Editor's Note: The ICW series of blog entries details the April 2010 cruise down the ICW made by WaterViewHome Network Publisher David Lott. The purpose of the trip is twofold: to accompany Captain Steve Weisbrod who is delivering a 43-foot Lagoon PowerCat from Lewis, DE, to Key West, FL, where it will become part of a charter fleet, and to visit golf and waterview communities and report on them. You can read all other posts by clicking on the headlines on the list of entries at the end of this installment.
After my tour of Windmill Harbour, I hurried back to the Harbor Town Yacht Basin so Captain Steve could meet his deadline of departing by 11 am. However, before we left I exchanged burgees with longtime harbormaster Nancy Cappleman.
Then took some final shots of the beautiful boats in the Basin.
Once out in the Sound we passed a parasailer. It reminded me that my then-soon-to-be-90-year-old mother parasailed on Martha's Vineyard just a few years ago. She's now close to 96 and still going strong.
We went outside the ICW for the second time on the trip and took aim for Fernandina, FL. The end of the trip was getting very close. Hilton Head Island is at Mile 559 and Becky Bad Girl was to straight-line for Fernandina at Mile 717--a 158-mile sprint that she could handle without a sweat.
The first landmarks we saw as we neared Fernandina were the paper mills. If the air is right, you can smell them, too. The locals don't seem to mind at all, understanding that the mills provide jobs, pay taxes and are a big reason the area survives economically.
As we eased into the floating docks at Oyster Bay Harbour, we marveled at the vast marsh and easy sense of peace surrounding the community.
Once at the club we met one of the principals at the club, Marc Footlik. He treated us to dinner at the clubhouse and we made a date to tour the property the next day. It was to be my last night on the boat.
Evening falls on the marsh surrounding Oyster Bay Harbour.
The all-important burgee exchange.
Tomorrow Steve takes off early to make quick work of the rest of his trip to the Florida Keys while after a tour of Oyster Bay, I will head to Amelia Island Plantation.
Next Up: A Tour of Oyster Bay Harbour, Becky Bad Girl Moves On
Follow the Complete Trip Down the ICW by clicking on the headlines below.
**ICW Trip Announcement
DAY 1 - Havre de Grace, MD - Engine Trouble**
DAY 2 - Alligator River Marina, NC - River Forest, NC
DAY 2: A Visit to River Dunes, Oriental NC
DAY 3 - The Oriental Boat Show Is a Town-Wide Celebration
DAY 4 - Tiptoeing Past Firing Lines to North River Club & Brunswick Forest
DAY 5 - St. James Plantation Marina - New Home Construction
DAY 6: Charleston's Mega Dock Is a Showcase for the World's Most Beautiful Yachts
Day 6: Daniel Island's Mitchell Wharf Offers Deepwater Docks, River Views
Day 6: Harbour Town Yacht Club with All the Trimmings on Hilton Head Island
Day 7: Discovering Windmill Harbour's Elegance and Privacy on HHI, SC
Day 8: Going 'Outside' to Fernandina & The Peaceful Marshes at Oyster Bay Harbour'
Day 9: Fernandina Sunrise, Becky Bad Girl Moves On, Tour of Oyster Bay Harbour
