Jan.5

Our plan was to start enough before low tide so that we would have the current with us until we got to the end of Parris Island and then we could have the incoming tide on our side rowing up to the entrance to Skull creek.  But when we got to the Sands boat ramp we met a woman walking her dog that was curious about what we were doing and turned out to be a clown. Cappy the clown told us all about herself and learned all about us. This took a bit longer than we had planned so we left a half hour late.  Our plan had been perfect because we started feeling the incoming tide about half an hour before we reached the end of Parris Island.  We got almost all the way across the sound before the wind came up. If we had been half an hour earlier we would have missed this wind also. We rowed into the Skull Creek Marina to see if there was a ramp but there was none and the dock master was less than helpful. So we rowed on another 3 miles to the Hilton Head Harbor boat ramp. 

Lolita Huckaby from the Carolina Morning News and a photographer met us.  They took pictures and Lolita offered to give Heather a ride back to Port Royal to get the car and interview her at the same time.  I stayed by the boat to keep the no-see-ums company and after spraying myself with repellent drifted off to sleep. Within an hour Heather had returned and we loaded the boat on the car. Pat Wirth, the Executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Hilton Head gave me directions to the house they used to house volunteers. We were there in ten minutes where we met Susan Sommer, a wonderful girl who was an Americorp volunteer working with Habitat.  She was also staying at this volunteer house but left to stay elsewhere leaving the house to us. Pat Wirth stopped to greet us.  Susan, Tuck Daniels, the construction manager, and Russ and Linda, a volunteer couple who were living in their motor home and we all went out for a delicious dinner which the habitat folks insisted on paying for. Russ and I shared experiences as Math teachers over dinner.  Soon after I was in bed and asleep.  I am not much company after 16.3 miles and a good meal in my belly.