Day 12 - Another Winner Day on the Outside!

We left Charleston around 8:00am this morning hoping to beat traffic, but it wasn’t meant to be. Big ships were coming in and going out as well as some recreational vessels going all over. We took it slow and made it out of the Charleston channel. There were some large dredges working out in the distance, but we turned before getting to them. Once out we opened up and had clear passage to Hilton Head. It was an uneventful trip. We have decided that as much as we enjoy seeing the scenery by staying on the inside (following the ICW in other words), we enjoy seeing the activities on the ocean and avoiding the issues on the ICW. We don’t have to slow down to pass other boats, watch out for no wake zones and worry about water depth. The passage outside was clear and fast. We did have to avoid the breakwater on each side of the channel out of Charleston. We only passed a few boats and tugs during the trip. We keep hoping to see dolphin, turtles or whales, but mostly we get seagulls.

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The entry into Hilton Head and Skull Creek Marina through Port Royal Sound is great. Deep water and wide open. The marina is in very well maintained and on the grounds of the Country Club of Hilton Head. The docks are beautiful, and a great overnight stop if you don’t need to provision or get to a restaurant. Not too much in the way of amenities, but it may be the most cost effective marina on Hilton Head, We could actually make it to Jacksonville on the outside from here in one day if we wanted to, but we do want to experience some of the local sights and culture

Our stop for tomorrow night should be really interesting. Be sure to stop back to the blog to find out how it turns out. From what we have heard, it will be the opposite of what we have been experiencing down the ICW so far, and I imagine we will be meeting some real Georgia “good ol’ boys.” One of our boat neighbors said that his wife characterized the marina as a scene from "Deliverance." It's also the day after the elections! Should be interesting.

​Thanks for reading.