Cady Girl

On April 19, we departed Jarrett Bay, the weather was cloudy and by the time we got to the Neuse River the waves were 3 ' so it was choppy ride into Oriental.  We docked at the Oriental Marina and Inn.  What a delightful place and the staff was very helpful!  Marina has a Tiki Bar - one of our favorites and pool - though it wasn';t quite warm enough to go for a swim.  Met up with Darrin and Susan from Kennewick Washington, who are doing the loop for the 2nd time!  They're a great couple and gave us lots of tips! Also enjoyed the cute coffee shop across the street!  They had the best French toast muffin.  The weekend we were there, the NCAA sailing championships were being held. On the 20th we had a smooth ride up the Neuse River to New Bern.  Docked at the Galley Stores Marina.  Walked all over town and found Crema Brew, a coffee shop owned by 2 former Oregonians.  Visited the Tryon Palace and gardens - lovely.  The Palace was the 1...

On April 10th, we left beautiful Wacca Wache Marina and cruised into North Carolina.  To do that we had to slog our way behind Myrtle Beach and the miles of houses....It was a beautiful day.  The Waccamaw River was so glassy, Don wished he could go waterskiing.  We anchored that night in the Shallot River in NC. On April 11th, we cruised to Southport through rain and 40 mph winds; seems like it took forever to get there and it was only 15 miles.  We spent 2 nights in Southport, loved the town, it had a summer beach place feel.  Thank God for our driver "Billy" - whom Don had met in December; he showed us around and entertained us - he talked a lot! We left Southport on the 13th for Wilmington; weather still blustery and blowing hard! We moored at the Port City Marina. Found a great restaurant called the Copper Penny and chatted with some locals!  Wilmington has a wonderful river walk and some cute stores near the marina!  On Sunday we toured the Battle...

We left Charleston on the morning of April 6th.  Weather was sunny and windy - got stuck on a sand bar in less than 3 feet of water just west of Isle of Palms.  Boat US is a great service to have - they towed us out of the sand!!  We saw lots of dolphins and arrived in McLellanville about 5 pm. Don's Aunt Frances was raised in McLellanville and we found her childhood home. We walked the town of McClellanville, ate at a classic restaurant, JW Grahams, and some local fisherman gave us some fresh Wahoo which they had caught about 50 miles offshore. Tasty! April 8th, we motored to Georgetown and stayed at the Harborwalk Marina.  It was glassy water and a sunny day; saw more dolphins - they seem to like to surf our bow wake!   Georgetown is a cute town with lots of old homes, cute stores and coffee shops!  We met some other Loopers, Matt and Roxanne. April 9th, we motored to Wacca Wache Marina in Murrells Inlet. This trip was amazing as the Waccamaw River i...

We left Port Royal on April 1st, said goodbye to Beaufort County, St. Helena Sound, and the Coosaw River.  We could see the see Harbor Island as we left.  That evening we anchored in TooGoodoo Creek.  On the 2nd we cruised into the beautiful city of Charleston ! We spent 4 nights in Charleston, enjoying the sites, but most importantly visiting with Don's cousins Mary Beth, John, Harry, Ashley, Isabela and Buddy!  Oh, the stories cousins can tell and the laughs we shared.  Love being with all of them! We walked all over the city and stopped at Slightly North of Broad (S.N.O.B.) for lunch!  YUM Charleston is my favorite city so far!

On March 28th, after Jean returned from Portland, we motored to Port Royal, S.C. and docked at the Safe Harbor - Port Royal.  We crossed into SC at 10:45 am, past Daufuskie Island, Hilton Head, Parris Island, entered the Port Royal Sound at 1:20 pm and the Beaufort River at 1:45 pm. We rented a car and got to The Old Bull Tavern in Beaufort just when they opened at 5 p.m. What a fun place and YUM! On the 29th, we had coffee at a cute spot in Port Royal and walked the Port Royal Cypress Wetlands. The wetlands were full of Egrets, alligators and turtles.  We also walked the Point in Beaufort and got to see the property Don's parents owned, his Aunt Frances' antebellum home (just sold), the Castle and the Tidalholm (Big Chill house).  It's such a lovely neighborhood. And so many memories for Don!  That night we went to dinner with Don's cousin Mary and her husband Scott. On the 30th, we met Mary at the Port Royal Farmer's Market.  Mary and I ate the biggest Crab Ca...

We left St. Simon's Island on March 15 and anchored at the mouth of the South Newport River and the Sapelo Sound on the ICW.  The trip was delightful with lots of dolphins entertaining us along the way; we cruised by Sapelo Island which still has Gullah folks living there.  Unfortunately, at night there was a thunderstorm and gale force winds blew the lid off of our storage box.  Luckily, it didn't go overboard, and we (Don) were able to repair it.   On March 16th we docked at the Isle of Hope Marina in Savannah.  What a lovely place with great crew and beautiful neighborhood.  NOTE: if you're going to Savannah around St. Patrick's Day, make your reservations early.  We were lucky to find a slip!  Savannah holds one of the largest St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the US and has been doing so since 1813. At the Isle of Hope Marina, we were just a bike ride away from the Wormsloe State Historic Site.  This park celebrates the colonial way...

On March 12th, Cady Girl and crew left Jekyll Island and motored a very short distance to St. Simon Island where we docked at the Morning Star Marina. St. Simons Island is a barrier island and part of what are called the Sea Islands.  Don's Mom and Dad spent their honeymoon at the Cloisters at Sea Island. But, for us the first order of business was to meet up with one of my oldest and best friends, Gail and her husband Dick.  They are still as funny and entertaining as ever and showed us around their island!  We saw the lighthouse and the beautiful views, ate at the Coastal Kitchen and Palmers Restaurant - both were awesome, and got to see their gorgeous home. We said goodbye to Pat and John on March 13th.  They had a fun Lyft ride back to the Jacksonville airport.  They were a great crew and fixed all kinds of things for Captain Don.  Sorry to see them go!

  On March 11th, Cady Girl and crew crossed the St. Andrew Sound and moored at Jekyll Island.  We walked to the wharf the first day; and the morning of our second day we used a golf cart and toured the Island in style Though, you always have to watch out for Don's driving.  Pat and I were hanging on for dear life. Jekyll Island is a beautiful State Park in Georgia that has been a vacation destination for more than 3500 years, starting with Native Americas who went there to hunt, fish and gather shells.  In 1886 it was purchased by the Jekyll Island Club, turn-of-the-century vacation resort patronized by the likes of J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, William K. Vanderbilt, Marshall Fields, and William Rockefeller.  In 1947, it was sold to the State of Georgia as a State Park. The island is beautiful, with homes of all the past visitors still standing, the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, delightful beaches, the historic wharf and the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. The Center pr...

March 10, 2024 Departed Fernandina Beach at 11:00 am and arrived at Cumberland Island at12:30 am.  Had a good view of Ft. Clinch State Park on the way.  I failed to mention on my first post that Fort Clinch was significant in the Civil War. We anchored and took the tender to the dock; had a picnic lunch @ Ice House with feral horses all around.  Then we walked through the Spanish moss-covered trees to the Carnegie House ruins.  The Carnegie House belonged to Thomas and Lucy Carnegie but was destroyed by fire and never rebuilt. There were Osprey nesting on the chimney of the ruins, they had a separate game room, pool and gardens.  And a Tabby house was open to view. The Tabby House is the oldest structure on Cumberland Island, dating back to the early 1800s. Tabby is a mixture of oyster shells, lime, sand and water.  At Cumberland Island, we came across an archeological dig that Don's cousin John was part of in the 1970's, studying the Native American lifest...

On March 8, 2024, we started the Intracoastal Waterways (ICW). This has been a lifelong dream of Don's since he was raised in Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay; I, on the other hand, being from Oregon, didn't know what it was????  If you want to know more, check out the  AGLCA | Great Loop Route .  Anyhow, we departed Lamb's Yacht Center in Jacksonville Florida at 9:30 a.m. with my sister Pat and husband, John as our crew!  Lamb's Yacht Center is a great full-service marina run my Peggy Sue and her staff.    At 5:00 pm we docked at Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island; not without "kissing the bottom" of the ICW because the tide was so low. Loved Fernandina Beach, especially a great restaurant, "The Patio", where we sat at the bar, ate a delicious meal and talked to all the locals and 2 great bartenders. On March 9th, we went to the beach and then to Fort Clinch, a great historical site on the island.  NOTE: Lyft rides are few and far between - so we had f...