February 29 - Georgetown to Myrtle Beach, SC

Another wonderful day. It started out overcast, but before long it was sunny and warm. The cruise was very interesting, lots of trees, some settlements and a number of marinas. Moss-draped cypresses lined part of the route. A number of stumps were used by various sized turtles to sun themselves. There was a lot of net fishing on the river. We passed a number of

of southbound boats.  There was just one other boat going north like us. Arrival in Myrtle Beach was around 3:00 p.m. We tied-up at the Barefoot Landing Marina. Next to this marina is a large shopping area. As soon as we were tied up, Thressa spent a few hours in this shoppers paradise. Yes, she did buy some new sandals. This evening we ate at a nearby Italian/Greek restaurant.

February 28 - Georgetown, SC

Yesterday we had rain, today we had sunshine. The morning was spent by Thressa doing the laundry and Henk gave the boat a much needed cleaning. This afternoon we walked into the old town. A stop was made at the Rice Museum to purchase some of the best rice we have found - Carolina Aromatic Rice. We fell in love with this rice during our visit

six years ago. The town with its harborwalk, the oak tree lined street, and many homes dating back to the 1700's is a "must visit".

February 27 - Charleston to Georgetown, SC

During our trip from Charleston to Georgetown, SC we had rain and more rain. Temperatures were in the low 50s. Better weather has been promised for tomorrow.  Sorry, no pictures were taken.

February 25 and 26 - Charleston, SC

We had the entire day to explore Charleston - not enough time to see it all. We walked along East Battery, Waterfront Park and explored the old town with its interesting streets, alleys, historic homes, churches and City Market. There were many art galleries, stores and great restaurants. When we arrived in Charleston, we ate at a famous seafood

restaurant. The food was fantastic. During the last night of our Charleston stay, we ate at Magnolia, another great restaurant. Saturday morning was spent exploring the Old Town. In the afternoon we split up, John went to visit some art galleries, Lynda and Thressa returned to City Market and Henk went back to the boat. On Sunday we decided to drive

to the Magnolia Plantation, famous for 

its gardens. The house seen to the right is the third one built at this spot. The first one was built in the 1600s. After burning down in the beginning of the 1800s, a second house was built. It in turn was burned down by Union troops during the Civil War. After the war, the house was rebuilt in the present form. Since the family lost most of their wealth during the war, they decided to open the gardens for tourist like us. We started with a visit to the slave quarters. One of these shacks was occupied until 1990s.  After our visit, we returned to the Marco Polo II. From our boat we had a great view of a US Navy ship along with three Canadian frigates. John and Lynda also packed up since they were leaving early in the morning for the drive back home.

                                                 

February 24 - Beaufort to Charleston, SC

Today's cruise took us along the ICW to the city of Charleston, a most interesting and historic city. John was not onboard since he had to drive his car to Charleston. This gave him the opportunity to do some sightseeing. One of the places visited was the Hunting Island State Park with its dunes, light house and reminders of early

settlements. Just south of Charleston, John stopped to see a 1200 year old tree - there seem to be many of these giants in South Carolina. By the time we arrived in Charleston, John was waiting at the Battery to see us come in. It was from the Battery that the first shots of the Civil War were fired - all directed at Fort Sumter. Our marina for

our three night stay was the Charleston Maritine Center, located within easy walking distance from the historic town center. This evening we had dinner at Hyman's Seafood, one of  the best seafood restaurants in the Southeast. Six years ago, while on our first Great Loop trip, we had dinner here with Stu and Nel Vander Hyde.

February 23 - Beaufort, SC

John and Lynda spent the morning exploring Beaufort, Thressa did the laundry and Henk worked on the blog and did some bookkeeping. In the afternoon John took the bus to Savannah to pick-up his car from the Isle of Hope Marina. Henk went to see a chiropractor for his back. On the way back to the boat, Henk stopped to visit St. Helena's Episcopal Church which was built in 1724. The wall surrounding the cemetery was built of bricks that arrived from Europe as ballast on board the old sailing ships. We had a late dinner onboard.

February 22 - Hilton Head, GA to Beaufort, SC

Today's cruise was just over three hours. We had sunny weather and  warm temperatures. Enroute we saw a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter involved in life saving excercises. It had dropped three persons and later retrieved them. We passed Pariss Island, a place that is well known for its US Marines training facility. After

registering at the marina office, we went on a one hour carriage ride through "the Queen of the Sea Islands". Since 1514, this historic town   was first claimed by the Spanish, then the French, followed by the English. During the Civil War, or as they say in the south "the War Between the States", Beaufort was a hospital center used first by the Confederate and later by the Union troops. It is the reason why it retains so many historic homes.  

February 21 - Savannah to Hilton Head, GA

We left the Isle of Hope Marina in Savannah for the trip northward to Hilton Head. It was a very pleasant trip and before we realized it, we had arrived in Hilton Head. Reservations had been made at the Harbour Town Yacht Basin with it red and white striped lighthouse. As late as 1931 the only access to the island was by water. Today the island is best known for its many golf clubs and has become a major tourist

 destination. We were assigned to slip #8, very close to the lighthouse. All around were shops, restaurants and apartment buildings - giving one the feeling of being in a chic Italian haror town. When we arrived, it was low tide. Some hours later is was high tide - some 7ft difference.

February 20 - Savannah, GA

Today was set aside for exploring the historic areas of  Savannah. Since repairs were scheduled for the generator, Henk stayed behind while Thressa, Lynda and John drove to the center of Savannah. They started with a bus tour through this interesting and picturesque city. Both Lynda and Thressa had just finished reading the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", and  were therefore very interested in seeing some places described in the book. The red house above is the home described in the book in which the murder took place.

While on tour, Forrest Gump came  onboard. Around 12:30 p.m. Henk called John with a request to be picked-up. Lynda and  and Thressa continued their tour with a visit to the river front. Here one can find many restaurants and various souvenir shops. Later we all returned to the river front for a visit to one of the pubs. From where we sat,

we could see some very large container ships coming into port. This evening's dinner was in an English pub called "Six Pence Pub". After dinner and a stop at the Publix grocery store, we returned to the Marco Polo II. Tomorrow it's on to Hilton Head.  

February 18 and 19 - Savannah, GA

Thressa and I spent most of the day doing chores. I gave the boat a good cleaning and Thressa did the laundry. Around mid-afternoon brother John and his wife Lynda arrived. They will be spending a week with us. After unpacking and a walk through the picturesque Isle of Hope, we had a delicious dinner along with a good glas of wine. It started to rain around 7:00 p.m. and it did not let up until 10:00 a.m.  Rain was forecast for the entire the day. Because of this, we decided to go to Jekyll Island where the chance of rain was less then in Savannah. It was fun to see up  close the buildings we had earlier seen from our boat. Many of the "cottages" belonged to influential men who met in secret to discuss the US monetary system, discussions that led to the formation of the Federal Reserve System. The weather was quite pleasant and the rain showers had passed. Before leaving, John and Henk rersted on the Rockefeller cottage porch. On the way back  to Savannah, we made a detour to visit Brunswick, GA. Thressa and I stayed in this town while doing our first Great Loop in 2005/06.