June 5- On the Intercoastal Waterway

Today was an early start. All hands were on deck at 5:30 AM. Lucky for me that I am not one of the sailing crew! It appears that the plan of the day was to go down the ICW to Beaufort, SC. I can safely say that ocean traveling really lost its appeal during yesterday's thunderstorm. Even though Terry and Mike keep telling us that we were so much better off riding out a big storm in the ocean, I think I am happier here in the ICW. It is so much more like traveling on rivers in Maryland. But, I must say that the houses are even bigger on the ICW! However, the most interesting thing for me is the piers coming out from the houses. Of course, they really have to come out a distance because the ICW is mostly marshes. So, you will get these long piers with a very nice covered area at the end. Now, what is the logic in that? You might enjoy watching the water from your shady spot, but it is no help in the rain. After all, you will still have to walk a good quarter mile back to your house! I am, of course, thinking about rain because it is drizzling right now. That's better than the forecast, though. NOAA wanted to give us another severe thunderstorm, just like yesterday. In fact, just to try to avoid it, we actually anchored today in a semi-sheltered spot to ride out today's storm. This bit of fore-planning was very successful. The storm passed us by, and we have not had much more than drizzles. Several exciting things did happen today. The first was going under bridges in the ICW. We bought LUX for lots of reasons, one being that she would fit under ICW bridges. However, we did not know how tight that fit would be (at this point, I am sure Terry will chime in that HE knew, but, after all- this is MY blog entry.... I only knew LUX would fit). The second thing, for me, was the number of dolphins we saw today. I really didn't expect any on the ICW. I just thought it was more of a river experience. But we saw little groups of dolphins all day long. The third was that we passed Parris Island. I have heard many stories about the home of the marines, but I never realized what a beautiful location it is. Our stop for the night is the Beaufort City Marina. We plan to have dinner on shore. The marina has a courtesy car which Terry wants to use to go to AutoZone. Yes, it is time for more parts. Terry wants a fuel pump. I need to do a little more shopping for groceries. We are all out of fresh food. But, we still have some canned and dried stuff. Yes, I could safely go at least two more days. But that is my plan- always have two days in reserve. Finally - a side note to Linda and Tom... We have almost gotten rid of all the bimbos you left on this boat! And, today, Peggy and I finished off the last Snickers bar.