June 1, 2025

Our planning results in a calm, easy departure on our own. This is ALWAYS our goal and we know it won’t always happen, even with maximum planning and homework accomplished. I use the pole to push the stern away from the dock after releasing lines and climbing on board. We always wear our headsets to stay in constant communication. The captain always makes sure the admiral is on board before gunning the engines  

We pass by a crab pot boat – our nemesis – and we both give it the stinkeye as we float on our way.

Either passage through “Hell’s Gate” or out into Atlantic is required to reach our Hilton Head destination. We prefer dealing with a narrow and shallow passage on a rising tide in the ICW to the unpredictable Atlantic ocean. Given the narrow channel, we active radar to see if any vessels are headed toward us. Two vessels trying to pass each other in a very narrow and shallow channel spells trouble for one of us. Luckily, we do NOT see any traffic headed toward us and we make our way through, slowly. The shoreline is close but no issues for Nauti Nerds which has a 3.5’ draft.

Alan spots a sailing regatta in the distance – a large volume of small white triangular sails can be seen in the distance. He has crewed on sailboats during weekend competitions on Joe Pool Lake in Texas. He recognized the event right away. Did I mention binoculars are always at the helm to view/identify what’s ahead? As we approach, a crew boat flags us down and says he will lead us through a gap in the racing boats. Conducting a race across the ICW seems a bit crazy to me but I am looking at it from MY point of view!

Vigilant attention must always be present and it is never a dull moment. We switch places at the helm for alert monitoring, lookout capability. It is Sunday and no one is actively working these tug boats or barges which appear to be removing an old bridge. Weekend travel is optimum in some ways and not in others. Fewer workers are present but more pleasure craft weekend warriors are around.

Look at this perfect alignment with our red and green markers!

Our voyage ends at Palmetto Bay Marina on Hilton Head Island. The harbor master and crew greet us and catch lines for us. Tony is the king of one liners and is firing one after another with a straight face. He refers to us as the Nerds which we whole-heartedly embrace. We have dinner with a friend and her husband who live nearby. I have not seen her in over 20 years. Of course neither of us has aged.   If not for this friend I would not have returned to Link Flight Simulation and then moved to TX. She also convinced me to go on my first cruise, just us ladies. At dinner we pick up where we left off long ago and meet each other’s beau for the first time.  We pledge to keep in touch more frequently!

The next morning another breathtaking sunrise greets us. It never gets old.

There is a poor sailboat run aground just across the channel from us. Dock folks stated it was a recent happening. Its owners likely left it anchored and are apparently not around or aware there is a problem! This photo was taken during LOW tide. At high tide the water appears to be entering the interior of the boat.

We rent a car from enterprise in prep for a trip home. From a bridge I grab a distant photo of the long dock where Nauti Nerds is located. I added a red arrow to indicate where she is docked. She feels a bit inadequate next to all of her neighbors but she is just right for us and we love her!