Jan. 4

I had earned a short day. We woke up at 7:30. After our coffee we went to do laundry, eat breakfast, wash the boat at the car wash and come back to the room and catch up with the log.  I did not want to try to row the Beaufort river against the tide and the tide was to be high at 2:40 in the afternoon. So we worked in our room until about 2:30 and then drove to Pigeon Point.  The gnats were about as fierce as I have encountered while we got the boat in the water.  The river was flat and about half way to our landing in Port Royal we saw Kim in her kayak waving to us.  They had a group out on the water for a tour.  We made it to the ramp at Port Royal right across from the Parris Island Marine training center by 4:30. As we were unloading a very nice gentleman with a dog pulled up and asked if where are wheels were and how we were being picked up.  He offered to take Heather to the car at Pigeon point and I stayed to watch the sunset and listen to the Marines drilling on Parris Island across the water. I wondered why we need to have these men trained to kill and fight. I know we need to defend our freedoms and I respect their commitment and willingness to put themselves in harm’s way to defend us.  But mankind should be way beyond the need for this level of savagery. This reminder that we have this necessity was a sharp contrast to the peace we have been experiencing on the water.

It was a short, 8 mile day and we were glad that we had a second night to stay in the room we had unpacked into. We spent the evening planning how we were going to cross the broad river and Port Royal sound to reach Hilton Head. The forecast for the rest of the week sounds like a big change will take place and we may not have the flat water we have enjoyed much longer.