From Tee To Sea (2025)

01/06/2025

We Made It to Charleston...

Well, folks, we made it! This thirty-one-day trip is officially in the books, and what a journey it’s been. Our two-day stay at Bohicket Creek Marina (Kiawah Island) was fun—great shopping just a hop away and restaurants that could make even a chef blush. But let’s talk about golf for a second… unless you have pockets deep enough to rival the ocean, it was a bit on the pricey side!

And oh boy, their current! I thought I had signed up for an easy two nights—not an audition for "The Fast and the Furious: Marina Edition." Seriously, when I tried to sleep, it sounded like Niagara Falls was staging a takeover right outside my cabin. Thank goodness for our three amazing dock hands that tied us up when we came in; they were so good they probably earn medals in “Current Navigation" daily.

We departed at 9:45 AM sharp and arrived at Safe Harbor Charleston City Marina exactly at 1:30 PM—talk about perfect timing with slack tide as the current here is strong too.
But not like Bohicket. Our slip assignment was all the way down on the inside old mega dock. Naturally, we decided to bow in because who doesn’t want sunrises at their stern? Easy peasy lemon squeezy—we're tied up here for two months now!

The staff here is fantastic; it's like reuniting with long-lost friends (who happen to work in marina management). Boat washed down, laundry done… now it’s time to kick back and watch some golf on TV and have a steak dinner.

FYI... I’ll be off gallivanting in Ireland from June 20 – July 5 for the Irish Senior Women's Open Championship! My friend Michele and I will be conquering nine courses before diving into the championship competition. No more fretting over currents or tides—just trying not to lose too many balls (on the course!) and keeping our car on the correct side of the road.

We’re excited to catch up with good friends here, enjoy some concerts, play our favorite course (Charleston Municipal Golf Course), and maybe even host some visitors!

As for planning our route to Chesapeake Bay? Let’s just say it’s in preliminary stages—stay tuned as I tighten things up before our departure.

Happy to be back in Charleston!

30/05/2025

May 30, 2025

Interesting start…

We departed Safe Harbor Beaufort Marina, SC after spending three wonderful nights there. Bob and I had planned to fuel up before leaving in the morning, and we spoke with the dock master the day before. He assured us he would be at the pumps before 8:30 to help us move Patriot from inside the T-dock to outside. I knew it would be a challenge with the swift current pushing against our stern. Well, he was late…

With me as the Deck Officer handling the lines and Bob at the helm, we went over our plan—well, sort of. When I released the stern line and moved towards the bow line, I realized too late that the stern was drifting away from the dock! In a rush, I threw on two remaining lines, but Bob had to take off without me. It was quite an odd sensation not being on board as he backed out into the current flawlessly and made his way to fuel dock…only to find out they were unable to provide service that day due to an issue they described as “the lighting got it.” Thankfully, we weren't in urgent need of fuel! Still learning...

Within 15 minutes, Bob brought the boat back alongside the dock, and we were on our way again. The weather was breezy with 10-15 knots winds and some one-foot waves, so we decided to pilot from inside. We arrived at Bohicket Creek Marina (Kiawah Island) at 1:45 PM after a smooth five-hour run. We timed all the skinny areas perfectly and had no problem at Ashepoo Coosaw Cutoff, Fenwick Cut and Watts Cut. All high tide.

Now here we are in Kiawah Island! Unfortunately, it seems all nearby golf courses are private and rather expensive—no golfing for us this time. Interestingly enough, we were here for business during the 2012 PGA Championship and dined at Salty Dog Restaurant right at this marina; it feels like we've come full circle.
During our stay in Beaufort, we enjoyed some retail therapy and delicious food—I even managed to get a nice haircut! Bob found a great marine mechanic who installed four new house batteries for us; we're now ready for our next anchorage with power.

We were supposed to anchor tonight but opted for an extra day here due to an approaching storm.

Charleston is around the corner…

27/05/2025

May 24 – 27, 2025

Tick Tock…

We’ve enjoyed our four days at Safe Harbor Skull Creek Marina on Hilton Head Island, lounging on their nice floating docks. While they might not have amenities like a pool or loaner cars, it’s a local spot. We are thankful they appreciate transients like us.

After moving the boat forward about 15 feet (tied up nice and secure now!), we faced one rainy day but balanced it out with two fantastic golf days. Today, we left the marina around 10:15 AM for Safe Harbor Beaufort, SC. The trip was supposed to take an hour and 45 minutes, but we took our time and arrived at 12:15. We’re now nestled on the inside face dock where it’s much calmer!

The crossing over Port Royal Sound was a bit bumpy with 1-2 foot waves at 2 seconds and a gentle 10-knot wind from the east, but thanks to our stabilizers, it was smooth sailing overall! Easy Peasy… Beaufort is absolutely charming—did you know it's the second-oldest city in South Carolina? Founded in 1711, it's packed with beautiful antebellum architecture in its National Historic Landmark District.

We can’t wait to explore more of this lovely town and maybe even squeeze in another round of golf! Plus, Ace is having a blast here—so much grass for him to play on and plenty of space for frisbee fun (and thankfully no stickers!).

Life is good!

23/05/2025

May 23, 2025

We are ready for the holiday…

Last night, around 11:30, our AC in the stateroom decided to give us some trouble. I woke Bob up, and in his half-asleep state, he thought the boat was on fire! It was pretty warm and certainly felt like it at the time. Thankfully, after checking things out and realizing it was just a faulty power pedestal, we caught a bit of a breeze and got back to sleep.

We were planning to leave at 11:45 for the tide rise in a narrow area, so we kept busy with some boat chores. I polished all the chrome on both decks—she’s looking shiny now! Bob was busy too; I’m not entirely sure what he got up to, but he kept himself occupied.

Patriot slid off the dock smoothly when we finally set off at 11:45. We headed north towards Safe Harbor Skull Creek Marina on Hilton Head Island at about 7 knots as we had to time a really skinny area. We reached Ramshorn Creek off Daufuskie Island around 1:40 p.m., with the tide rising nicely, by about two feet, with five more feet to rise. The lowest point we saw between channel markers was 6.9 feet (I’ve attached a picture).

We arrived at the marina around 3:15 p.m., which was one hour later than expected due to our slow pace. Luckily, a dockhand was waiting for us at the T dock (which I appreciate!), and we arrived right at slack tide. It did take some effort getting our lines sorted since there wasn’t much space for us; our stern is hanging out into the fairway about six feet! The boat in front of us will be moving in the morning, so we can take its place soon.

We’re grateful to be here in beautiful Hilton Head for four nights—I've already scheduled two rounds of golf! Ace enjoyed a long walk through this lovely, gated community that surrounds the marina, and had a much-needed bath afterward after rolling around. He’s adjusting well to life on board; when we start up the engines, he heads straight back to his room but comes out occasionally to check on us before diving back down again. Once everything is quiet again after shutting off the engines, it’s playtime with his frisbees!

What an incredible lifestyle this is… truly thankful for these experiences!

22/05/2025

May 21 – 22, 2025

Making our way slowly…

We just left this charming residential area called Isle of Hope, which is just across the AICW from Skidaway Island and not too far from Savannah. It really is the coolest place, with stunning old architecture, grand trees lining the river, and all the low country charm you could hope for. It reminds me of scenes from "Prince of Tides."

This is our second visit here, and I must say that the floating docks and staff have been exceptional. Last night, we borrowed their loaner car to head over to Tequila Town restaurant nearby for some fantastic Mexican food—definitely did not disappoint! We also made a quick stop at the grocery store for some provisions.

Our departure today was slightly delayed since we only had a short hour to travel to Safe Harbor Bahia Bleu Marina, where we've also found great staff. We’re just staying overnight before heading off in the morning to Safe Harbor Skull Creek Marina on Hilton Head Island for four nights over the holiday weekend. We hope to fit in at least one round of golf while there!

Although it’s hot out, we’ve been enjoying a nice breeze which helps keep things comfortable.

Tick tock Charleston…

20/05/2025

May 20, 2025

Well-deserved easy day…

Our anchorage last night went smoothly, and the temperature was quite pleasant. We planned our departure for 9 am to reach Hells Gate about four hours later, just an hour before high tide. That was the only skinny area we needed to be cautious about since it can get pretty shallow at low tide—around 4 feet, while we draft 5 feet. Thankfully, we didn’t encounter anything less than 13 feet on our way. Planning is king!

We arrived at Isle of Hope right around 2 pm and managed to snug up against a nice floating face dock with the help of a wonderful dockhand. It’s currently 89 degrees here with a nice south wind making it feel more comfortable. Will be here two days.

Ace got his well-deserved long walk and is becoming quite the boat dog; he knows how to take care of himself out here!

The current is quite strong at this spot, so I’ll make sure our lines are secure. lol

I think I am becoming a marina queen…

20/05/2025

May 19, 2025

Well, we signed up for an adventure….

And we got one today! We departed Jekyll Marina promptly at noon, feeling optimistic as we navigated through the dreaded Jekyll Creek. Everything was going smoothly until we reached Saint Simon Sound, where our starboard engine unexpectedly died.

It turns out that when the captain switched to just the port fuel tank, the starboard engine wasn't getting any fuel. Weird because we did everything correctly as told by experts. So I drove on port engine for about an hour while Bob was playing engine tech (grease monkey) in the engine room. Thankfully, we have two engines to rely on! We managed to make our way to the Crescent River 2 anchorage on just the port engine, but it took us two hours longer than expected. We tied up the starboard shaft to keep it from spinning, which could damage the engine.

As I write this, the anchor is down, and the captain is hard at work in the engine room, trying to remove air from the fuel lines. If we're unable to fix it ourselves, we'll take our time tomorrow slogging along on just the port engine towards Isle of Hope—an aptly named destination given our current situation.

UPDATE: I have some good news! Just a little while ago at 7:45 PM, he managed to fix it and both engines running again. I’ve got to hand it to him for his never-give-up attitude; that’s my grease monkey captain!

Now it's time for dinner.

P.S. During all this, we had to move from the flybridge to the pilot house because we were bombarded by horse flies, and they were biting. So, then I got my hand-held vacuum out and sucked them all up. All screens are up! See picture...

19/05/2025

May 16 – 19, 2025

Low County Time…

We have truly enjoyed our three days here at Jekyll Harbor Marina. The staff has been nothing short of amazing, and the floating docks are quite nice as well. It’s been a relaxing time for us, balancing boat chores with some much-needed downtime.

Yesterday, we had the chance to practice golf at the Jekyll Island Golf Club for a few hours. It's fascinating to think that the first golf course on the island was created back in 1898 by members of the Jekyll Island Club. It has since become a celebrated destination for golfers, attracting renowned designers like Donald Ross, Walter Travis, and Joe Lee. The club currently features three courses, one of which is undergoing major renovations expected to be completed by spring 2026.

At the moment, we’re waiting for the tide to rise so we can safely navigate through Jekyll Creek, which is known to be shallow in certain areas. We plan to depart around 11:30 AM for Crescent River 2 anchorage—a journey that should take about four hours. As I write this at 8:30 AM, it’s a pleasant 75 degrees with about 7 knots of wind; however, it looks like we’ll reach 88 degrees later today.

So here we are… just ticking away time until that tide rises!

16/05/2025

May 14 - 16, 2025

Boat + Golf = My best life!

We had such a lovely three days in this quaint town of Fernandina/Amelia Island —there are so many wonderful places to eat and shop, and it truly feels special every time we visit. This was our third time here, and I’m sure it won’t be our last!

I had a fantastic day playing golf with my friends at Amelia River Golf Club, and the next day I enjoyed the course with Bob, my bestie, and her husband at Fernandina Beach Golf Club. It was a great way to unwind.

Today, we departed around 10:15 AM with an easy exit from the dock—everything went smoothly with lines and fenders in place. We had a pleasant three-hour run to Jekyll Harbor Marina. There was just one tricky spot to navigate, and we managed it well! The St. Andrews Sound was calm enough for us today with one-foot waves and light wind, although it can sometimes be quite sporty.
We radioed the marina that we were on our way, but when we arrived, the dock hands weren't in sight. We decided to tie up ourselves since it was a face dock, and just as we pulled up, there they were! I handed them the lines, fenders were out, and we were all set up with power plugged in. I do love a face dock! My captain and I are getting this docking stuff down so I can hand over the lines and not toss them. 😊

It’s quite hot here—92 degrees—but we're staying cool inside with the AC running while we rest. Last night brought an unexpected planned power outage from 2:30 AM to 4:30 AM that we didn’t get notified about; thankfully, our inverter kicked in for that time.

We’re hoping to play golf at the Jekyll Island Club Golf Course tomorrow. This marina has such charming low country vibes, with beautiful trees around. Plus, there’s a great restaurant and even a loaner car/golf cart available! The staff here is excellent, too.

We're getting closer to Charleston…

14/05/2025

May 13, 2025

Golf time…

We departed Jacksonville promptly at 9 a.m. and made a quick opening for one train, waiting about 10 minutes for the second one. We arrived at Fernandina Harbor Marina around 2 p.m., just in time to dodge a few incoming rain squalls. The trip was pretty smooth overall; it took us two and a half hours to reach the AICW, where we enjoyed some deep water in the St. Johns River—though it got shallower as we went on.

Navigating through Sawpit Creek was an adventure! We followed Bob’s detour track and saw around 15 feet of water most of the way. Despite encountering some skinny areas, this is preparing us for what lies ahead in Georgia! At the marina, they squeezed us between two boats on their inside face dock, and my captain did an excellent job getting us into position. He had to maneuver down to the end of the fairway and turn around into the tide—it was tight! But everything went smoothly, and I think I did a good job as Deck Officer (LOL).

Afterward, Ace and I enjoyed a long walk into town. I even found time for my Golf Yoga before having dinner on the boat—a real treat after being in a hotel for seven days!

We’re here for three nights before heading to Jekyll Island Marina for more golf adventures.

Loving our daily island views…

12/05/2025

May 6 – 12, 2025

On the water again…

While Patriot was getting a little TLC on her bottom and prop, we tried to make the most of our time here in Jacksonville. It was wonderful to meet up with all our Bestie Friends and spend quality time together catching up! We spent our time shopping at Costco and visiting bookstores, and yes, I even managed to get through quite a few medical check-ups. Check… all done!

Lambs Yacht Center has done a great job on our boat. I highly recommend them!

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to play golf as the weather forecast predicted rain for the entire time, especially on Sunday and Monday. Ace was a good hotel dog; he didn’t bark much and seemed glad to be back on the boat today!

It looks like all the storms will be way east tomorrow morning. We plan to depart early for Fernandina Beach at the Oasis Marina, where we'll spend three days enjoying this charming little town. I’m looking forward to seeing more of our bestie friends there and squeezing in some girl golf.

Life is good!

05/05/2025

May 5, 2025

We would rather be on the waterways than I-95…

We promptly departed St. Augustine City Marina at 8:30 a.m. to catch the half-hour opening of the Bridge of Lions. Getting off the mooring ball was surprisingly easy—sometimes, it's the little things that bring us joy! We look forward to our return here!

I saw a few posts yesterday during the storm asking if everyone was okay. Thankfully, while some boaters drug anchor, they managed to recover without any issues. Unfortunately, one small trawler didn’t fare as well and ended up ashore (I've attached a pic). It seems they may not have had adequate ground tackle.

Our trip was pretty uneventful, which we’re always grateful for! It was delightful passing through our old neighborhood in Ponte Vedra Beach and admiring all those stunning homes along Rosco Road—miles of beauty! The St. Johns River was also lovely with no weekend traffic in sight. We did encounter a few low bridges that were raised promptly upon request.

We arrived at Lamb Yacht Center around 3:00 p.m., tying up on one of their new non-floating docks—a bit challenging when it comes to arranging fenders! The dock master mentioned they've been experiencing some crazy low tides lately, so getting on and off will definitely keep us on our toes. I really like Lambs, but not crazy about Dock A!

If the weather cooperates with our boat work, we plan to stay here for about a week and hopefully spend time visiting friends and playing golf.

Here’s hoping for sunny skies ahead!

From Tee To Sea

01/06/2025

30/05/2025

27/05/2025

23/05/2025

22/05/2025

20/05/2025

20/05/2025

19/05/2025

16/05/2025

14/05/2025

12/05/2025

05/05/2025

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