Did we say it rained as we arrived in McClellanville Monday? “Rain?” Nah, not just rain. Think toad-strangling DELUGE off and on through the night. Needless to say, we didn’t get to explore the charming town of McClellanville and check on its 1000+ year old oak tree that we saw two years ago.

Tuesday morning, with plenty of water under us, we tossed the lines to depart, only to have it begin to rain yet again.

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A couple of hours later, as we turned into Winyah Bay, heading towards Georgetown, an incredible thing happened – the flies stopped their seemingly ceaseless attack! What? Hooraaaay! Fantastic!

Just north of Georgetown, we entered the Waccamaw River. The Waccamaw is a “blackwater” river, so called because the leaf debris leches tannins as it decomposes in the water, resulting in a dark brown tint. (Cue the Doobies, “Oh black water, keep on rollin’… ” Okay, it’s not the Mississippi but still…)

Instead of salt marsh grass there were beautiful trees – cypress, pine, oaks, etc. lining the waterway, and smooth silky water.

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Gator Crossing

It was fun to discover that with the change in water, comes…gators!

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Apparently the ICW runs right through a National Wildlife Refuge or conservation area or something similar – we saw all kinds of stuff besides gators!

We were headed for Osprey Marina. Bet you can guess what else we saw along the way. That’s right, plenty of Todd’s favorites, ospreys! And nests. In a sanctuary, wildlife has the run of the place!

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Time went by as we oohed and aahed over the ospreys, tranquil river scenery and the trees. Susie does love her trees. Oh, and Todd his ospreys.

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We spent a peaceful night at Osprey Marina in Myrtle Beach. Wednesday morning, we continued our trek north heading for the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club in Little River. That’s right, it didn’t make sense to us either!

Along the way, we were privileged to transit through two historic swing bridges, both built in 1935.

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The peacefulness of the Waccamaw River slowly gave way to the Little River and Myrtle Beach “proper,” which means a return to civilization – more houses, condos, and touristy areas with the related boats and water toys. We made our way to the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club (technically in Little River. Oy vey!), the only marina in the area that had availability.

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Thursday morning, we were off the dock early, aiming to arrive at Zimmerman Marine in Holden Beach, North Carolina during slack tide. Our timing in that regard was perfect, but par for this course this week, we docked in the pouring rain.

Why a service yard? The first mate noticed a vibration when the ‘Mare really starts to move. So, just like on a road trip, it’s time to see a mechanic for a precautionary check out by the pros.

And so, here we are, in line, awaiting service from the qualified tech…in the rain.

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The day began with heavy fog, which slowly lifted to reveal a totally calm, reflective waterway.

The remainder of the five-hour cruise was beautiful, and we seemingly had the waterway to ourselves, allowing us to relax and enjoy the amazing views of this part of the low country of South Carolina.

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Despite being a Sunday, we did see productive folks “working” the waterway. Just a bit of a reminder of why the thing was built in the first place.

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The anchorage on Toogoodoo Creek was beautifully surrounded by marsh grass, and one wonders how a bird can remember where they fished before, as it seems to all look the same.

The downside to the marsh grass, at least this time of year, is Tabanus nigrovittatus, the greenhead or salt marsh fly. Or as we called them “those @$#%@ biting little $@#$@#!”

Luckily, upon anchoring we can close the upper hatch – all other openings have screens – before dispatching those $@#$@# that have entered the boat!

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The scenery was lovely, and the $#@# flies were fierce! Armed with fly swatters, we twirled, whacked, hopped, smacked (sometimes each other), scratched, danced, and cursed! Yes, even Susie! All while watching the beautiful landscape, houses and some of the longest docks go by!

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The attack let up some as we entered the traffic of Charleston Harbor. Goodness, their City Dock has to be the biggest around (no pictures, it’s too big! And we were still swatting the stowaways).

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Exiting Charleston Harbor, we started through more of the real low country of SC. As far as the eye could see, marshland. And behind us? Yup, the “front/system/whatever” was gaining, and given our pace, most likely going to catch us. You know, ominous clouds, change in the air, and weird feel on the hair on your arms. We tried to outrun the storm. Ha! Remember, “we plan, God laughs!”

We pushed the ‘Mare into a gallop trying to get docked in McClellanville before the storm caught us. In the end, we are immensely thankful to the nice young woman at Leland Oil (marina) who came out in a blowing deluge to catch lines and help us tie up to the dock. We were all soaked through.

Next time we should use Todd’s underwater camera to capture the event!

Decisions, decisions. We’re above the insurance-mandated line. Now what? Well, it’s hot around here, so let’s continue north.

We miss the ocean, and Tuesday looked like a good day to cruise offshore – let’s skip the twisting and turning ICW in Georgia and allow the ‘Mare to stretch her legs a bit. We’ll test the new autopilot in the ocean and give the crew an easier day. Turned out to be a good call, as the ocean was beautiful, and even better, there was very little boat traffic to work around.

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Well, almost. A few hours into our planned 10-hour day, we began receiving visitors of the winged variety. What started as shooing an occasional pest gradually became something else entirely. From gnats to lovebugs to sweat bees to odd-looking house flies, to green-headed flies, to things we couldn’t identify, they were seemingly all there, and most of them were out for blood!

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We smacked and swatted – and scratched – in bewilderment for hours, laughing all the while! So much for the more peaceful cruising day.

We finally returned to the AICW via Ossabaw Sound and entered the Vernon River, where Susie thought it would be fun to anchor, being so near Father’s Day and all. (Love you, Daddy!) Oddly enough, the bugs stopped their attack as soon as we left the ocean. Or had we dispatched them all?! Ha!

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The sunrise wasn’t too shabby either.

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We started at sunrise because we learned that Terry and Lynn on Finish Grade were just a day ahead of us. So, they stayed put and we put in a long day to join them at Lady’s Island Marina in Beaufort, SC. After welcoming us aboard for a fantastic dinner, we spent the evening catching up on each other’s plans.

In the morning, we tossed them the lines, and off they went, continuing their journey north.

By allowing us to untie the lines, they inadvertently committed a minor faux pas, however, in that dockmaster Aaron didn’t have the opportunity to bid them au revoir, a situation he was quick to remedy once he found out. He’s a good guy.

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So, what are we doing now? Hmm, retired, freedom, still hot around here, guess we’ll keep moving north.

From Palm Coast, we made a short three-hour cruise to St. Augustine, where we stayed for a few days to wrap up a couple of boat-related projects and have someone look at the upstairs AC unit. Along with the chores -polishing stainless, basic engine maintenance, etc. – we spent some time ordering supplies and visiting John and Neda, friends on the beautiful sailboat, Redemption.

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After hugs all around and promises to return in the fall, we left St. Augustine Sunday morning.

North Florida along the AICW is quite pretty. There are some populated, No Wake areas, …

…but there is also plenty of cruising where the waterway is wide and nestled between wide picturesque marshland vistas. And where there is marshland, there will be shorebirds.

Often, the photographer doesn’t know what’s been captured until seeing the photos on the screen. These two shots contained surprises:

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Yesterday there was plenty more peaceful marshland to take in. One would like to talk to the local fishermen because all that pristine marshland has to be filled with tons of wondrous little fish! Heck all those birds are eating something!

Of course, the eagle-eyed, camera toting first mate spots the “pretty in pink”, Roseate Spoonbills.

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Birdwatching is the distraction from the order at hand, navigating the AICW. Very shallow areas, cranky no wake zones, and bridges, lots and lots of bridges. Some pretty, others… well…

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We finally made it out of Florida yesterday and spent the night anchored off Cumberland Island, Georgia, where the sunset was stunning.

We spotted four wild horses on Cumberland Island just off the beach as we were passing the tip of the island to go offshore this morning. Hopefully, we can time it in the fall to make a long enough stop to go ashore for photos, but for now, we’re pushing north.

Where we spotted the horses at the top of Cumberland Island was important because that’s where we met the insurance company deadline of being above Cumberland Island by July 1. (Most of you will recall that last year when we lost the main engine and got stuck in Florida for four months, we didn’t get above the line until September.) Spotting the horses was a fun way to celebrate the fact that… (drumroll, please) we made it ABOVE THE LINE ON TIME!

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Wait. On time? We’re retired. These deadlines are For the Birds.

Oooh. Ah. Got that itch!

Our daughter Tracee and and her boyfriend Royce picked us up from the marina Sunday for an afternoon of exploring.

First up, Fort Matanzas National Monument. Located near the Matanzas Inlet, the park preserves the fortified coquina watchtower, completed in 1742, which defended the southern approach to the Spanish military settlement of St. Augustine.

The only “challenge” to enjoying the rooftop? The access was a bit tricky, and now it had to be done backwards. Tracee & Royce descended the ladder first. With them on the lower level to direct the placement of her feet (and Todd with camera in hand to capture the event), Susie wiggled her way through and down.

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After the short ferry ride back, the grounds are a treat in themselves. The park encompasses almost 300 acres of Florida coastal environment containing dunes, marsh, maritime forest, and associated flora and fauna.

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The skies were a bit threatening for a trail walk, so we left Fort Matanzas and Royce treated us to a tour of the nearby Princess Place Preserve, maintained by Flagler County.

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Now a preserve, this beautiful 1,500-acre chunk just outside of Palm Coast was first a “land grant” from the King of Spain to Francisco Pellicer, and was known as Cherokee Grove. In 1886, New Yorker Henry Cutting purchased the property and then in 1887 built the “lodge” that stands today as the oldest intact structure in Flager County. Upon his death, it passed to his widow Angela Mills Cutting Worden. Angela eventually married Boris Scherbatoff, an exiled Russian prince. Hence, Angela assumed the title of “princess,” and the lodge became known as “Princess Place.”

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The architectural details were interesting. The best part, however, was the view from the princess’ bedroom!

In addition to that view, the princess also had the first in-ground swimming pool in Florida!

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And with that, our family time in Palm Coast came to a close. SaltyMare has to head north before hurricane season. As the kind and efficient Crescent Beach Bridge operator replied when we thanked her for the opening, “Giddyup and Happy Trails”!