Hilton Head, a great crew, and... NEXT ?



Harbor Town entrance to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.



All tied down for the winter at the Shelter Cove Marina, Hilton Head Island.

There is a SIX FOOT tide change every 12 hours here. When we entered the harbor at Shelter Cove the channel was four feet deep. Hell, I didn't think we were going to get in. Now, 6 hours later there's 10 feet of water out there. I am definitely leaving here on a high tide. The last 10 miles of the trip was up Broad Creek and was a complete NO WAKE ZONE.  It took almost 2 hours to travel the last 10 miles. That was the longest 2 hours of the trip.

Recapping totals for the trip: We departed on September 16th and arrived on October 28th, 42 days total with 11 days down (4 days for weather, 3 days for repairs, and 4 days cleaning and waiting for Laura). Approximately 2,200  miles traveled. Two large bags of dog food and four boxes of treats. 17 gallons of bottled water. Travelled through nine states and two Canadian provinces. Passed through 31 locks. Sailed on two great lakes, the Saint Lawrence Seaway, Lake Champlain, Delaware and Chesapeake Bays, and 100 miles of the Atlantic Ocean.

I was fortunate to have the 14 best crew members any captain could ask for.

Valerie

Jeff

Dad

Dave

Mike

Rick

Denny

Kenny

Tom

Jack

Danette

Mo

Brutie

Laura

Thanks for all the help and being willing to risk life and limb, you guys were super.

Dick and Tucker

What's next? Well, Tucker and I are considering leaving Hilton Head a little early, maybe mid March and continuing down to the Bahamas. It's only about 700 miles and we could be there in less than two weeks. We could dock "Whatever It Takes" around Nassau for six weeks or so then bring her on back to Cleveland. Tucker and I are looking for some good crew hands if you're interested.

Dedicated to "Whatever It Takes"...

Today was "Whatever It Takes" day. Our boat turns heads, period. The following was excerpted from an article about Matthews Boats which appeared in Lakeland Boating Magazine in 1990:

Matthews. Shout the name in a group of boaters that were raised in the fiberglass era and you will hear murmurs of, "What"? Murmur the name in a group of old salts around a yacht club bar and you will be greeted with shouts of, "Where"? The first Matthews was built in the 1880s in Bascomb, Ohio. In 1904 a Matthews/Lozier boat won the Gold Cup Race, two years later the manufacturing was moved to Port Clinton, Ohio where Matthews boats were built until it closed 70 years later and nearly 100 years after the first Matthews was built.

  Matthews was the choice for many serious yachtsmen including: Ralph Evinrude (a 38 Sedan), William Randolph Hearst owned three of them, early film star Larry Parks owned two, Charles Chapman, founder of the U.S. Power Squadron owned a 38 twin cabin, Arthur Godfrey entertained his radio audiences by describing the progress on the manufacturing of his new 41 foot Sedan, Charles Ringling (the circus fellow) owned a 50 foot Matthews, and John P. Humes, U. S. Ambassador to Austria had his 53 foot Matthews (same as ours) transported to Austria and this boat became the first American made Yacht to cruise from the Black Sea to Vienna.  

   Today we had a fellow traveler on the ICW hail us on the radio to discuss his experience with a Matthews. Seems his father had travelled from S. C. to Port Clinton to decide if this was the boat he wanted to buy. His Dad couldn't figure how Matthews could advertise such a competitive price. After arriving Matthews explained that price was for a single engine and no frills. His Dad ended up buying a Matthews and kept it for 20 plus years. At every Marina we have at least one person (always of the older crowd) come over to see the boat and relay his experience with a Matthews. Hell, we get "cat calls" from the other boats as we pass by. Guess the old girl still looks good.

We arrived safe and sound in Beaufort S. C. at 2:00. Just 40 miles from Hilton Head.  

Laura, taking the helm this morning.



The key to traveling down the ICW is keeping the boat between the Red and Green markers.



See the little Yellow Square on this sign. This designates the ICW route and is a welcome sight when you feel bewildered.

S. C. boat garage.

I was trolling Brutie out the back of the boat for sharks until Laura caught me. OH, there's one now!!!

Dataw Marina on St. Helena Island, right outside of Beaufort.  Great little marina.

A might bewildered...



Daniel Boone was interview in his later years and asked if he had ever been lost when roaming the wilds of Kentucky. His reply, "Lost; no. But I was a might bewildered for three days once".

                What does this have to do with today's report?  Well, it started with Laura forgetting to raise the fenders before we got underway. We were on the water about 20 minutes when a fellow boater we had befriended at the dock radioed that our fenders were still down. I radioed back "The first mate is not doing her job", his response was "You should double her pay just for putting up with you". Laura laughed and agreed. After Laura raised the fenders and returned to the pilot house I explained to her the concept of "Lower the fenders when we dock, then raise them when we leave. Is that so difficult?"  Ten minutes later I stopped the engines and told Laura I think we made a wrong turn. As I spun the boat around, several of our fellow boaters (one of which I had passed 10 minutes ago) got on the radio and asked if we were going sightseeing or taking the long way or planned to travel the ocean instead of the ICW. At this point, in between laughs, Laura said calm as can be:

 "Dad, look at your expensive electronic charts which show exactly where the boat is, which way the boat is traveling, and where you want to go, then follow it. Is that so difficult" ?

Even Daniel Boone got bewildered occasionally.

  We arrived in Charleston S.C. at 3:30. Charleston is the 4th busiest seaport in the U.S. From our dock it is a 1/2 mile walk to find a small patch of grass for the dogs. Laura has blisters on both feet.

We traveled through 50 miles of swamp without a bridge. This was the only "ferry" we passed.

No it's not on fire, just a local out for a spin. Al Gore would love this guy.

Damn Barges.

Got by this one.

Like my new hood ornament?

Laura lost confidence in my abilities and suggested Brutie take over.

This cruising is a piece of cake...

Today we left dock at 8:30 bound for Georgetown, S. C. (a 38 mile voyage). The tide with us plus a slight tail wind which allowed a cruising speed of almost 12 MPH. We were in our new dock with power and cable TV hooked up by NOON ! Laura said " Boy, there's nothing to this cruising. Great weather, calm water, no traffic, this is easy and fun". For those who were on board for earlier parts of this trip you surely remember docking in the dark, high waves, pouring rain, desperately looking for the next marker, and all the other less than perfect times. Let's hope Laura and Brutie don't have any of those memorable experiences. 

  We are planning 3 more days of cruising at about 65 miles per day. That will put us in Hilton Head Friday, October 28th (three days ahead of schedule). 

The fishing fleet at Georgetown. One of these LARGE boats lost power when leaving port today and drifted into our neighbor's boat. Our neighbor was not happy.

This guy is docked one boat away from us (110 footer). Brutie tried to board her 3 times today.

Going out to lunch.

Lookin' good !

One Black, One White, One Blonde... The Mod Squad.

My new crew has arrived and for those who remember early 70's television shows they are the "MOD SQUAD".

 Two nights ago, around 10:00, Tucker and I were sitting on the back of the boat listening to music with our fish pole leaning over the back. The rod was outfitted with a bobber, splitshot (small sinker), hook, and a small redworm. Not exactly serious fishing In the blink of an eye my rod simply flew off the back of the boat! I jumped up in time to see the ripples as the entire set up was towed away to the depths of the marina. Damn, that has never happened to me before.

  The next morning I saw my bobber floating by the gas dock. I used my 2nd rod to snag the bobber and was very surprised when I pulled my entire outfit up from the bottom. The dockmaster said it was probably a 30 + lb catfish (apparently they are common down here, probably eat the alligators). Tonight I am baited with corned beef and have my drag set light.

  Laura and Brutie got in around 9:00 last night and today was full of fun. Brutie ran Tucker ragged. They swam in the Marina and the Ocean plus chased around the marina grounds most of the day. Tucker is just plain tuckered out. 

Lunch after a swim in the Ocean.

Lunch on the Boardwalk (Laura had corned beef, leftovers are my bait).

Dad, this little thing couldn't have pulled your rod overboard.

This has been the longest day ever.