June 13                   New Bern, North Carolina

The morning dawned clear, cool, and indicative of a great day for cruising to our final destination.  We both agreed that a return to Beaufort was a definite choice.  We liked the town and the friendly people.  Leaving the wide Beaufort harbor area, we entered a long cut to the Neuses River.  At this point, we turned northwest rather than continuing on the ICW.  Our charts did not have this area so we depended solely on the GPS, which fortunately did not fail. 

The Neuses is the widest river in the United States and is like a sea.  We had been warned that it could be quite challenging in bad weather.  With sunshine and mild winds, we continued without incident to New Bern.  As we cleared the picturesque swing bridge that marks the entrance to the town, we looked back to see a solid wall of rain coming towards us.  With luck, we managed to dock before another torrential afternoon thunderstorm pelted us with rain.  We welcomed the good wash down for the boat and retreated into the salon for a lovely nap.  After the rain stopped, we walked to the marina office, met the charming Nancy, and made plans to leave The Bottom Line in the marina for a month.  Dinner was a simple affair on the boat.

June 8-June 10                        Beaufort, South Carolina

After a lovely scenic cruise past Hilton Head and its beautiful mansions bordering the ICW, we crossed the large Port Royal Sound to Beaufort River.  The waterway was deep and wide and navigation was the easiest we had experienced since leaving Florida.  Parris Island Marine Base was on the western side of the river.  The early Twentieth Century homes for officers were pristine models of southern charm with large verandas and windows facing the water.  The Downtown Marina of Beaufort was exactly what we had hoped it would be in location and amenities.  After a delicious lunch at Plum’s in the Waterfront Park, we took the courtesy car and went to Lowes’ for supplies. 

We were enamored with Beaufort, with its historic homes and gracious people.  We decided that it was the perfect place to spend several days before leaving on June 11 for Fort Worth and then return to in July before continuing our journey to New Bern, North Carolina.  The price was right and we contracted for a month of dockage for The Bottom Line.  Later when the evening breezes made the temperature cool and pleasant, we took a long stroll through the quiet downtown and peered into the closed stores before returning to the boat for tapas on the bridge.  The sunset was the perfect ending to a very good day.

Another day was partially spent in completing work for SGA and sewing curtains for the master stateroom.  In the afternoon, we walked to the harbor side park and arranged for a carriage ride through the downtown area.  We were fortunate to have an excellent guide with considerable historical knowledge and a plethora of amusing anecdotes.  We learned a lot about the history, architecture, and people of the area.  Beaufort has been the locale of several movies, notably “Forrest Gump” and “Prince of Tides.”  The manual for historical restoration, adopted in the 1970’s, is over two thousand pages in length and is strictly enforced, guaranteeing that Beaufort’s over three hundred historically designated homes and buildings will be maintained to their original standards.

Before leaving for home, we moved the boat to a slip that would be protected from strong winds and currents, enlisted the help of the dock master to be sure that everything would be regularly checked, and asked the marina staff to forward any packages that we shipped to the boat.  We spent considerable time cleaning the exterior and interior of The Bottom Line and when we departed early the next morning, we made sure that the lines were properly coiled on the dock.  We hated to leave for Jacksonville and the flight to DFW but it was time to go and return to reality.

June 7                             Hilton Head, South Carolina

After a short day of cruising through some lovely scenery near Savannah, we docked at Hilton Head Resort and Marina.  Unfortunately, the information in the guide was only partially correct.  The on-site restaurant was closed, the other one, mentioned as a Hilton Head favorite, was too far to walk, and the only transportation was taxi. Since we had already committed to stay, we decided to make the best of it.  The location was lovely and the people were friendly.  Some anglers docked near us and began cleaning fish caught only hours before.  When I inquired if we could purchase a pound for dinner, they sliced off several fillets and presented them to me, declining any payment. I was successful in borrowing a staple gun, which allowed us to complete our headboard project.  We were determined to go to a marina in a “convenient to downtown area” and decided that our next stop would be Beaufort.  We made early reservations for the Beaufort Downtown Marina.

June 4-June 5       Richmond Hills, Georgia

We knew that this would be a long day for cruising, as there were fewer marinas.  We continued toward Savannah and planned to moor out for the night if we found nothing along the way. At mid-afternoon, a threatening cloud and lightening prompted us to call a marina off the ICW for reservations.  We were told they could not accommodate us.  We attempted to moor but the muddy bottom would not hold our anchor. 

The storm seemed to be abating so we continued and, of course, met it head on.  We had pelting, blinding rain with strong winds for about twenty minutes.  I was very grateful that we had chosen a boat, which was heavy and large enough to handle such weather.  We had no difficulty—nothing moved out of place within the cabin.  After the storm ceased, we tried to moor again but encountered the same difficulty.

We called another marina, some distance off the ICW, and were told they could accommodate the boat.  Entering the harbor to Fort McAllister Marina, we quickly learned that the area was very shallow. The channel markers were green and red balls, which we did not properly see or read.  Fortunately, before we reached a shallow area that could have been a problem, two young boys in a small boat came along side and told us to follow them to the marina.  Once there, they expertly docked us, secured our lines, and provided excellent help.  We were finally in port and it was 8:30 PM.  We had been on the water for twelve hours.  David refused to rest and instead chose to change clothes and go for dinner at the marina restaurant.  It was a rustic place, with charming décor, and beautiful very young servers.  The food was excellent.

We decided to have a day in port to complete some work and projects.  Although the marina was surrounded by lovely, small lake houses, there were no nearby stores.  Since we did not have bicycles, we were unable to explore the area, which boasted a restored fort about a mile away.

Since both of us had work to do, we opted to spend two nights at this marina.  After a productive day, we enjoyed a visit from Sharon and C.J., who owned a 50’ Hatteras docked near us.  They were delightful women who were moving onto the boat permanently with their five dogs, two cats, a grown brother, and his large dog.  We were in awe that they could find room for people.  They shared some information about the Chesapeake and boat insurance and we are hoping to see them again.  Sunday evening strollers came by and visited with us while we were enjoying the sunset on the bow.

June 3                            Jekyll Island, Georgia

Jekyll Harbor Marina was a small facility located miles away from any of the major hotels and oceanfront beach areas.  We secured the use of the marina’s courtesy van to visit the nearby grocery and hardware stores, both quite small, and view the famous “summer cottages” of the wealthy families who came here on their yachts in the early 1900’s.  The large and historic Jekyll Island Club Hotel is quite impressive and many of the homes and grounds were restored beautifully. 

June 2                            Fernandina Beach, Florida

Cruising today was much less exciting than previously experienced.  We saw fewer beautiful homes and encountered considerable shallow water.  Fernandina Harbor Marina, very small and unpretentious, was located within easy walking distance from the very upscale and lovely downtown area.  We visited the shops, had a gelato, and watched a great sunset from the aft deck.

June 1                            St. Augustine, Florida

We arrived early at St. Augustine and docked at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina.  The dockhands were exceptionally efficient and capable.  The marina is adjacent to the Historic District and we were able to walk about and do some shopping.  Dinner that evening was at a nearby restaurant, O.C. White’s, located in an historic house.  We fueled and pumped out again before leaving.