This is beginnning to feel like "the big crawl" up the East Coast as we were only able to make 20 miles today. Considering that we had hoped to knock off 100mi/day by going offshore and sailing overnight, we are definitley not sticking to any type of schedule! Even the 50 mi/day that we thought we'd get on the ICW hasn't materialized due to the stormy weather, extreme heat, and lure of marinas with swimming pools!
We did not leave Hilton Head until 11:00 am today because of concern over Dan's mom's health. The news has been up and down, and Dan's been worried that she would take a turn for the worst while we are anchored in some marsh in SC. So in addition to watching the weather and plotting routes on the charts, we also want a backup plan in case the worst case scenario actually happens. Where would we leave the boat? For how long? What marinas are hurricane safe? How would we get to Florida? It is certainly easier said than done to cut ties with our land life and focus just on a cruiser's lifestyle. Family is always foremost in our minds, and it is very disconcerting to be away from shore and cell phone service, especially when things are happening on land that we want to stay connected with.
We had planned to skip Beaufort and make more miles today ... but, here we are, in lovely little Beaufort ... so much for plans! As Jim keeps reminding us, we're retired, so "the schedule" is just something to discuss over dinner. And, he's on vacation, so he doesn't mind taking it easy, especially when we are able to pull into a marina with a pool. No such luck in Beaufort, but that doesn't stop Jim from making a new set of friends each time he hits the dock.
Jim ... the reading machine. 10 books so far!
The marina does have a loaner car which we put to good use, going to the grocery store, liquor store and hardware store ... those have become the center of our world when we are ashore!
Beaufort is having it's big summer festival starting tomorrow, so we'll be leaving before the dock rates triple! Right away, we have to negotiate a 20ft swing bridge that is closed 7-9am due to rush hour, so our plan is to leave the marina by 6:30. Of course, you know by now our success rate with "plans"!.
Stay tuned.....
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