Charleston III

The homes of Charleston are spectacular and very expensive. This is an example of a particular style in most of the homes in the historic district. The end of the house faces the street and the entry door opens not to the interior of the house but to the porch or piazza as they call it. The homes were placed this way to catch the breeze from the water surrounding the penninsula that is Charleston. If the entry door was open, the family was available to receive visitors. If not, they were not to be disturbed, even if they were in plain sight on the porch. In fact, in the genteel world that was Charleston, passersby who looked into the yard and porches of those whose door was closed were considered to have committed a grave social error.

This statue commemorates the Confederate soldiers of South Carolina. It stands on the grounds called the Battery where cannoneers shot at Fort Sumter and were shot at by the Union troops there.

Fort Sumter lies at the mouth of the harbor nearly connected to land on the south side. A Revolutionary War fort, Fort Moultrie lies on the northern side of the entrance. It is from that fort that South Carolina derives the symbols on its flag. The palmetto tree represents the use of its logs in the construction of this fort, which, along with the sand put between the logs absorbed the cannon balls of the British fleet without apparent damage. The other symbol looks like a crescent moon, but is actually representative of the metal crescent worn by military officers of the time about their necks, a gourget.

Charleston II

The most important reason we hurried to Charleston ahead of our boatmates was to meet Susan and her family. They were able to spend the weekend with us. We ate at the Noisy Oyster and you can see the results of too much sugar in these two pictures. We were very happy to see them of course and fortunate to see them on the trip three different times. Cailean and Grant love being on the boat and we love having them. We are looking forward to seeing our other grandchildren, Jake and Megan(Gracie) and having them ride with us on the boat as we motor down the Erie Canal.

Charleston I

On May 4 we arrived at Charleston, SC after leaving our friends behind. (They caught up the next day.) Charleston is a major port and entry point. This is the government's custom house which is interesting because both sides of the building are identical. Charleston is full of architecture and history. We stayed for a week because of the subtropical storm that sat just off the coast and blew hard inland for many days. While Sabbatical was pushed around a bit by the wind in the marina, we were largely oblivious to the wind while in the city. We were located within walking distance of the main shopping, dining, and historical venues. We got the bikes off the boat and extended our range, circumnavigating the historic part of Charleston.
This building is one end of the market in the city. Reputedly, it was not the site of slave auctions here, although it is called the slave market. The reason it was called the slave market is that it was were slaves sold goods. It was called the slave market in the same way we call produce markets farmers' markets today. Annette and the ladies had many hours of fun shopping in this area.

Jekyll Island

On April 28, we went by dinghy to Jekyll Island, SC, from our anchorage just south of the dock of the settlement where this sign is located. It is no wonder that the wealthy of the time found this so attractive a place to get away from it all. It is a splendid place. They wanted to rough it while hunting on the island. Of course their idea of roughing it may differ from the usual interpretation of that term. The clubhouse they built here is now a resort hotel. One no longer has to dress for and take each meal at the clubhouse as they did then. They used the place for a three month season only and many built houses here. The first transcontinental telephone call was made here with a telephone that had been installed specifically to do that. We enjoyed a guided tour of the place complete with visits to two homes. An army of servants and skilled artisans kept the place going and their needs attended to in season and out.

Annette and I walked to the other side of the island past all the golf courses and to the Atlantic side beach. We had a meal in a restaurant there and picked up some groceries before starting back. The trip back was through an area of tall pines and lush undergrowth in the middle of which we found a pond inhabited by at least two of these guys.

St. Augustine

On April 19 we arrived at Oyster Creek Marina in St. Augustine, Florida, where we spent a week exploring the city. One of the attractions is the St. Augustine lighthouse which has been preserved along with its keeper's house and other buildings.
St. Augustine is the oldest city settled by Europeans in North America. This picture shows the oldest surviving house in the oldest city. Typically, the Spanish house was one story with no entrance on the street. The first floor of this home reflects the Spanish contribution and the modifications to it and the second floor reflect the English influence on the architecture of the city.
Of course, our days were not all history and tours. Here our intrepid admirals take a break from their efforts at filling their shopping quotas.
Near the oldest tree in St. Augustine, a 600 year-old live oak called the Senator, is this scene. This street has been identified as one of the ten most beautiful streets in America. It is lined with trees which overarch the pavement and bordered by walls constructed of shells and limestone.
Henry Flagler was practically solely responsible for the beginning of Florida as a place for vacationing. He was a partner of John D. Rockefellar in Standard Oil. He used his wealth to develop rail transportation in Florida and resort hotels for the wealthy to use. One of his hotels is pictured here. It has its original Tiffany designed and constructed windows. Today it is the home of Flagler college. The tuition at this small school is very low, kept that way by the generous endowment. The students attending her still follow rather strict (for our times) moral codes. Women are housed in the upper floors of the hotel and may not have male visitors. Violation results in dismissal.

On the Beach near Rockhouse Creek North of New Smyrna

From our anchorage at Rockhouse Creek, we dinghied to the inlet nearby and its beach. While we walked the area we came upon this group of rays as they swam lazily in the tidal waters of the inlet.

Titusville

We went to Titusville which is the port on the ICW closest to the Kennedy Space Center. We anchored off our first night there and then went into a marina. The marina was home for a fairly large number of manatees. Annette got up close and personal with this one.

We toured NASA's facilities one day and the next morning. We first went to the Kennedy Space Center with all its displays and booked a tour of the launch sites, especially A and B, where the the space shuttle is launched. The next morning we returned to go to the Astronaut Hall of Fame, where the early pioneers of space exploration are honored. Besides the technical aspects, NASA makes a contribution to the area by keeping it off limits to other human activity. That preserves and protects the natural environment from being developed. There are forty miles of unspoiled beaches where turtles lay their eggs. We also saw many alligators who reciprocate NASA's protection by providing additional security(at least that's what the tour guide claimed.)

Moving on

We enjoyed Jensen Beach and the anchorage off the bridge on the west side where we had access to a dinghy dock at a local park. While we were there, a rock band played for a weekend party that was well attended. Fortunately, they stopped playing well before the evening had begun. Here Sabbatical swings peacefully on her anchor waiting for our return.

Renewing at Jensen Beach

We met Windy Affair in Fort Lauderdale north of Miami at Lake Sylvia. They had gone on ahead while we waiting for Annette to have her final appointments with her doctor and her physical therapist. Annette is faced with restricted physical exercise for her achilles tendon for the next four months. We continued together to Jensen Beach where Annette renewed her relationship with a relative she hadn't seen in thirty five years. Lorraine was married to her father's first cousin. Her son, Greg, lives nearby and came to see Annette one of the evenings we spent there. Lorraine was a marvelous hostess, treating us to dinner and, especially, to Easter dinner. She also "let" Gary drive her car. We did drive to Stuart where Gary technically finished the Loop since he had left by boat from Stuart when he helped Dick Davenport bring his trawler from Stuart to New York. Of course, we are really only going to count it when we get back to Sodus Bay. We were reluctant to leave Jensen Beach and Lorraine but we know we will be able to see her again when we return in the fall. Jensen Beach is struggling with what the long time residents view as too much development. It is a place where there is still a lot of the old Florida surviving.

Heading Home

On April 3 we left Key Largo to make the trip north along the East Coast. We had a wonderful motorsail along the Atlantic side and then went into Biscayne Bay to find our anchorage at No Name Harbor at the south end of Key Biscayne. We decided not to enter the harbor and simply anchor off the end of the Key for the evening. The next morning we went out to the Atlantic around the end of the Key and had this view of the light at Cape Florida. It was good to be on the go again and especially to be started on our return to New York.