Day 14, Hilton Head, SC to St. Simon Island, GA

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We liked Hilton Head so much that we decided to stay another day. Here's Empty Nest before sunrise. 

Our marina, Harbour Town Yacht Basin had an unmistakeable lighthouse.
And a really nice public pier. You can see a cruise ship anchored in the background.
A friend recommended the Palmetto Dunes pickleball center, and it did not disappoint. 24 well maintained dedicated courts. We played in a round robin ladder. Ann did the high 3.5s, and I did the 4.0s, so unlike in Charleston, we did not play together. Incredibly friendly people and really good games.
We will definitely be back!
Since the next day was my birthday, but we would be at anchor and unsure of our food options, we found a great place in Hilton Head called The Studio to celebrate. Can't think of a better restaurant for a carnivore and a vegan couple. Their regular food was out of this world, and half the menu was completely vegan. I got the lamb chops. Best dinner in a long time.
Ann got a vegan bowl and gave it the highest marks. Perhaps our new favorite restaurant? The owners are the chef and his wife, an artist. The walls are covered in art painted by the owner herself, and we were told that many evenings, she sits and paints live in the restaurant, and sometimes other artists paint as well. Thus the name The Studio.

I got my birthday dessert and made a wish, but I can't tell you what it was.


After my birthday dinner, we watched Michigan play their first regular season basketball game. And it was quite a great result for the maize and blue!!


As we left Hilton Head, we caught yet another great sunrise. I seriously will never get used to these views.
Still leaving Hilton Head, we saw an impressive lighthouse.
After setting the anchor, we got a great view of the other two anchored boats here in St. Simon Island, and of course, the sunset.
Yes, I did the cooking tonight. Well, I made spaghetti. That's about the extent of my abilities. But hey, I'm the captain, not the chef.
We have been unbelievably lucky with the weather. But, it looks like Saturday the waves start getting much bigger in the ocean, and by Monday there will be 9 foot waves in the same area where today we had 2-3 feet. I don't do 9 foot waves! We still have 7 days of travel, and so we'll plan on running inside the ICW in a few days to finish our trip, unless the forecast changes.

Tomorrow should be calm seas, and so we're heading to St. Augustine, Florida. Very exciting to finally be in the state of Florida after two weeks of traveling.

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