June 13-22, 2014
Hi
All from Lady's Island Marina in Beaufort, South Carolina!
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Parris Island "We Make Marines" |
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Parris Island Marine Base |
The trip from Hilton Head to Beaufort took us though some beautiful developments with marinas and beautiful waterfront homes. We then crossed the wide Port Royal Sound, then took the AICW northwest, by Parris Island Marine Corps base, by the town of Port Royal to Beaufort SC. Parris Island Marine Corps base is located on the north side of Port Royal Sound.
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The Fillin' Station |
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Steve and Steve watching the girls |
Sailboat Steve Sagle (Virginia Lee) greeted us by
radio (channel 16) as we picked our way
through the menagerie of boats tied to mooring balls and anchored in Factory Creek and
arrived at Lady's Island Marina which is about 1/4 mile off the AICW around 3 p.m. on Friday, the 13th. Steve
directed us to the east end T-dock where we snuggled into position and tied off
for a period of time TBD. Steve's first greeting was to announce the Friday
dinner special, a $10 ribeye steak dinner, at the Fillin' Station (restaurant/bar)
not 100 yards from the street entrance to the marina. All welcome and
highly-popular, the restaurant beckoned. We joined a group of ten and entered
thru the front door on
a companion's push (yes, Jules, the door was unappealing/nasty,
but it was just needing paint and not covered with food residue) around 5 p.m.
to beat the rapidly accumulating multitude of drinkers and diners. The
restaurant obviously planned to make profit off of the drinking because $10
would barely cover the cost of the steak, baked potato and corn alone. And, the
three-hour wait for our dinners to be served (yep, they arrived straight up
8:00 p.m.) allowed plenty of drinking time. (So glad I stuck to my self-imposed
limit; others I'm sure didn't). The Fillin' Station was THE spot for locals to
gather, with one lone pool table, a large deck overlooking Factory Creek,
karaoke (at least on Friday nights), and food specials three nights per week,
well known to the marina residents!
The
meal, which we all voraciously consumed, was really quite well-cooked, tasty
and a large, thick bone-in cut for the $10 price! It just took next-to forever
for us to get our meals! It was generally agreed that the vacationers have now
invaded the area, forcing the long wait time; thus, the marina folks won't be
regularly attending these functions until Fall. (Notice how quickly Clay and I
were absorbed into 'resident' status here at Lady's Island Marina!)
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Beaufort High School w/pool |
Our
welcome packet itemized various retail establishments nearby as well as the
Beaufort municipal indoor swimming pool where swim lessons were given, swim
teams practiced, water aerobics classes were conducted, and lap swim was
available continuously during operating hours. Bingo! Early morning Saturday I
outlined my day to include lap swimming and a haircut at Guys 'n Dolls. Believe
it or not, my hair had grown sufficiently in the six weeks since the Melbourne
'surprise, gotcha' cut to need at least shaping. Thus, off I went for a
half-hour swim at the senior price of $3, then a haircut by Natalie (highly
recommended by marina gals) where I chose again the Melbourne cut (probably my
last but it's SO easy!).
Clay
and I lunched at the boat, then biked to the Beaufort historic downtown,
crossing the Beaufort River bridge with wait time near the midpoint where the
swinging bridge halted our progress. We biked through the park along the
riverfront, then secured our bikes and walked along Bay Street, the main street
of town. We inquired details of carriage tours, reviewed menus of various
restaurants and wine bars, and poked around a few shops, retreating at length
into a few shop interiors when a mid-afternoon storm appeared. Rain passed, and
we biked back to the boat for dinner.
Having
established what I hope soon to be a routine by attending church on Wilmington
Island the previous Sunday, Clay and I dressed for a moderately long bike ride to Sea
Island Presbyterian Church and sat coincidentally in front of the parents of
last week's minister. Small world. That acquaintance broke the ice quickly for
a hearty welcome from this Sunday's congregation. A quick stop post-service by
the boat to change clothes (I'd worn a dress which isn't the easiest of attire
to bike in!), we continued across the bridge to lunch at Blackstone's where
Clay dined on a hearty breakfast of eggs, grits, hash browns and toast while I
enjoyed luncheon fare. We both consumed ample calories to support our afternoon
bike ride thru the historic neighborhoods, marveling at the huge, stately trees
(which seem to command heightened respect) and equally regal homes.
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Factory Creek looking toward Beaufort |
In a
small pocket park, we sat under a beautiful tree spreading its majestic
branches as shade protection when son John called with Happy Fathers Day wishes
for Clay. Shade protection, yes; storm protection, hmmmm, not so much. An
abrupt rumble of thunder nearby grabbed our attention, and we quickly ended the
conversation with, "Gotta dash and beat the storm." And dash we did.
Back across the bridge in record time, we abandoned our bikes under the
breezeway cover of the marina office complex and made our way to the boat
before the rain could get us. It rained all around us, but never right on us.
Sunday ended with a marina-hosted Fathers Day carry-in which was a last minute
surprise to us. Clay, not one to miss a party, artfully arranged a tray of
cheese, crackers and grapes, while I rested a bit...to join them later. Food
was terrific; company, delightful; and atmosphere, welcoming and festive.
We
settled into a routine of sorts at Lady's Island Marina with a week's stay on
the horizon. Clay had secured the services of Adam, the canvas man, to make
screens for the two remaining doors which are to be completed and installed by
Friday. Problems and projects usually determine our lengths of stay, and this
was no exception. Monday morning was consumed with office projects, then I
delightfully jumped aboard my bike and pedaled to the pool for some laps. A
bargain for $3 which combines exercise, total body submersion (showers are
nice, but they're not baths), and fun. I plan to put in as much lap time over
the week as possible.
Mid-afternoon we borrowed Gloria's stick-shift Geo and motored to a computer fix-it shop
called Gadget ResQ where I ditched Clay for a confab with powers-that-be while
I headed on to WMT for provisions. We returned to the marina to find our
buddies boarding their dinghy and heading to the dink bar for a swim, joining
our other buddies there. Clay so hates to miss a party, but we had groceries
and supplies to unload; too, our dinghy launching process was hampered by the
close proximity of the sailboat docked at our stern. Launching would require a
lot of shenanigans and time, and we'd probably miss the party!
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Grill queen! |
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What a spread!!! |
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Marina at high tide. |
Tuesday
proved to be a routine day of sorts. Clay spent most of the day cleaning on the
boat (interior) while I did some office work/bill paying, swam laps at the
pool, biked to the local Grayco Hardware, then returned to put in some reading
time on the fly bridge before Clay and I joined forces for a major grill-fest on
the stern so as to have leftovers stashed when the need arises. Good plan! Good
day!
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Marina at low tide--7 ft lower. |
Wednesday
was a repeat Tuesday through mid-afternoon when Clay picked me up in Sailboat
Steve's (Virginia Lee) Ohio-license-plated truck for a provisioning run to Food
Lion. Returning to stow our purchases, we were reminded that Wednesdays at the
Fillin' Station offered the $4 dinner special of a grilled hot dog and
hamburger, potato salad, and baked beans. So, not to be left out, off we went
to join the marina group of 10-12 on the deck to drink our way through the wait
time (a logical 45 minutes this night) when dinner would finally be served.
Tonight's perk was my bringing home a dog and potato salad for Clay's Thursday
lunch.
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Steve helping repair the side door |
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The door repair is almost complete |
Clay
had earlier noted that SaSea's starboard door had a glitch in its sliding
mechanism, cause to be determined once disassembled. So, Thursday morning he
teamed up with Sailboat Steve whose reputation preceded him as being able to
fix anything. Clay is pretty handy himself, but his skills were no match for
our new friend, an auto body and mechanics vocational teacher of 20+ years. Theirs became
an all-day project which ended with a flawlessly-gliding starboard door and two
very tired fellas. Job well done, guys! Midday I played go-fer for them, biking
to the Grayco Building Center for parts by way of the pool where I put in some
lap time and watched the start of the noon water aerobics class.
As
dinner time approached, Clay geared up for a trek across the parking lot for
the Fillin' Station's Thursday special which was two deep-fat-fried pork chops,
scalloped potatoes and green beans ($5). It was my plan to soon join Clay,
Steve, Nancy and her friend Donna, but I was awestruck by the chaos in SaSea's
interior. The two fellas in project mode had certainly wreak havoc of a
magnitude that this little lady could not ignore. Besides, deep-fried anything
has no appeal; and a little 'space' (and separation) sounded mighty nice. I
chose to de-clutter and play cheerleader to sister Susan whose shoulder and
biceps tendon aren't healing to her expectations. Good decision on all counts!
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Beaufort home |
Friday
dawned with our usual and customary morning walk, with Clay's pace compromised
by Thursday's door project. He brought new meaning to the term 'slow' today!
But upon return, he geared up to clean those boat components I'd left undone
Thurday night. I headed to the pool mid-morning, contributing another $3 to the
City's coffer and completing my six-day swim marathon (ya never know when
another pool will present itself).
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Peoples Bank clock |
Having
been now a week at Lady's Island Marina, we'd collected a sizable stash of
dirty laundry which needed doing. As I arrived at the laundry room with my
laundry basket balanced on my head (exhibiting extreme balance and dexterity,
no doubt), I told fellow laundress Barb (Melinda K) that Clay refuses to buy a
wheelie cart until he finds the RIGHT one. So I just show him plan b. I
probably resemble the Egyptian women carrying urns on their heads, or African
or Indian women with their woven baskets. It works. I haven't progressed to
hands-free yet, but given enough time...well... Too, this thing about social
acceptability (with a basket on your head), not sure that it matters in the
boating world all that much!
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Downtown Beaufort |
With
laundry done and time on my hands, Clay alerted me to the nav laptop computer ready
for pick-up at Gadget ResQ. Having only my bicycle for distance, I prepped
accordingly with backpack, sunscreen, and a defensive 'driving' attitude. Just
this morning, Marina Manager Steve Stanforth informed us of transient boater Terry (Hoy) having
been hit while biking yesterday afternoon...now hospitalized and undiagnosed. So
I vowed to exercise greater-than-normal caution and off I went, across the
Beaufort River Bridge and out Bsns Hwy 21. I logged 17.5 minutes and arrived
with skin glistening to retrieve Clay's nav computer. (I understand that we
women don't 'sweat,' we glisten; I've been lots of glistening in South Carolina
and parts south!) Reversing direction, I headed toward Lady's Island Marina and
encountered a whole lot of car traffic as I approached the bridge; obviously,
lots of folks were headed my direction.
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Low clearance!!! |
I parked
my bike in the marina breezeway and poked my head into the marina office for a cool down (great ac here) only to find a gathering of guys discussing what guys
discuss. They welcomed me with a hearty, "Hey, Sal" and continued
their conversation. Among the topics was an update on hospitalized Terry which
revealed no new news. Another topic was tonight's Fillin' Station's $10 ribeye
dinner and potential takers. Count Clay and me in (we're willing to risk the
wait time, especially for the price and my not having to cook)...with the only
other taker being Terry's wife Donna (Meridian) who wanted to tag along.
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Beaufort home |
Donna
had actually taken the initiative to lead the pack, so Clay and I joined her
(called for a description to recognize her) a brief time later on the Fillin'
Station deck (thankfully for the diners, a much smaller crowd) to find we KNOW
Donna. Oh my! Gives a somewhat different perspective on her injured husband
(and their predicament) when we know them. (Please note: I'm using the term
'know' loosely. 'Acquaintance' is probably a better description of the
relationship as we'd all met during the Fall 2013 Great Loop Rendezvous at Joe
Wheeler State Lodge in Rogersville, AL.) But all of us Loopers are in the same
boat (pardon the pun) and can relate to predicaments! In Terry's case, a
possible broken back doesn't bode well for near term continuation of their
trip.
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Another Beaufort home |
Ya
gotta admire Donna! She went solo to the Fillin' Station knowing no one, joined
two local couples and continued her evening as normally as possible. Offers to
help were free-flowing, with the two couples planning on a quick stop at the
hospital to check on patient Terry when they left the restaurant. Life is good!
Saturday
morning found Clay and me in wait mode, awaiting the arrival of son John and
his girlfriend Kristen who had flown Friday evening to Charleston for a week's
vacation in the Charleston/Savannah/Hilton Head area. They certainly have a
treat ahead! Their Saturday activities were to begin following a late night
drive to Beaufort for an overnight here, then breakfast with us before they
headed south to Savannah by way of Hilton Head for a quick look/see.
'Wait
mode' referenced above really doesn't exist on a boat because there's always
something to occupy our time. We'd completed our morning walk, detouring to
check out the Beaufort Bakery Cafe (BBC) which came highly recommended as a
breakfast spot to rival those in Paris (yes, France, not Missouri). We'd also
gotten an update from Donna confirming Terry's L1 (back) compression fracture
and speculating potentials of what-comes-next for them. We also began
preliminaries for departure as our plans were to head north after breakfast
with John and Kristen.
Well,
breakfast became lunch when we arrived at BBC to find the breakfast menu had
ended at 11:00 when the lunch menu began. And, a full work week with a late
Friday flight for the two travelers made sleeping far more important than for
which Saturday meal John and Kristen joined us. Worked all the way around!
Shortly after lunch and a quick run to Publix, we shooed them out the door with
a few recommendations on what to see and do in downtown Beaufort before they
headed south.
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Ladys Island Marina |
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Marina manager Steve Stanforth |
As
we regrouped after the kids' departure and continued our preparation to head
north, we took note of the weather which included an extreme heat advisory for
the area with a predicted heat index in excess of 105. Our Saturday night plans
were to anchor out or to tie to a dock with no water or electric; Clay made
comment that the generator (ac) would have trouble keeping up with that heat.
Plans are made to change. And, there's always a Plan B as we say over and over.
So we stayed another night with our friends at Lady's Island Marina.
Sunday
was d-day (departure) with an earlier-than-normal walk through the now familiar neighborhood, passing by Beaufort High School and the City Pool, then circling
by way of Meridian Avenue (the shortcut from the Beaufort River Bridge to Port
Royal), to pass by the corner bank and the Fillin' Station to end up back at
'home.' Amazing how many 'homes' we've had over the past almost ten months, how
many friends and acquaintances we've made, how many experiences we've had and
how well we've handled all of our Plan B's. We're off for a destination five
miles south of Charleston at 9:20 a.m., with many of our new-found friends
crowding the dock with their morning coffee to send us on our way.
We
look forward to a Tuesday rendezvous with John and Kristen in Charleston and
the fun we will have there!