Today we are docked at the Ladys Island Marina in beautiful historic Beaufort, SC. We are able to hit a hot spot' and I am enjoying once again the beauty of high speed internet access. I thought I would use this opportunity to let you know how our trip is going.

We left Norfolk on October 6th. At Portsmouth you start mile 0 of the inland waterway. We were so excited to be traveling south. We were putting in fairly long days and didn't have much time to keep in contact. We stopped in Wrightsville Beach to celebrate my birthday and enjoyed walking on the beach and listening to the sound of the breaking waves. We left there and took a side trip to Bald Head Island. What a lovely place. The island can only be reached by boat and there are no cars. Everyone rides around in golf carts. The island itself is a giant golf course. We would have liked to spend more time there but mother nature had other ideas. Bad weather was approaching and we needed to get to a more secure place. The secure place we found was in Southport. We were one of many boats tied to a very secure marina there. We rode out the storm nicely and got to meet some fellow cruisers. One boat at the dock was a 50 foot trimaran from Kona, Hawaii. A husband, wife and 16 year old daughter had lived and sailed aboard for the last 4 years. They've been to many exciting places, some we may never get to. Also we met an owner and a boat deliverer sailing their boat from Newport RI to Charleston. The delivery hand lived and worked in Charleston. We met up with them later.

Once the storm abated we were off again. We had lovely sunny cool days and found some nice quiet anchorages. We were now entering the areas of extreme tides. When the current was running against you the going was slow. When it was running with you it felt as if you were flying. We got to Charleston purposefully at slack water. We decided to stay at the city marina and they placed us on what they called the Megadock. This dock is 1000 feet long. It is a dock that can handle the mini ships that can navigate into the Charleston harbor. There was a 200 foot ship from London tied up as one of our neighbors. Every night the dock was absolutely full. We were the smallest boat on the dock the whole time we were there!

Charleston is a pleasure. It doesn't feel like a big city. We got our bikes out and toured the beautiful waterfront houses. We learned about some of the houses when we would listen as the horse drawn carriage tours went by. So many of the houses have beautiful flowers and shrubs. Since it was close to Halloween we saw lots of pumpkins on the many doorsteps. We enjoyed the waterfront park as well, but the most unforgettable part of Charleston is the food. Remember the delivery skipper we met in Southport? He worked at one of the premier restaurants in Charleston called Carolinas. We met up with the owner of the boat he helped deliver and went to his restaurant for dinner. He treated us like royalty. He brought so many appetizers for us to try as well as our entrees. The food was fabulous. To top off the night he treated us to a scrumptious dessert of ice cream, a carmelized nut waffle and lots of fresh fruit. It was a night I'm sure we'll never be able to duplicate. He was such a wonderful host.

Since we stayed more than one day we got to sample more of the Charleston cuisine. We were not disappointed at a restaurant called Magnolias. If I lived here I would probably gain hundreds of pounds!  We reluctantly left Charleston, but we knew that more adventures were ahead of us.

The intercoastal waterway starts to thread its way through the many rivers and marshes in South Carolina. This area is known as the low country. It is very aptly named. You see very few houses and lots of wildlife. Dolphins are constantly showing up at every turn. They are so beautiful to watch. I can't imagine ever getting tired of seeing them.

We are now in Beaufort SC and plan to rent a car and visit Chris' SC relatives. We will leave the boat in this very nice and secure marina. The dockmasters live on their boat on the dock across from us. When we return we hope to do some sightseeing in Beaufort and Savannah. 

This catches you up on our travels. We have really enjoyed hearing from you and we're so glad you keep in touch. Our next big stop will be in Florida, but I hope to write again before then.

Fair winds and following seas to all.

Pam and Chris