Back on the Water and Headed North..

So, after more than 3 months enjoying our wonderful family at home and being under Covid lockdown, (& other sad national events of the last days) we got back to the boat at River Forest Yachting Center.  We had a few issues to address on the boat, mostly because when we left in February we intended on a much shorter trip home.  So after about 5 days of projects, we were on our way back to the ICW and north. Our goal is to be north of Belhaven, NC within 2 weeks to get out of the hurricane zone per our insurance requirements.  We left Stuart, Fl and headed north anchoring in Fort Pierce, and then a short afternoon stop in St. Augustine to have some additional canvas work done, 
We then anchored at Jacksonville near the inlet so we could take the 'outside' to Hilton Head.  

We can't wait to return to St. Augustine in the future as this town is very inviting and historic with its fort (which we saw as we passed by) and its waterfront.  Our trip up the coast on the Atlantic to the Port Royal Sound was fair weather and mostly enjoyable seas (flat would be my personal favorite but it is the Atlantic).  We pulled into Skull Creek Marina in Hilton Head in time to grab an outdoor dining experience at the Old Fort Pub (aka Old Fart Pub).  As we have not been eating out for the last few months, we really enjoyed the experience.

Th next day we stopped at Charleston, SC for a short break and replenish supplies.  This typically bustling city was quiet as a mouse.  This was Thursday evening and the previous Saturday had been a curfew with protests that had turned violent.  As we walked the city the streets were weirdly quiet and businesses closed, with much of the downtown boarded up.  We did find a wonderful lobster roll takeout and some ice cream and we walked the streets to see the amazing homes in this beautiful city.  A former mayor, Joe Riley, is quite famous and well know there, and for some reason Joe thought that all the monuments and signs were about him.

​Again, we'll be back in the future when the city and businesses are back in swing.  

The next leg of the the ICW through South Carolina is through marshlands.  It's quite beautiful but quite remote and the weather is hot and humid.  There are alot of homes along this narrow strip of ICW, most of which have walkways through marshlands from their houses that are hundreds of feet long.  The tides are also quite large in this area at about 7-8' which required us to pay close attention to water depths and currents.