"2000, December 2-3 Hilton Head to the Herb River" Thunderbolt Travelogue by grandmaR

Lighthouse marking Hilton Head Marina

We got underway at 9:45. Everyone else was still there when we left. Going down toward Calibogue Sound saw lots of fancy houses on Hilton Head Island. Saw what I thought was a crab pot boat towing something, but it proved to be just a LOT of gulls following in the wake.

Daufuskie Island ferry

Pulled out the jib and motor sailed down the sound doing as much as 8 mph. Before we turned into the Cooper River (another one) we passed the Haig Point lighthouse on Daufuskie Island where there is no vehicular access. We were passed by ferries to the islands going both direction.

Daufuskie Island

(One book says the name come from a corruption of The First Key, and other says it is Indian for Place of Blood.)

The weather is cloudy with a nw wind of about 7-8 knots. We pulled in the jib as we went under the power cable into Ramshorn Creek. We passed under the bridge at Thunderbolt, and by the Palmer Johnson marina (where we saw DESTINY tied up).

Herb River anchorage

It is starting to rain and be nasty, so we went up into the Herb River and anchored by 2:30 after 28.5 miles at 6 mph for a total of 657 nm.

COSMOS the other CSY is also anchored here. Also POLAR BEAR, and a boat with dark topsides from D.C. KISMET comes in later and anchors ahead of us, and CHARISMA anchors closer to the end of the creek with another boat.

We are fairly comfortable although there is a fairly brisk wind from the north. There is no wind protection from the north, but the low marshy banks keep there from being much fetch. The tide and current has more effect and the boat swings around 180 degrees, and Bob worries that we will swing or drag into someone's dock so he doesn't sleep well and is up and down all night. The windmill whined all night generating electricity.

Isle of Hope in 2002

The temperature got down to 42.5 last night. Bob started the engine at 6 in order to flush the toilet. He made bacon, grilled cheese and hot tea for breakfast and pulled the anchor. He started pulling the anchor by 7:30 and were well underway by 8. A bit damp, but not actually raining.

A power boat that passed us yesterday (and that we passed while he was getting fuel in Thunderbolt) named PET ROCK passed us again. Heard people talking on the radio - seemed to indicated that the Palmer Johnson marina was out of fuel. Also someone talking to a boat going outside and he said it wasn't bad out there.

Passed DUNA (a boat from our home marina in Point Lookout) at the Isle of Hope Marina.

Skidmore Narrow's Bridge

Went through the Skidmore Narrows Bridge - the last bridge opening that we have to do in GA.

Next: Kilkenny Creek .