Florida to South Carolina

We have made good progress in the week on the ICW. We picked up my granddaughter, Casey, in South Carolina while driving down to Palm Coast, FL to get the boat. She has been a great help to me handling the lines. She stayed with us for a week just to make sure my back could handle the physical work on the boat. Since all seemed to go well, we left her with her parents in Myrtle Beach on Monday night. We certainly enjoyed having her aboard and even got to teach her how to play Mexican Train Dominoes!

We managed to attend Riley's Award Ceremony from Grade School the night we stopped for Casey. Riley has grown at least 6 inches since last fall and has now traded with his sister the title for being the "tallest sibling" of the two of them. Casey is still adjusting to this role reversal.


Grandson Riley

Our boat was really spiffed up by Nico, the son of our mechanic, who scrubbed the bilges and engine room, painted the engines, and waxed the hull. Al, his father, got the maintenance needed done in the meantime. So, we not only run well, we look good too!

Here are some of the photos Casey and I took along the way.


My favorite photo of Casey with a phone to her ear enjoying the view along the way.


Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine, FL

One of the first large cities we passed was St. Augustine, FL. For the past three years, there has been a very ugly temporary bridge installed next to a beautiful bascule bridge built in Mediterranean style in 1927. The old bridge needed major work, which has now almost all been completed. The old bridge is back in use and the temporary bridge has almost totally been removed. It was named "Bridge of Lions" as their are two marble lion statues at each end of the bridge. It is nice to see such an old beauty back in use and made like new again.


Interesting skyline of St. Augustine and many of the buildings built by Henry Flagler to support the growing tourist business in Florida brought by the trains he had built.


Beautiful home along the ICW - Oh, get out your checkbook, it looks like it is for sale!


Another stately mansion

We stopped for the night in Fernandina Beach and Casey and I rushed to get off the boat and do some shopping before most of the stores closed. We had showers, dinner on the boat, then walked to the local ice cream store for our dessert! Fernandina Beach is s fun little town to stop in and walk around. It seems like the whole town comes to the docks and walks the entire length of the docks just to look at all the boats in the evening. I always seem like we are the exhibits at the zoo there.

North of Jacksonville, FL, we pass the submarine base at Kings Bay. Bob always hopes to see a sub arrive or depart there, but in all our trips, we have yet to experience that.


Huge repair facilities on Kings Bay Sub Base

Casey was thrilled to pass by Charleston, SC on our way north. She attends the College of Charleston and has never seen the city by water. Unfortunately, we hit Charleston about noon, too early to stop for the night so that she could give us a guided tour! We will try and do that next fall on our way south when it is cooler and less humid.


Charleston skyline including the new bridge, old church steeples and some mega-yachts at the Charleston Marina.


Waterfront homes along the Battery in Charleston


Another view with the bridge in background

We stopped for the night in Beaufort, SC and Casey and did the same routine of running to the stores in town right beside the dock, then showers and dinner on the boat. We taught her how to play Mexican Train Dominoes that night.

After Beaufort, we stopped at Leland Marine Service for the night in McClellanville, SC. There is not much there but a place to tie up and the tiniest shower you've ever seen. A lot of shrimp boats come into this creek and Bob was able to get us several pounds of fresh shrimp that he made into shrimp stir-fry for dinner.


Entering the creek at McClellanville, SC


When we arrived in Barefoot Landing at Myrtle Beach, Casey and I found a fish that had tried to come along for the ride. Unfortunately, it didn't make it alive.

Casey and I jumped off the boat in Barefoot Landing to check out the stores again while we waited for my son, Mike, and the rest of the family to arrive to pick up Casey and have dinner. We hope to see them later this summer if they can make it up to our house.

Our next stop is Swansboro, NC.