Day 23 April 24. On to Edisto Island. 28.9nm Total 676 miles

Left the City of Beaufort on a beautiful morning and followed the winding Beaufort River to the Coosaw River. Named after the native Indian tribe that inhabited this area. The river is about one mile wide and flows between the South Carolina mainland and the islands that make up the Beaufort area- St Helena, Pritchard, St Phillips, Fripp and Parris Islands. We traveled about 10 miles of the river heading east toward the Atlantic Ocean.

Just before the ocean we crossed the river and headed into the Ashepoo Coosaw Cut. We held our breathe a few times as we came to shallow areas, but we squeaked by and made it safely through the cut. There are two more cuts through the marsh islands that we took to finally connect with the South Edisto River.

We traveled up the Edisto River to our anchorage behind Sampson Island.

Edisto Island has a similar history as the other barrier islands. It was named for the Oisto Indians, whose mounds can still be found on the island today. Jesuits missionaries came in the mid 1500’s and then the British settled in the area, eventually rice and sea cotton plantations sprang up. There are several plantation buildings from Middleton and Beckett plantations still on the island. Today Edisto Island is a popular beach resort.

We pulled up anchor and re entered the Intracoastal Waterway through another narrow channel called Watts Cut. As we are going thru at high tide, we had plenty of water. No holding our breath this time. But we did have bit of fog!!

As we left the cut, we turned south into the South Edisto River to travel to Bohicket Creek Marina. We will stay here for three days visiting my sister, Kathy and husband Dick, and also my cousin, David.

April 26

We enjoyed visiting with my relations, with a wonderful food and company. Kathy surprised us by inviting our son to join us. What a wonderful reunion! We all took a short boat trip up the South Edisto River between Edisto and St Johns Island just south of Charleston.

Plus another great sunset!

A side note, Bill entertained us by pulling on his wet suit to check the bottom of the boat. A sight to behold!

Side trip to the Bahamas- Preparations

As we prepare for our Bahamian Adventure, we are making lists upon lists of things to do and provisions to buy for our upcoming trip to the Bahamas. Bill has spent much time readying the boat for the cruise, checking engines, batteries and all the systems on the boat - electrical, plumbing, navigation, refrigeration and air conditioning. Sure kept Bill busy!!! We took the boat out to check all the systems and to get fuel. We had to re-remember all the navigation and auto pilot workings and surprisingly we did remember!! We have spent the last two days loading the boat with provisions- water, food, tools, clothes, toiletries and cleaning supplies, and our pantry and cabinets are full. We are sitting a bit heavier in the water now that we are fully loaded. Also Bill has finally gotten his TO DO list down to the few remaining items so he sees the light at the end of the tunnel!! We have researched the charts and guide books and have a tentative pla...

Day 24-25 April 15-16 On to Hopetown and Lay day in Hopetown. Miles 12.6. Total 460.6

Day 24 We had a change of plans. Our friends who we met cruising the Loop, Trisha and Mike, are traveling north through the Bahamas and are close, so we will join then in Hope Town. We will then back track a bit to visit Man-o-War Cay and Marsh Harbor after visiting with them. It is a bright sunny day with light winds as we weigh anchor to leave Great Guana. There is lots of freight and commercial traffic today- tugs and barges, large freighters and flat bed delivery boats. It takes all these to handle the shipping needs and construction on the islands. We trip today took along the north east side of Great Guana and then past Scotland Cay, which is all privately owned. Next we passed Fowl Cay which is a nature preserve known for its diving. Following Fowl Cay is Man-o-War Channel with its deep water access to the Atlantic and Man-o-War Cay, known for its ship building and maintenance. Sorry, pictures of the passes and islands did not turn out too well...

On to Allan's-Pensacola Cay. Day 12. April 3. Mile 35.2. Total mile

Day 12 We left our anchorage at sunrise to head out of Great Sale Cay Harbor. Turning west and then north, we will cruise around Great Sale Cay toward Abaco's barrier islands, eventually reaching the eastern edge of the Little Bahama Bank today. As we turn Northeast, we get some spray. Crustacean is quite salty now! Winds are out of the east 10-15 knots with waves at one foot. We cruise past Little Sale Cay we see a steady stream of sailboats going both east and west. I counted 15 total. Nice wind for sailing. Halfway through our trip, you begin to see the outer barrier islands on the horizon to the north. Five miles later you can see Little Abaco Island to our south. Here is a chart of the area we traveled from Great Sale to Allan's-Pensacola Cay today. The further we travel east, the Little Bahama Bank narrows, The winds pick up and seas run 1-2 feet. Crustacean got even saltier! As we approached Allan's-Pensacola the wind and sea...

Crustacean Travels

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