“Drips history like moss on a live oak”

~ Betsy Cribb Watson

Known as the lower South of the thirteen colonies, Georgia and South Carolina bring a subtle shift to sea grass and good ole southern hospitality. Unlike the tides whose shift is not so subtle.

Our port of call on Jekyll Island, Georgia provides a three to four feet tide where the wildlife watching at low tide behind the boat is pure entertainment…

and an introduction to my new favorite pink creature, the roseate spoonbill, who fascinate as their flat bill sweeps side to side across the sandy bottom in search of a snack.

The island itself has made great efforts to prevent development. One of the few homeowners on the island describes the limitations put on their home expansion for height and width. More than once, we are told to cross the bridge to St. Simons Island if we want commerce.

Suffice it to say we never left the island. Instead we enjoyed long walks along well maintained paths over wetlands and under draping live oak trees…

where benches left in memory of loved ones wait in the breezy shade.

Conveniently, the marina provides golf cart loaners…

for jaunts to the other side of the island where Driftwood Beach attracts visitors with its 1.3 miles of haunting beauty.

Our sunrise departure provides views of a different palate…

and we finally get a peek of St. Simons Island as we head north.

On the advice of the dockmaster, our next dockage is the Sunbury Crab Company, near Midway Georgia. Basically a small marina with a few docks best known for the restaurant at the end of its pier.

Designated one of the South’s Best Seafood Shacks in Southern Living back in 2019, outsiders learned what locals had known for years. As luck would have it, Elaine, the matriarch of the Maley family owned business, is able to spend a few minutes with us. She and her husband of 57 years bought the land years before when they bought Ford gumball machines and needed some place to store their inventory.

Years later they opened Sunbury Crab Company and regulars call when the are leaving Jacksonville heading north on 95 to make reservations. What a treasure! Both Elaine and this family restaurant.

We slip into South Carolina after a slow cruise through Skidaway Island.

Daufuskie Island, SC is only accessible by boat, adding allure to its historical qualities.

Five miles long and almost three miles wide, the island is easily explored by golf cart and Jordan and his mom set us up for our overnight stay. Hours are spent mainly on dirt roads through dense forests of an eclectic mix of magnolia, live oak, cypress, sycamore and dogwood trees. Paved lanes appeared here and there but mainly near new developments mixing like oil and water with the other side of the island.

Visitors ferry over from Hilton Head Island to discover the Gullah heritage through tours provided by Sallie Ann Robinson who is a Daufuskie native and was a student when Pat Conroy spent a year on the island as a school teacher.

We catch tiny Silver Dew Winery minutes before closing time and take full advantage of a well stocked, small market and tastes from South Carolina’s oldest winery.

First Union African Baptist Church has a history reflective of the ups and downs of this island.

Many visitors can attest to the potency of Dr. Buzzards Scrap Iron and the history of its name is part of the fun. When asked about the ingredients, Moonshine Punch is described.

Hilton Head is night and day from our laid back night on Daufuskie; busy, busy, busy! As is the military presence as we cruise past Parris Island and its Marine Corps base.

Beautiful Beaufort, SC is around the bend.

Lady’s Island Marina, across the bridge from town, provides a much needed hike to town where we enjoy an ice tea float…

and discover a boutique next door, filled with (retired) teacher owned witticisms and where a discount for teachers, retired or otherwise, makes my day.

Vicki and Mack well exceed the term Harbor Host and drive us to a local farmers market followed by an invitation to share a meal in their lovely home filled with treasures from their life. We recognize the elephant chair from Thailand and enjoy hearing stories of Macks time there as a boy. Tales of five years living aboard their Kadey Krogan up and down the East Coast and across to The Bahamas also adds places to our wishlist of future destinations.

Once again, our choice for church is embellished by a local. As Jack, the young dock hand, gives us a ride, he tells us his great, great… grandfather was a founding father of the town and is buried on the church grounds. Jack was baptized here, although his family no longer attends St. Helena’s Anglican since the big split between the Anglican and Episcopal churches. This was again verified when we later visited the Pat Conroy Literary Center.

While purchasing our copy of The Water is Wide, the woman working behind the small desk is none other than Pat Conroy’s sister who left the church as well. It is still a sad memory for many.

The full moon is upon us and with it, extreme tidal swings. We leave Beaufort and discover Edisto’s even stronger current caused by these swings creates a bit of a challenge docking. However, once we are tied up, we have a front row seat to the spectacular.

Edisto is golf and beach and chill. No hotels to speak of. Only houses and condos to rent overlooking golf courses or the beach.

Our bike rides allow us to explore beyond the marina and past beach homes, although most of the island is farmland. With very few restaurants, Thai Tuesday caught our attention and gave us a great reason to explore the golfing communities.

We take away treasures from Edisto Seafood and enjoy the.best.shrimp over the next few weeks.

For you Notebook fans, our cruise to Charleston provides a great view of the home Noah built for Allie. Awww…

All along the ICW personalities abound. Lawn decorations, boat choices, signage, all speak to the property owner. And it is very entertaining.

The rain only adds to the intrigue of this life boat for offshore ships. Why?

Since we have been to Charleston by land, our arrival by the water is quite a treat. We also have our first children visitors on board! What a joy to witness the sheer delight of a child on a boat! We also score a visit to Garden & Gun headquarters.

Historic Georgetown is our next port of call. To walk the streets and mingle with the townspeople at Music in the Park and many shops, like Fox at the Maritime Store is a delight.

The Captain had mentioned to a friend we would be in town and one morning we are having coffee and there is a tap on the boat as a small fishing boat approaches. Since captain’s friend was out of town he had reached out to this man to offer some local input to the goings on. With a large bag of boiled peanuts in hand, a local dentist and his grandson board Odysea II for a great visit.

He provided insight into one of the boats docked nearby. Dealer’s Choice happens to be a car dealer, but we still wonder about Local Grass. He also invites us to a concert that night, which of course we attend. Brad was a friend who had died years before and was a local musician who encouraged live music in town and was on the board of the historical music venue, Winyah Auditorium. Brad’s Bash is now an annual fundraiser with multiple bands. A community’s impressive effort to honor this man’s memory.

Our visit also coincided with the unveiling of the visiting Harriet Tubman statue, The Journey to Freedom.

Local youth choirs perform and city officials give speeches at the unveiling. After Tubman rescued her nephew James Bowley from slavery, he lived in Georgetown and later became an educator and state representative.

Georgetown is one of those towns on the list to revisit.

We were told by many about the cruise north of town…

and its beauty. Beautiful it is, but it reminds us of the inland waters of Louisiana. Even the hunting areas and a gator sighting.

The small towns of South Carolina made quite the impression and are fond memories. Unfortunately, we have to maneuver through Myrtle Beach in a summer month with all the crazies zipping around on jet skies and speed boats out to impress.

However, nature is the exclamation point of South Carolina as we cruise north to the state line.

After alerting other boats of our northbound journey, our approach to the Rocks Pile was strategically timed with low tide for good reason.

Narrow and edged by jagged rock ledges on each side, it is clear dynamite was used to clear this stretch of the ICW. There are areas with no room for two boats to pass. The tow boat advertisement is a reminder of issues in the past.

Captain Oh Captain steers us safely to the North Carolina border where more adventure awaits.

Thanks for following along.

~The Crew