December 8, 2013  Day 24     South for the Winter

At anchor
Kilkenny Creek, Georgia

We reluctantly said goodbye to Kathy and Paul this morning as they drove home. We had a great visit with them and hope to see them again in February.  We cast off our lines shortly after they left. 

We had about 56 miles to travel today to reach our chosen anchorage in Kilkenny Creek.  We traveled under an overcast sky all day but at least the seas were calm.  There was very little boat traffic out today as this is obviously off season.  We timed the trouble spots such as Hells Gate, perfectly at high tide and had plenty of water under us.  We did see several dolphins playing today. And we also spotted a bald eagle.

We arrived at our peaceful anchorage around 3:30 and have it to ourselves.  We had dinner on board, did lots of reading, and watched some television.  Tomorrow’s destination is St. Simons, Georgia, but we will anchor there also. Hopefully it will be warmer!

December 6-7, 2013  Days 22-23    South for the Winter

Shelter Cove Marina
Hilton Head, South Carolina

We have been so busy we have not had time to write the blog!  We have been going non-stop visiting with family and friends.  On Friday we went back to Harbor Town for lunch with Kathy and Paul and also walked around some of the shops.  They convinced us to stay at the condo that evening so we could have more time to visit, so we agreed! We went back to the boat and packed a bag and then spent a fun evening with them. Rick also joined us for much of the evening.  Joyce had made a crab dip earlier in the day, so we enjoyed that with wine. Then we ordered a pizza and had it delivered. Great choice!  We finished our meal with pumpkin pie that Joyce also made that morning.

We returned to the boat on Saturday and moved Kathy and Paul’s things on the boat since they had to sign out of the condo that morning. We said goodbye to Rick and Marie as they planned to drive home that day.  At noon, we met Paul’s cousin Dottie and her husband Joe for lunch at Bistro 843. What a great restaurant!  After lunch everyone came back to our boat for an extended visit.  Then we all went to Dottie and Joe’s lovely home nearby at Shelter Cove. 

We finally returned to our boat and enjoyed dinner on board, followed by watching the Auburn–Missouri football game!  What a great game!  We also managed to open Christmas presents with Kathy and Paul during half time!  We stayed up and watched the Ohio State-Michigan State game but were so disappointed with that outcome!

We enjoyed watching this paddleboarder
and her dog in our marina!

Kathy and Paul will drive back to Atlanta tomorrow and we will depart for an anchorage about 56 miles south. We had a fabulous time here but we need to keep moving!

December 5, 2013  Day 21   South for the Winter

Shelter Cove Marina
Hilton Head, South Carolina

This was another great day in Hilton Head.  Joyce’s sister and brother-in-law, Kathy and Paul arrived at 12:30 and after getting them settled in the condo, we went out to lunch with them and Rick and Marie.

We came back to the boat for more visiting and then browsed through some of the shops in Shelter Cove.  Back out again to eat!  We had appetizers at Rick and Marie’s condo and then we all went to Okko’s for dinner. It is a wonderful, upscale Asian bistro. 

Bill, Joyce,Kathy, Paul enjoying the view at Sea Pines

It is so good to be with family and friends during our stay here. We never tire of talking and sharing memories.

 

December 4, 2013  Day 20   South for the Winter

Shelter Cove Marina
Hilton Head, South Carolina

We had a fun time taking Rick and Marie out for a boat ride today.  The weather was perfect with a bright blue sky and 70 degrees!  We left around 9:20 and headed back down Broad Creek and into the Calabogue Sound.  We dropped anchor at 11:00 at Buck Creek and had lunch there.  We saw several dolphins today and they were camera shy as always.  

Esmeralda!

As we left the anchorage we spotted Richard and Shannon on Esmeralda going by.  We bumped up our speed and caught up with them and had a side by side visit.  We traveled with them in Canada but had not seen since we were in Maine.  It was great to see them again!  We always enjoy seeing boating friends and love the surprise encounters!  

Bill and Rick at the helm



Bill entertained us at lunchtime

Marie

We returned to our marina at Shelter Cove at 1:30 and said goodbye to Rick and Marie.  We will see them tomorrow.  We had dinner onboard and had a quiet evening.  Joyce’s sister and brother-in-law, Kathy & Paul will arrive tomorrow and we look forward to their visit!

December 3, 2013  Day 19   South for the Winter

Shelter Cove Marina
Hilton Head, South Carolina

Just a very short post tonight. This was another day of chores and running errands.  We did have a nice visit with Rick this afternoon which provided a good break in our schedule.

We had dinner on board and spent a quiet evening reading.

Tomorrow morning we will take Rick and Marie out for a boat ride on Carried Away! 

December 2, 2013  Day 18   South for the Winter

Shelter Cove Marina
Hilton Head, South Carolina

We had a fun day today and spent time walking on the beach with Rick and Marie. Their condo has a beautiful view overlooking the ocean.  This was a great starting point!  Joyce and Marie added to her shell collection and Bill and Rick enjoyed their leisurely pace walking Rick’s dog, Heidi, along the shore.  

View from condo - doesn't get any better than this!

From there we went to the Crazy Crab Restaurant at Harbor Town and had a very nice lunch. We walked around the harbor and watched some of the dredging to increase the water depth. The dredging is taking place during most of this month. We would have docked our boat here this time if the marina had been open!  The boats that are here cannot get out yet so we assume they are not transients!

Joyce, Bill, Rick, Marie and Heidi

We returned to our boat in late afternoon and after a pasta dinner on board, spent the rest of the evening reading and watching some television.  

December 1, 2013  Day 17   South for the Winter

Shelter Cove Marina

Hilton Head, South Carolina

Today was a mixture of doing chores and visiting friends.  Joyce dusted and vacuumed, and Bill worked on plumbing.  Our friends, Rick and Marie, who are vacationing here, came over for a visit this morning.  Then Rick took us to run a few errands – primarily hardware stores. (They have plumbing supplies!)

We went out to dinner this evening with Rick and Marie and their family and had great seafood and enjoyed being with them.  We will meet them in the morning for a walk on the beach!