Aside from the trip itself, we may all remember this big adventure as the "Rotten Weather Cruise"!  We had light rain and cool temps yesterday (11/17); rained some overnight and got cold; continuing to rain and be cool today coupled with fairly brisk northerly winds.  So . . . the less hearty among us decided to spend one more night in Beaufort, a truly beautiful coastal town.  Compass Rose and Fandango departed earlier and Fandango reported rough seas on the Port Royal Sound but much kinder ones on the Savannah River.  Fandango will continue on to St. Augustine where they will rejoin us.   Meanwhile, we are hoping to spend Thanksgiving Day anchored near Cumberland Island, on the FL-GA border. 

We left Charleston 2 days ago, riding a favorable tide for much of the day and making 10-11 mph.  Traveling with Quaich for most of the day, once we got past a group of sailboats, we hardly saw a soul while crossing 50 miles of marsh.  We then anchored in Bass Creek, about 16 miles from Beaufort.  It was a good snug anchorage but the radical rise/fall of the tides continues to get a lot of our attenteion.   We anchored in 12' of water and later saw this rise to over 18'.  Setting the hook demands lots of anchor rode (line).  We anchored separately and dinghyed to Quaich for dinner.  Decided that this wasn't such a great idea when dinghying back in pitch black conditions with a lot of current -- kind of say a prayer and rely on the Honda outboard!

The Lowcountry offers miles and miles of gorgeous scenery -- once you are close enough to see it.  Live oaks, Spanish most, palmettos, palm trees, houses old and new.  We have just over 400 miles left before getting to Stuart. 

Today's plan?  Karen is making meatloaf.  G is making mac and cheese.  Madi is making dessert.  And we will be watching the Ravens-Steelers game.  Go Ravens!