Hello from the iconic Harbour Town Marina in Hilton Head Island, SC. Got into port yesterday afternoon after another beautiful run in the Atlantic Ocean. We left SSI at near low tide and had a smooth entry into the ocean, and we arrived in HHI at near high tide to a calm inlet. Timing of tidal flows are becoming more important as we go up the coast and the tides become greater. In SSI tides were about 6ft; HHI has about 7 ft tides. The ebb and flow of tidal change can be challenging as we experienced in SSI. It’s another thing to keep in mind as we plan our route and day’s travel. I chose to come in to HHI from the north (Port Royal Sound) rather than the south (Tybee Inlet) because I could not get comfortable with the charts and water depths. Although the route i chose was a bit longer and farther, it was the safer route in my opinion. Local knowledge said the south approach is deep and safe enough and should have been the course to take. Next time I’ll take the south approach.

While underway yesterday an alarm sounded, and I noticed a default on the port engine monitor. I reduced speed to idle, and with the Admiral behind the wheel, I opened the engine room day hatch to discover the port engine had thrown (shredded) a belt. Since all vital signs on the engine monitors were positive, we kept going. Once we got settled at Harbour Town I went into the engine room, pulled the belt cover and found that the frayed belt powers the supercharger. The engine and boat can run without the supercharger, but it will take a bit longer to pull it up on plane. I had planned to have the oil changed in Charleston, so I’ll add this to the service list.

Today we’ll get the bikes out and go for a ride around Sea Pines Plantation and maybe go to the beach or pool. It’s supposed to be very hot here (and no rain!).