Blue Heaven Rendezvous: Spell of Nice Weather is Broken!

Going over the bridge into Beaufort,SC

We were heading to Beaufort, SC the last time I wrote. We got into Lady Island Marina by lunch time. The weather for the next few days was to be rainy so we took advantage of the sunny day and borrowed the marina's bikes to ride into Beaufort. Lady's Island Marina is on the other side of the river from Beaufort so we rode over the bridge to get there.

It gave us a great view of the marshes and Beaufort from a distance. Since it was Sunday, not all the stores were open, but many more than a few years ago when we could only find an ice cream store and maybe two restaurants open. They have learned to take advantage of the cruisers heading south to boost their coffers. The waterfront there is a great place to spend some time especially on such a beautiful sunny day.

The waterfront at Beaufort, SC

Al patiently waiting outside a store.

Delicious shrimp and grits at Dockside.

The weatherman for once was not wrong. It rained most of the next day so got a load of wash done at the marina, borrowed the loaner car and got some groceries and Al got a haircut. That evening we treated ourselves for some wonderful shrimp and grits at the restaurant at the marina called “Dockside.” It was quite busy so must be a local favorite as well as for tourists.

We wanted to leave the following day but once again the weatherman said rain for the majority of the day and he was right. I got a few things done like cleaning and pulling out more summer clothes and packing away a few heavier things. We prepared to go out in the ocean for an overnight the next day.

Heading out for an overnight to Cumberland Island.

Al had met a single cruiser at the marina named Dave, on Island Queen who asked to be a travel buddy with us and Cavu for the overnight. We left Beaufort around 11am and motored to Port Royal inlet to head out into the ocean. We scheduled our leaving so that we would be entering the St. Mary's inlet at day break which made it about a 22hr. run.

The wind was blowing only eight to ten from the stern quarter with waves probably two feet. The conditions were not bad but for some reason I got feeling very queasy and never recovered. There was a slight jerking side to side motion and it just did me in. Al had to take all the watches. Next time I will take some medicine to ward off sea sickness. We did get a nice dolphin show while out there around dusk.

Once off of the ocean, Cavu and us headed for Cumberland Island while Island Queen headed to Fernandina. We slept until 1 pm and then Al , Maryann and I went in to see the island. Ron just wanted to keep sleeping. It was Maryann's first time so we showed her the beautiful live oaks with the hanging moss,

wild turkeys that are not all that wild

wild horses that are not all that wild either

and Dungeoness the former home of the Carnegies, with pictures when it was in its heyday found at the small museum there, and seeing the actual ruins of it after the fire.

What is left after the fire.

Dungeoness during it's glory days.

Due to the rain we had been having, the mosquitoes were ravenous so we did not get into the forested areas as much as we would have liked. Due to the bug problem we decided to move on the next day instead of exploring Cumberland more. Bad weather was predicted over the weekend so we thought we move on to get to St. Augustine. We called for a mooring reservation and found out they were full and we had to go on a wait list. I guess everyone else was trying to get there too for the bad weather. We ended up anchoring north of St. Augustine at Pine Island. There were more boats there than we have ever seen. We have noticed the entire way, there seems to be more cruisers heading south than in past years. We never got a call that they had an available mooring so unfortunately we passed right by one of our favorite spots to head to Marineland Marina about 2 hrs. south by boat.

The weather has been hotter and more humid than normal for November in the south. I have heard your November has been great in Pennsylvania! You can see how still the mornings were with the clouds reflecting in the water.Add to that about 90% humidity and 85 degree days and you get

it actually feeling more like the Chesapeake in mid summer. Not very pleasant! So it was great to get into a marina and plug in the air conditioning and get rid of that damp, clammy feeling in the boat. We had never stopped at this small marina before. It is right across the street from Marineland which was highly popular in the fifties for parents to bring their children to see dolphins. Now the University of Florida has research buildings all around along with the original Marineland. It was nice that all we had to do was cross the street and there was the beach. It was very small beach at high tide but at low tide it was great for walking.

Looking through a board on the small boardwalk.

At the Marina on Sundays they have a small Farmer's Market with everything from vegetables, to hot sauces, to baked goods, and even beautiful succulent wreaths.

Wreaths made of succulents.

The market was great for entertainment as well as buying some needed fresh veggies.

Small farmer's market at Marineland Marina.

Ron and Maryann on Cavu, came in to the marina on Sunday. They had been lucky enough to have gotten the last available mooring ball at St. Augustine so joined us a day later.

Maryann and myself enjoying the beach at Marineland.

We enjoyed a walk on the beach and later that night had a delicious meal on Cavu. Afterwards, we taught them how to play Mexican Train Dominoes. We lucked out with the bad storms. All we got was some rain around 5pm. We did not get any strong winds or even downpours that they had predicted.

From Beaufort, SC to Marineland, FL we saw some interesting changes in the landscape as well as some sights on the waterway that I thought I would share with you.