Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

 We arrived at HHISC on December 1st. After the big storm that hit us in Charleston Bay, the weather had been very nice. We had been enjoying light wind and warmer temperatures. The only problem was that we were tired. We had been pushing for the last 4 days. We had motored 166.8 nm in 31.1 hours. That is the same as driving a car from Salt Lake City, Utah to New York City. Now do you understand how slow we move?

As soon as we arrived at Palmetto Bay Marina, I called my friend Mark and planned to get together the next morning to get the Starlink package that my son Mark had shipped to him. He arrived and I went to put the package in the boat and then Mark took us to the store. He even came back and picked us up and took us and our large amount of provisions back to the boat. Thanks, Mark! That was so awesome. It was also great catching up with you and good luck on your new adventures. 

Here is the Starlink system in a box. I couldn't wait to get it set up.

This is a rare site. SHIFT had not been tied to a dock with power since we were in Edenton, NC about 4 weeks prior. The currents were very strong in this area with a 8 foot tidal range. 

After putting all of the groceries away, I unboxed the dishy and went through the installation process. The instructions are three icons and no words. It took me all of about 15 minutes and we were up and running. The system worked perfectly and it is super fast. I am very impressed!

Here is my temporary spot for the dishy. I have plans for a permanent installation back on the arch, but I need some hardware to make that happen. For now, we will just bring it out when we are at anchor. 

We only stayed at Palmetto Bay Marina on HHI for 2 nights. The rates were not that bad, but we would much rather be at anchor. On December 3rd we headed out. The current made it rough to get off the dock and then into the fuel dock, but we got it done and then were on our way. 

Our beautiful weather continued as we left HHI. Here is a shot the the iconic Harbor Town lighthouse. They have PGA golf tournament there each year. 

We had an easy cruise as we motored along the ICW. Before long we crossed the Savannah river, which is the sea access to the city of Savannah, GA. It was at that point we crossed into Georgia. That is our 4th state on this trip. We decided to make it a short day and only traveled 22.9 nm and anchored in Herb River. It was a beautiful spot and it was a "no wake" zone. We liked it so much we decided to stay two days and get some rest.

We had some very calm days while we were in Herb River. The houses are set way back off of the river due to the tidal change, so I did not feel like they could see us at all.

The other side of us was just marsh land. 

The second night we were at Herb river we were treated to this amazing sunset. I took a bunch of pictures, but I think this one is the best.

 You may ask, what do you do for two days on the boat? Well, just like most folks it was a Saturday and Sunday in the fall, so I watched football and Kim reads books. It was a perfect place to get rested up for the journey across Georgia. This is the first time we have been on this part of the ICW and many people don't like it. In my next entry, I will write about our time in Georgia. I will tell you now, it was special.