I've got Georgia on my mind......

and we have Georgia waters under our keel!! We arrived this afternoon at Isle of Hope Marina, just outside of Savannah, Georgia. In the past two days we have gone from long underwear, fleece hats and gloves and foul weather gear to t-shirts and shorts! This afternoon it was high 60's and sunny when we arrived here, and we needed to shed a few layers fast!

To backtrack, Beaufort, South Carolina, was one of our favorite stops so far. We spent two nights there, and enjoyed the town a great deal. The rain stopped partway through our second day there, and we were able to get out a bit, although it was quite chilly. There is a beautiful waterfront park, a number of restaurants along the water, and lots of nice shops on the main street. The people are very friendly, and once again, Colby made lots of new friends! Also, some beautiful churches; we visited both the Episcopal and Presbyterian Churches. We look forward to a return trip in the spring, when the weather will hopefully be more conducive to sitting outside.

We left Beaufort yesterday on the high tide, and were able to sail for a few hours in Port Royal Sound. This was a treat, as so much of the trip has been under power. Last night we were at Hilton Head; the wind blew, gusting to 25 knots, and we were glad to be at a secure dock, with heat!! Underway early today, we had the tide with us most of the way. Here the tidal range is 9 feet; we are still learning to plan for this as we travel!

Isle of Hope is a lovely spot. We will be here a couple of days, preparing to leave the boat for 4 -5 weeks, so that we can go home for the holidays. We are very happy to have had such a beautiful day of sunshine and warmth today. We will hold this in the "Memory Bank" as we drive north into snow and 20 degree weather to enjoy Christmas with our family (those on this side of the Atlantic Ocean) and our church.

We have traveled over 1350 miles by water since we left Port Henry on September 26. We have met so many wonderful people (including a single hander who left Labrador on October 18, and arrived in Beaufort two days ago!), have visited some beautiful spots, and have continued to learn a lot. We look forward to some time at home, and then continuing our travels aboard Trefoil in January.