We arrived to our new home port of Jacksonville FL on May 10!
Last post -- end of April -- we were somewhere south of Charleston SC.
We relaxed in Beaufort SC for a few nights. Owners of our "twin boat", Moonbeam, drove us to town for a great dinner and conversation at Old Bull Tavern, known by locals as "OBT". (I forgot to get a photo of all of us.)
Beaufort is a beautiful historic city. Nice trees, aromatic Carolina Jasmine, good selection of restaurants/shops, and a nice waterfront park lined with swings.We will definitely be back to spend more time in Beaufort SC.
The next 2 long days of cruising through the windy rivers of Georgia were rewarded with generally calm waters and beautiful anchorages.
While underway, Ray tried out his bow seat and practiced some more flying the drone while underway.
This was another of the great anchorages where we spent the night.
And I did some bow yoga. Gorgeous, mostly unspoiled, coast.
Until now, we had only spotted a few dolphins here and there, but we were greeted by a pod that seemed as interested in us and we were in them.
Ray photographed the one other boat we shared Friday Camp Creek anchorage with. After a little web surfing, he found an email for the owner and they exchanged photos.
We spent a few days in a nice marina (Morningstar) at St. Simons Island, GA. We used the courtesy car to drive to Wal-Mart to purchase fuel additive (for our 200-gallon diesel purchase) and a few other provisions.
We used the loaner beach cruisers to head into one of the best waterfront towns I've seen. Partially-covered fishing pier, lots of benches, waterside library, public pool, mini golf, lighthouse, and several restaurants and shops.
We then cruised to Cumberland Island, GA -- our last stop before heading "home". A mostly undeveloped island, accessible only by boat (or plane, if you are one of the few allowed landowners). The majority of the island is a national park, which provides a ferry to island.
Most of the island is shady with moss-covered trees, where wild horses roam.
We saw wild turkeys, deer, and some sort of cat scurrying up a tree. There are alligators and wild pigs on the island, but I was glad we didn't see any.
We walked the riverside trail a couple of times, where I looked diligently for armadillos -- to no avail.
Most of the horses were roaming the grounds of the mansion ruins.
The beach trail had a variety of terrain. Weathered deadwood in the dunes looked like a Star Wars set.
Ray was intrigued by the number and variety of birds.
We got to kayak for the second time on this trip. We passed several oyster beds, which I read are harvested by the chef at Greyfield Inn (on the island).
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And we finally crossed paths with our N37 friends on JADIP (Just Another Day In Paradise). I forgot to get a picture of all of us together (again! - note a pattern here?).
On our last leg of the trip, I spotted what looked like albino pelicans.
We arrived to our new "home" on May 10 -- the Marina at Ortega Landing There are 4 other Great Harbours in the marina -- 2 N37s, an N47, and a GH47.
It's been good to reconnect with some of these owners, and we look forward to reconnecting with owners of Seven Tenths, which weathered Hurricane Florence in New Bern with SCOUT.
