Chapter 2.4 Return to Hilton Head
April 30th to May 6th
It did feel strange to make a U turn and head south, but we never questioned the decision. Hilton Head intrigued us for a number of reasons. First, family. Rob and Susan are my dad's sister's children. They grew up in Atlanta while we grew up in Buffalo - so we weren’t close as kids, but we did intersect a few times. My first I distinct memory of Rob was when he made an epic motorcycle journey to Prince Edward Island via Buffalo. Several years later, when we both first were starting our careers, Rob moved to Boston. He had an apartment in Longwood Towers and invited me to share it. When I bought my first house, he was my roommate. We did all sorts of things together that two young bachelors do.
Prior to the Easter visit to Hilton Head on Navigator, we hadn't seen each other more than a handful of times in 10 or 15 years. And it was Liz's first time meeting them. We had a lot of fun and there definitely was a 'pull' for us to return.
Second, even in my earliest planning in March I had identified Windmill as a potential spot where we could leave Navigator for a number of months. The marina is one of 7 "Hurricane Holes" identified by Bob423 - the Intercoastal Waterway Guru. It has "Keyhole" entrance which is protected by a lock - similar to a canal lock. In addition, being on the landward side of the Island means it is more protected from the brunt of any storm. We felt pretty lucky that a slip had opened up for us.
We returned 200 miles back to Hilton Head in 7 days. We took the opportunity to spend nights in some different spots than when we had on the trip up. We got to spend a couple nights in Georgetown, SC. It is a cute little town with a number of shops and restaurants right along the waterfront. It is steeped in history being the epicenter of what once were the Lowlands rice plantations prior to the Civil War. It's not a big town, but its historic commercial area surrounded by blocks and blocks of beautiful homes is reminiscent of Bath, ME. Both towns enjoy a tourist trade, and both have a significant industrial presence. Bath with Bath Iron Works, Georgetown with an International Paper mill; and Liberty Steel. In fairness, Georgetown has better restaurants (we will definitely go back to Frank's)!
After Georgetown, we had planned to stay in Beaufort, SC as it too is a very historic town, but Liz in her wisdom asked that instead we find some nice quite backwaters to anchor in. We found three: Dewees Creek, Toogoodoo River and Wimbee Creek. We enjoyed three quite evenings, watching the birds, and off the beaten path. Our last three nights on Navigator for a while.
Wimbee Creek
Arriving at Windmill Harbour was very exciting. There was the anticipation of getting through the lock system and then finding our slip. Liz was busy laying out dock lines and I was busy communicating with the marina on VHF. But we needn't have gotten anxious as the staff at the marina guided us through the process like air traffic control. Bob, the lock operator, talked us through the lock - giving timely tips and keeping us calm.
He then handed us off to Paul at the fuel dock who likewise talked us in and helped get us secured. All of this in a tight space with expensive boats all around! Paul then gave us a golf cart ride to look at the slips that we could choose from. It felt like being at a car dealership picking out a new car! We found one slip very much to Navigator's liking and before we knew it we were back on board and backing into our new slip. I have never been in such a calm marina - almost no wind, zero current - a far cry from Back River Boatyard where we used to make landings in swirling currents on Taku!
We got Navigator settled, then were met by Rob who brought us back to their home. Rob and Agneta were so gracious welcoming us back into their home - giving us space to decompress, but also including us in everything from Swedish breakfast, the daily Strands, Wordle, Connections challenge, walking their cockapoo Raya, doing the odd chore and sharing a glass of wine in the evening. By the third morning we were toasting English Muffins and emptying the dishwasher on own.
Rob cooked incredible meals while Agneta made sure everything was organized, including our understanding of the advantages of living on Hilton Head Island. They took us on an extended tour of the island which is shaped like a 'shoe'. From Harbortown, Sea Pines, and South Beach at the toe of the shoe, to the Lowcountry Amphitheater & Coligny Beach along the sole of the shoe, to Port Royal at the heel, and finally to Dolphin Head on the achilles of the shoe - pointing out the various plantations (residential neighborhoods) along the way. They even loaned us their car "Vidar" so we could run errands and go back and forth to Navigator. Pretty soon we were finding West Marine, Publix, Walmart & Starbucks on our own.
We spent a fair amount of time on Navigator. Primarily cleaning and organizing. It is somewhere between leaving your house for an extended period or leaving your car at the airport. You want to leave things neat and tidy so that when you return you can reenter seamlessly - and don't want to leave things just laying around in the open. Of course I also spent time setting up the systems for long term storage - closing thru hull fittings, shutting down unnecessary electrial circuits - and adjusting dock lines.
We do plan to go back to Hilton Head over the next several months - it is an opportunity to get some improvements made and we can't imagine leaving Navigator for too long.
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