April 25thWe

Departed St Augustine, FL on the 23rd, followed 6 sailboats under the Bridge of Lions.  It was 54deg at 6:30am with 20 k winds, We had a sand hill crane fly picture perfect in front of us and of course by the time I found the camera he or she was gone !!  Also saw dolphins, ospreys and an Eagle.  Spent the night in Fernadina Beach at the Marina, went to town and had a great supper at the Crab Trap to celebrate my 76th birthday. The 24th more strong winds as we left for Jekyll Island, we were cold,  went by the big ship yards in Jacksonville, Kings Bay Sub base, lots of lovely homes again.  Couldn't anchor due to the winds, and depth so went into the Marina in Jekyll Island, walked the bike trail to the Historic Village and should have taken the bikes !!  We passed Ft Clinch on this day that we remembered seeing when we took the boat trip to FL in the sixties in a 17 ft ski boat !!  On April 24th we were on our way and Rich spotted a log crossing the ICW and it turned out to be an Alligator !! We passed our first cruise ship on the ICW, and anchored that night in New Teakettle Creek.  Put out a 2nd anchor, and went exploring in the dinghy, We passed a kayaker and while anchored he passed us...loaded with gear, wondering if he is doing the Loop ? The Georgia Flies are something else....We then went in to Isle of Hope Marina, great Marina, did laundry, used the car loner to make a Walmart run.  People at the Marina were having a Pot Luck and invited us but we were pooped and ate at home.  Before leaving the next am Rich replaced the macerator pump, and about noon we  passed over the Savanah River into So Carolina.  Saw hundreds and hundreds of jelly fish,,,luckily we didn't suck any up.We next anchored in Cowen Creek, S.C. for the night, We passed huge homes and docks before anchoring that day.  Next day we went by Parris Island, USMC Base, and headed to the Stono River Anchorage.  More huge homes etc.. I was surprised by the lack of birds in these areas.  4/29 we crossed Charleston, S.C. in calm waters and no traffic....Went thru lots of cuts, like threading a needle between the shallow water and Crab Pots.Spent the night  in the Georgetown Landing Marina, in G'town, S.C.  Nice place, good restauruant  nearby and fuel prices were good so we filled up.  I read somewhere today that the fine for a No Wake Zone is $1050.00, will keep a closer eye out for No Wake Zone Signs, sometimes they are hard to spot. Last couple of days the weather has been terrific. Before Leaving New Smyrna Beach we bought a new GPS,  soooo glad we did. By the way, ICW is the Intercoastal Waterway, which we will be on til New York...We now are about 20 miles from Norfolk, VA., going to attend the AGLCA Rendezvous for 4 days.  It is rainy and cool tonight, we do enjoy our cheese and cracker time on the deck each evening, and even when the weather is cool we can zip up !!