Lady Royal: From Jeckyl Island, GA to Oriental, NC

We got to Jeckyl Harbor Marina on April 30. Just before arriving, we passed Cumberland Island and saw the wild horses on the beach. Wild horses have been roaming the dunes, marshes and seashore since the 16^th century. Once docked, we reunited with Jill and Richard (Finally) and met their granddaughter, Sarah. Old Grouch (Brenda and Dave) were there, too, and we all toured the island and had lunch together. We stopped to walk around Driftwood Beach, which was really nice. The island is one of the Georgia barrier islands with limited development because the majority of the island is a nature preserve. Families including the Rockefellers, Macys, and Firestones once resided there. Their homes have been preserved in the island's historic district.

Wild Horses on Cumberland Island

Driftwood Beach

Brenda, Dave, Rob, Richard, Sarah and Jill

On May 1, we got to to Isle of Hope Marina, just outside of Savannah. The next day, we took a trolley ride with Old Grouch, which was a great way to be introduced to the city. We walked around City Market, an area with shops and restaurants, including Lady and Sons, Paula Dean's restaurant that always has a line going around the corner. We toured Juliette Gordon Lowe's (started the Girl Scouts) birthplace, which was quite interesting. She was somewhat of a rebel who was an amazing artist. We walked around Forsythe Park, had lunch at The Old Pink House, walked around the waterfront, and had dinner with Susan and Rob. The city is set up around squares, with a lot of green space. The spot where the bench was from the feather scene in Forrest Gump was pointed out at Chippewa Square, as was the restaurant that was in a scene of Something to Talk About with Julia Roberts. Savannah is the largest city in Georgia and was established in 1733. The architecture is beautiful and buildings are well maintained. While the trolley ride was interesting, we wanted to walk through the neighborhoods and spent another day doing so. Savanna is a beautiful city with a lot of history. It was a great stop.

Savannah's City Market

Savannah

Signature Downspouts

Rob Sight Seeing

Rob and Susan

Paula Dean's Lady and Son's Restaurant

Savannah

Magnolia

Historic Inn

Congregation Mickve Israel

Historic Synagogue

Mickve Israel Synagogue

Forsythe Park Fountain

Bench Site from Forrest Gump

City Hall • Dome Coated With 23-Karat Gold Leaf

On May 4, we headed to Beaufort, South Carolina, the second oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. From what we saw, it was a small, quaint town. The city has been named "Best Small Southern Town' by Southern Living. We got there late in the afternoon and were leaving the next morning, so by the time we walked around town, most stores were closed. We had a great dinner at Emily's with Rambler, Old Grouch and Bade Boomer; saw a beautiful sunset, and listened to Bruce blow the conch, a tradition that was started in the Bahamas.

Chris, Rob, Kathy, Brenda, Dave, Richard, Deb and Bruce

Beaufort, SC

Sunset... Ahhhhh

The next day we went to Charleston and docked at the City Marina. One of our engines overheated five miles out, so thank goodness for two engines! We went on a walking tour and learned a lot about the city's history, and the history of specific homes, buildings and areas, with stories dating back to the Civil and Revolutionary Wars. Charleston is known as The Holy City due to its prominence of churches and the number of steeples that dot the city's skyline, and Charleston was one of the first colonial cities after Savannah, Georgia to allow Jews to practice their faith without restriction. Architecture and landscaping are beautiful, homes are well preserved, and sweet grass baskets, made by descendents of slaves, are abundant. We met Marilyn Dingle, a third-generation basket weaver, who told her story of how her grandmother worked in the cotton fields.

Saturday, May 7, Julie came down for Mother's Day which was the perfect Mother's Day gift! Sunday, we went back into town and met Cindy, my old college roommate who lives in Columbia. We took a horse and carriage ride which was a great way to see the city. Because of the abundance of horse and carriage tours, the routes are chosen randomly to cut down on traffic congestion. After each carriage is loaded, the tour guide checks in with a city representative, at which time a colored ping-pong ball is pulled which determines the route. We came back to the boat for a while, and on Cindy's recommendation, went to Peninsula Grill for dinner. Great recommendation! We had planned to leave Monday and head to Georgetown and then Myrtle Beach, but the engine problem was not yet resolved, so Julie and I went back into the city, which has a great shopping district with every store imaginable. We rented a car Tuesday and went to the beach on Sullivan's Island, and then drove to Myrtle Beach and stayed at a hotel Wednesday, so Julie could catch her flight home on Thursday.

Charleston Architecture

English Garden

Marilyn Dingle Weaving Sweet Grass Basket

Union Dissolved!

Front Door Statue

Shopping Break!

Cindy, Julie and Deb

Deb, Julie and Rob

Scenic Sky

Rainbow Row

Meeting and Broad Streets
The Four Corners of Law: The Courthouse (State), City Hall (Municipal),
Federal Building and U.S. Post Office (Federal) and St. Michael's Episcopal Church (Canon)

Julie at Sullivan's Island Beach

Julie Striking a Yoga Pose

Deb and Julie at Dinner in Myrtle Beach

The boat was fixed (heat exchanger repaired) and we continued our journey by going to Georgetown's Harborwalk Marina. We walked up the main street, had dinner in town, and headed to Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach the next day.

Georgetown Shopping

Harbor View

Barefoot Landing was a great stop, with many shops just steps away from the dock. Thanks you, Linda, for being my personal shopper at the IZOD store!!! We stayed for two nights, and enjoyed dinner at Flying Fish both nights, the first with Bade Boomer and the second with Q's End. Rob's barbequed ribs were really good the first night, and I wanted them the second! We rented a car to go to the Grand Strand Boardwalk, or better known as the cheesy part of town, where we played in the arcades, and walked past many museums where hawkers tried to gain our admissions. There was a human slingshot option too, on which we both passed!

Barefoot Landing

Myrtle Beach

Grand Strand Boardwalk

Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach Sky Wheel

Myrtle Beach

Our next stop was Carolina Beach to visit RhoJo! We stayed with Bade Boomer and Q's End at the Federal Point Yacht Club, just across the water from Rhonda and Joey's home. It was great to have half of our Bahama's “A-Team” back together (we missed you, Mint Julep, Sassy II, Finally and Rambler!).

Joey and Rhonda provided their water-taxi service to their home, the first night for a low country boil (my first... and it was GREAT!) and the second for a wonderful cookout. We walked to Carolina Beach, which was just a block away, and really enjoy each others' company. Seeing Rhonda and Joey after so many weeks reminded us just how much we missed them. The Carolina Beach landscape was different than what we had seen in the past. Homes were painted in cheerful, pastel colors that were pretty as a postcard.

Rob, Bruce and Joey

Rhonda and Chris Watching Q's End Come In

Bruce Blowing the Traditional Sundown Conch

Sunset at Rhonda and Joey's

Joey Preparing the Low Country Boil

Low Country Boil

Chris and Rob

Joey and Rhonda

Linda at Carolina Beach

Homes at Carolina Beach

Joey and Rhonda's House with RhoJo!

Swansboro was next on our journey north. We stayed at Casper's Marina, the first marina in a long time with fixed docks. That meant the tides were lessening from the 8+ feet to which we were accustomed. The winds were strong, and we rocked and rolled. We had dinner in town, and I worked once more until a late hour to meet my deadline.

OK, It's Not a Swan, But It Was Walking Down the Sidewalk!

Bade, Q, and Lady Royal each went our own way on May 19. We went to Beaufort, NC (not to be confused with Beaufort, SC. In SC it is pronounced BEWfort... and in NC BOWfort) which proved to be a great stop. Again, the town was just steps from the Beaufort Docks. We had a short travel day which was really nice. It allowed us to get some work done before walking around town, shopping, even treating myself to ice cream, and resting before dinner! We went to Blue Moon which was great. It was my third shrimp and grits dinner, very common down south, and the best yet! Rob would disagree – he liked the first one with a thick cream sauce that he soaked up with his bread)