Sailing: Monday January 26th

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Monday January 26th

It would be easy to linger in Vero Beach, what with the free bus shuttle into town and all the other features, but we deraft from Orion

and are on our way by 8:00. As we leave the anchorage, we spot for the first time, two boats that we had encountered on the first leg of our journey; Dawntreader, who we came across hard aground in the Dismal Swamp, and InTransition, from Elizabeth City.

The day is sunny and warm. Our luck is holding.

The crew elects to stop at LobLolly Marina & Condo complex, but after negotiating the narrow entry and safely tieing up at their T dock, we find that the complex is under construction and there are no amenities on offer - no showers, no laundry and really not even a washroom. We decide that this really isn't worth the $2,00 a foot that was being charged, so we untied, turned around, and anchored at Peck Lake which was directly across from the complex. It was beautiful! There was easy access to the ocean and we went for a lovely stroll along the beach.

The boat anchored next to us, Zingeroo, was from Thunderbay Ontario and after a brief discussion it was discovered that the captains had several friends in common. It is truly a small world.

The evening is so pleasant that half the crew sleep in the cockpit.

Historical Sidebar Beaufort South Carolina

Founded in 1711,Bearfort is a popular ICW stopover and a history buff's dream. Many of the town's majestic homes are visible from the water, high on the green banks that edge the town side of the river. Most of the antebellum plantation houses have been restored, but others remain in ruins as monuments to halcyon days when silks, indigo, rice and Sea Island cotton created vast fortunes for landholders hereabouts. Live oak trees through the city are magnificent in their size and shape. Given this panorama, it is small wonder that Hollywood studios made several movies here, including 'The Big Chill' and 'The Princeof Tides'.

Historical Sidebar - Charleston South Carolina

Founded in 1670 by the British, Charles Towne soon welcomed French Huguenots who imparted the Creole flavor that still colors the area. Charleston today is a city of pastel houses and tidy brick-walled gardens behind lacy iron gates. Much of the city's beauty stems from hard times. In the years following the Civil War, little building or demolition occurred in depression-gripped Charleston. While other cities tore down their old structures to build Victorian houses, Charlestonians had to make do, fighting to keep the buildings they already had from decaying. Because of this, Charlestonians are fiercely protective of their town and its heritage.