"2000 December 01-02 ICW Trip - Outdoor Resorts" Top 5 Page for this destination Hilton Head Island Travelogue by grandmaR

Ladies Island Bridge - Beaufort SC

We left Dataw Marina early on December 1st.

We pulled out the jib as we got back to the waterway , and joined a procession of other boats, also with their jibs out. We were doing about 7.5 mph. The boats were:

FORCE 8 a Bermuda boat who followed us down Bogue Sound and into the Mile Hammock Bay anchorage.

AGREEMENT I -(a Canadian boat from Montreal with a yellow bimini. They had a hammock slung across the stern, and a wake from a passing power boat (AGREEMENT was on our starboard and two power boats passed at the same time - one between us and one on our port - they didn't see the one on our port) dumped the occupant back into the cockpit. I think they went into Skull Creek Marina.

Boats behind us going through the swing bridge

We pulled in the jib and we got to the Beaufort Bridge. The first boat in line called the bridge, and found it wouldn't open for about 40 minutes. So we all idled back. There were 5 of us and another little sailboat in the back who motored hard and made the bridge opening at the tail end.

Other boats in our groups included KIAORI II, a Niagra 42 Canadian boat first seen in Mile Hammock Bay who Bob had spoken to when we were in Oriental. They have their boat name on a cloth banner draped over their dinghy. They also have a cat. She said the cat fell in recently and did not care for the experience.

MOONSHADOW who apparently is traveling with KIAORA II - another Canadian boat.

PRIME INTEREST behind going down Port Royal Sound

PRIME INTEREST with a grey hull - also first seen after leaving Oriental. They said they'd anchored 35 miles N. of Charleston but let out an extra 10 feet of anchor rode which meant that at low tide they were aground on the bank. He said without the extra 10 feet they'd have been OK. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because they called Tow Boat US, and when the tide came up and they were free, their water pump went out, so they needed TBUS anyway and had already called. They said the tow boat person recommended a marina to them (didn't say which one) and the repair person there was able to fix their water pump on Sat a.m. of Thanksgiving weekend. As they were coming in yesterday, a small boat wake pushed their dinghy under their swim platform and punctured it. Completely unrepairable.

In the picture, there is a heliocopter behind PRIME INTEREST

Marine Base

I called ahead to get a place at the Outdoor Resorts Marina at Hilton Head Island. I couldn't get ahold of them before 9. They wanted to know if we had an RV or a boat. I said a conservative estimate of our ETA was 4 pm, and we wanted fuel, so they said they'd put us on the fuel dock.

We went down the Beaufort River past Parris Island (occasionally buzzed by Marine helicopters) - some with the jib out - and across Port Royal Sound to Skull Creek and got to the resort about 2. When I called on the radio, the dock master said he had several boats to place before us and asked us to slow down and not get there for 10 minutes. KIAORA II and MOONSHADOW went in first and were on the fuel dock. There was a big motor boat at the fuel dock. PRIME INTEREST was circling around with us (that's when the accident to their dinghy happened).

Private docks behind the marina at sunset

He asked us if we wanted fuel first and we said yes (PRIME INTEREST had said no). So when the motor boat left, we went into the fuel dock, and he went out in a john boat to lead PRIME INTEREST into a slip. The guy from PRIME INTEREST said they were shoe horned in. Then, since we were earlier than expected, he put us inside at a T head too. The dock crew were very admiring of the way Bob handled the docking - he was very slick I must admit. The young boy said he'd never seen it done better.

At dock in Outdoor Resorts

So we were tied up by about 3 after 39.3 miles at 5.9 mph for a total trip of 632 nm. When we inquired about the tides (the tide was on the ebb when we came in) we discovered that we won't be able to get out until about 9 the next day. Low tide is about 6.

We found they would let me us the fax line to upload and download mail(including an e-mail that was 1800 characters too long to get all of it on the pocketmail, but I got it last night). We found the laundry room (which we didn't need as we did it yesterday).

When we went up to have dinner, we saw them putting Christmas lights up. I tried to take some pictures of the marina at night (top photo).

We had dinner in the restaurant - another fancy smancy place with prices to match.

Hilton Head from the ICW

I was writing e-mail preparing to go up at 9 and send it when Bob brought me breakfast. I spilled almost a whole cup of cranberry juice in the bunk. Bob kept trying to get me to blot it up with a damp washcloth, but that was completely inadequate.

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.

Next an anchorage in Herb River