrap it up and head back to the boat. We said goodbye to Jesse and said we would see him again before we left. We showed Nat & Chris the boat and we all had snacks and more drinks. Because it was a Saturday night getting a dinner reservation was tricky. Kuhn found a place called Scarecrow and once again we packed into the marina shuttle. Everyone said their food was mediocre but Natalie and I liked our vegan meals. We were all tired from a long hot day and headed back to the boat. We said our goodbyes to Natalie and Chris who were staying in a hotel and leaving the next morning. It was so great seeing them. Back at the boat more drinks and another late night. The next morning we decided to take a van tour around the city. It seemed to be the right speed for all of us. We had the most monotone boring driver imaginable. He sounded like Eeor from Winnie the Pooh when he talked. Needless to say it was hard to stay awake. Back at the boat we rested and napped before going to dinner at one of the Kuhn's favorite restaurants in Charleston called McCreedy's.

McCreedy's

The next day was Jeff's birthday and he wanted to both see a plantation and also visit Fort Sumpter. Kuhn found a nice plantation called Middelton and they drove us there in their rental car. It was super hot that day and lots of humidity. So much that we all were sweating like pigs and moving super slow. The plantation was beautiful. We took a walking tour. It was nothing like Janet's in Beaufort but we got a little something out of it. On the plantation they had an original slave house, a farm and wood shop. Since the touring was taking a long time we decided to have lunch there as well.

Middleton Plantation

Farm on Middleton Plantation

Pond Middleton Plantation

Woodworker Middleton Plantation

Peacock

Horses playing Middleton Plantation

Middleton

House of Middleton

After a long day at the plantation we decided to push back Fort Sumpter to the next day. We drove to Jesse's juice shop and said our goodbyes before heading to Whole Foods and then back to the boat.

Blend Juice Bar - Jesse & Kuhn

A month prior Jeff made a reservation for his birthday dinner at a restaurant called Fig. Lots of people told us we had to go there but getting a reservation was hard. When Jeff called the next reservation after ours was late June. This advanced planning was something we were not used to on the Loop. Dinner was really good. We all had unique cocktails. Mine was tequila with cayenne and habanero peppers. Super good. The menu changes daily and weekly. It was really interesting and there were several things on it that none of us had heard of. Everyone enjoyed their food and Jeff had a nice birthday dinner.

Fig

The next and final day we took a boat trip over to Fort Sumpter to see the historic fort where the civil war had began. Growing up we learned about this fort and the battle but none of it really stuck. The boat ride over was nice. Any chance to be on the water for me is enjoyable. Jeff and I have been to tons of forts since coming to the east coast. Way too many to count. While this one was very historic to me it just felt like another fort and we vowed that this would be our last.

View From Tour Boat

Charleston From Tour Boat

Fort Sumpter

The next morning we said goodbye to the Kuhn's and made our way 40 miles north to McClellensville to Leland Oil Company. This is an old shrimping village and we were one of the few pleasure craft in the harbor. We loved seeing all the commercial shrimp boat and watched as they came and went. It rained a lot that day and I never left the boat. The next morning was calm and still and the shrimp boats looked like a parade leaving the harbor.

Shrimp Boats McClellenville

Tidings of Joy McClellenville

Shrimp Boat

Shrimp Boats

Early Morning McClellenville

After and entertaining night at McClellenville we headed 4 hours north to Georgetown. We were excited an anxious to get to and see this marina and town because one year ago during my spring break we stayed at this marina with Captain Bill when we were taking the boat with him from Fort Meyers to Norfolk. When we stayed here with Bill we got in late and all the shops in town were closed. We both remembered the marina as we approached and tied up. We met our first looper friends here- Rowe Boat. We strolled in town an checked out all the shops. The town is cute and quaint and peaceful and everyone is really nice. We were told to visit the rice museum so we did. It was a little bizarre. It was a man walking us around a room with paintings and diagrams and he told the story of rice in the area. After the tour there was a movie of exactly what he had already said and video of the paintings and diagrams we had just seen. As part of the museum we did get to see an old sunken ship that was recovered from the bottom of the ocean which was interesting.

Skull of Sunken Ship

Pretty House in Georgetown

Downtown Georgetown

One day was more then enough in Georgetown but we were glad we got to see the town and marina again. The next day we would make our final stop in South Carolina - North Myrtle Beach. As a kid we vacationed in Myrtle Beach so I had a vague recollection of it but nothing specific. Our friends who recently completed the loop Rod and Susie on BeeHaven live there so we were looking forward to reconnecting with them. We arrived around 1pm, got tied up and checked in just in time before a huge rainstorm blew in. The sky got really dark and then the rain just let loose. We were happy to be securely tied and on the boat at that time. Later we walked around "town" which was just some shops across the water way and then met up with Rod and Susie on the boat. We had some drinks and caught up then they took us to see their condo on the beach and then to an Irish pub for dinner. The last time we saw them was in the Bahamas in March so it was fun hearing what they have been doing since. We all had a great time.