As witnessed by Captain Litchfield and many, many others, Port Royal Marina (A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR) continues to earn its reputation as a first-class marina.

Submitted on 2010/05/22 at 6:22pm
We contacted Port Royal Marina and made arrangements to tie up to the outside dock as we were arriving after the marina closed for the day. We managed a easy unassisted tie up despite the wind and current. It’s amazing how you can do that when there is no one around to watch you mess up.
With the wind blowing straight up the river, the outside dock proved to be a less than desirable location, but we were in for the night with electricity, water and a dock that wasn’t going anywhere.
We found several of our cruising friends there the next day so we decided to take advantage of the marina’s 3 for 2 deal (pay for 2 nights, get 3rd free). The staff and facilities were great. We used the marina’s courtesy car, drove to downtown Beaufort for lunch and some groceries. A great place to stop.
Captain Dick Litchfield

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s South Carolina Marina Directory Listing For Port Royal Marina

This is an anchorage we haven’t heard a lot about, but from Captain Arnold’s description, it seems well worth exploring. The May River departs the AICW to the northwest at statute mile 560, just north of Hilton Head.

Can’t tell you about how nice a mooring is at Bluffton some 5 miles up the May River. Well protected from all winds and a good 10ft of water. The town is just great – Wednesday being Farmers Market day and also a first class thrift store run by a local church. Big stores like Walmart and Publix are 6 miles away – you can get a taxi or often find a friendly native will give you a lift. Free public dinghy dock.

Where exactly did you anchor? My daughter will be attending USCB this fall and we are looking for a good anchorage in the area.
Captain Tracy aboard Sea Huddle

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Bluffton, SC

It’s a long cruise up Broad Creek from the AICW’s passage through Calibogue Sound to Shelter Cove Marina, but there is no doubt this is a first class facility, with a very sheltered harbor. There is also on-site dining, and provisioning nearby!
The post below was copied from the AGLCA mail list!

If you are prepared to go as far afield as Hilton Head, we are currently in the process of laying up our boat for a little while in Shelter Cove Marina. It is incredibly well protected with good floating docks and helpful, experienced staff.
Jonah and Jo.
Jonah’s Whale
Endeavour 48

I agree whole heartedly. We have had three extended stays at Shelter Cove. It is one of the best marinas in a great location. We look forward to returning.
Don Moon
Moonstruck
Sabre 42

Click Here To View the South Carolina Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Shelter Cove Marina

I’m glad to hear that Captain Koerner had such a good welcome at Harbourtown Yacht Basin. They are one of our oldest and most loyal SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSORS!

Really liked the welcome at Harbortown Marina. They had a special of $.85/foot in November, for up to two days, then $1.00/foot. Very protected. Nice restaurant on site. Not close to any shopping, though, and no courtesy car.
HB Koerner
Take Five

Harbour Town at Hilton Head Island made a comfortable stay (and good laundry stop) after a day of navigating through whiteouts.
Captain Jane Tigar

Click Here For The Cruisers’ Net’s South Carolina Marina Directory Listing For Harbour Town Yacht Basin

Port Royal Landing Marina lies along the western banks of the AICW/Beaufort River, south of the Beaufort, SC waterfront. This is a superb facilit, and they are a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR! Just watch out for the tidal currents as you approach the docks. Of course, that pretty much goes for every marina in South Carolina and Georgia.

It may be worth your while to check out Port Royal Landing Marina in Port Royal, near HHI and Beaufort. Very safe & secure, reasonable, courtesy car for errands and rental cars delivered. Great boater community, grill & store. Best of all, family owned & operated with good old Southern hospitality.
John W. Pierron
M/VInto The Mystic

Click Here For The Cruisers’ Net’s South Carolina Marina Directory Listing For Port Royal Landing Marina

Harbour Town has always been one of the most prestigous marinas in the Southeast. And, let’s not forget they are a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR!

Subject: More on Harbour Town Yacht Basin
Cruising News: We spent a very pleasant night at Harbour Town Yacht basin this past weekend, and we can enthusiastically second all the positive comments that have been posted here before — beautiful place, friendly and professional staff, great service. And that complementary bottle of Chardonnay was a welcome and unexpected treat! Cruisers should be aware, though, that the water in the entrance channel is a bit skinny, and becomes even more so just inside the marina basin. We arrived about 45 minutes or so before dead low tide and, with our draft of 4 feet, found about 3 feet of water under our keel in the entrance channel. This dropped to less than 2 feet of water clearance just inside the marina, roughly alongside the marina office, and then improved again to over four feet throughout the rest of the marina. Cruisers whose boats draw more than 5 feet or so may want to time their passages in and out of the marina for mid-to high tide.
Bob and Janet S.
M/V Harmony

Click Here To View the South Carolina Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Harbour Town Yacht Basin

On 9/1/09, as part of a “South Carolina Wish List,” I posed the following question:

49. Can anyone give us an entrance channel depth report, as late as this summer, for world famous Harbour Town Marina on Hilton Head.

Responses follow:

This marina is a fun place to stay. During warm wether there is music outside with different guys placing. Makes it nice to sit on the boat deck to listen. There are lots of boats >100′ that stop there, so great to watch. With the restuarants, shops, nice shower area, and helpful marina staff it is a great place to stop. My inexperienced boating companions sure needed the help docking and the gift bottle of wine helped them relax after their 1st boating trip.
Judity Richardson

Click Here To View the South Carolina Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Harbor Town Yacht Basin

On 9/1/09, as part of a “South Carolina Wish List,” I posed the following question:

43. Has any cruiser northbound on the Beaufort River portion of the AICW mistaken Battery Creek at Port Royal, for the Waterway’s track? If so, what would be a good way to avoid this error?

Responses follow:

We have not but saw at least one sailboat limp in demasted. The easy and most obvious solution is to have whatever authorities drop a sign off the bridge stating its clearance. Someone is going to get killed there one day.
Sami and Barry Shreve
s/v Ever After

On 9/1/09, as part of a “South Carolina Wish List,” I posed the following question:

42. Who has coiled their lines at Port Royal Landing Marina, just south of Beaufort. Please give us a report on this facility.

Responses follow:

Port Royal Landing is a great place for cruisers. My wife and I stopped here for a one night transient stay last fall, on our way south to Florida for the winter. We liked the marina and the people so much, we changed our plans and signed up for a year’s dockage! What makes the difference is “the people”. The marina is a family run facility, where the owners are on-site and take a personal interest in customer satisfaction. Plus, there’s a friendly, active group of live-aboards at Port Royal Landing. “BIll the Pirate” ( a local cruiser ) runs the grill for Friday and Saturday evening get togethers on the covered deck overlooking the docks. Any cruiser or transient in port is automatically invited and eagerly welcomed by the group! My wife and I have cruised the ICW from the Florida Keys to Chesapeake Bay, and this is the “friendliest” marina we’ve found!
More details; The facilities are modern and well maintained, with floating docks, cable TV, Wi-Fi, and 30-amp and 50-amp hookups. Gas, diesel, water, and pumpouts are available. There’s a coin operated laundry, and clean showers. There’s a well stocked ships store on-site, and the “Back Porch Grill” restaurant has the best cheeseburger in town. If you need to re-supply, you can sign out the marina’s courtesy car.
Our one year stay here is almost up, and we plan to resume cruising next month. But, we’ve revised our plans now to do six months cruising, and six months at the dock… at Port Royal Landing!
…Roy & Mary Stegall
S/V “Gideon” Island Packet 38

We spent a week over July 4th at Port Royal Landing Marina. From the moment we got there we were made to feel at home. We used the courtesy car a few times for errands, and got around Beaufort easily with the staff’s directions. Had a great time visiting Beaufort. I recommend Hemingway’s for a light lunch along the riverwalk. Prices were reasonable, and staff was friendly. The current at PRL can be quite a challenge, but the staff helped us turn the boat around so we could exit easily from inside the T-head the next morning. We even got a follow-up post card after our stay. I would stay here again any time we are in the area.
Joy and Shel Rabin, aboard m/v Evening Star.

Our ‘home marina’ is Port Royal Landing Marina. It is hard to find a nicer marina. It is modern, clean, private and friendly. I say private because there are few tourists compared to downtown Beaufort marina which is wonderful too, but ‘busy’ with tourists walking the docks.
PRLM has a nice live aboard and boat owners group who like to get together on weekends and BBQ on the new,covered boaters deck. There is also a pretty good burger place right there…..good burgers and bar, though smokey…….one of only two bars in Beaufort County which allow smoking still. Unfortunate because its a cute bar. The marina store has a good selection of things in the marina store and I hear they will start catering more to fishing folk in the near future. Showers,restrooms, and laundry sparkling clean and modern. Also there is a wash and fold laundry mat a few blocks away who will wash dry and fold your laundry for a few bucks more than it would cost you to do it yourself and they can usually turn it around in 24 hours.
At least one REALLY good diesel repair guy is nearby and a good honest semi-retired repairman.
They have a courtesy car and there are several grocery stores nearby, a West Marine and more restaurants than you can shake a stick at! Also a CVS within walking distance. Pump out at the face dock or in slip.
There is usually quite a current running there and 7-9 ft tides but all docks are floating. I strongly recommend waiting for slack tide before trying to move into an inside slip. We have seen professional captains try to attempt docking inside with disastrous and loud results. Also they are beginning construction on the second phase of the 65ft bridge already in place so there will be noise from that to a certain extent weekdays.
We will be heading back south this Friday and will be able to put our two cents in on a lot of the other items on the list as well!!
Sami and Barry Shreve
s/v Ever After

Port Royal Landing Marina is a well run marina with kindly management and a great store, we stayed there last year, and as a result are taking the Yacht Club of Hilton Head Island on an outing there on Septenber 12. It is the only marina that I have stayed at that sent a card to thank you for your business. a really nice touch. I was there last Monday to finalize arrangements and the place looks a good as ever, The deck outside the office/store is really great.
Bill Lawrenson

Click Here To View the South Carolina Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Port Royal Landing Marina

On 9/1/09, as part of a “South Carolina Wish List,” I posed the following question:

47. Has anyone visited Hilton Head’s Broad Creek Marina? What was your experience here? Did you have a chance to try the on-site restaurant?

Responses follow:

Broad Creek Marina–Hilton Head We stayed there in April. It seems they have limited dockage and their hours are limited as well. No complaints but not a great facility or experience overall. We did not find an onsite restaurant. Their is a facility onsite but was not available to us. A restaurant in a club across the street was available–but it was more than casual and the menu very pricey.
Ken Stickrath

Click Here To View the South Carolina Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Broad Creek Marina

After leaving Calibogue Sound, Hilton Head Island’s Broad Creek runs northeast for a bit and then turns sharply east. Soon after flowing through this easterly cut, Palmetto Bay Marina will come abeam to the south. In addition to the marina services described below, this facility also mechanical and haul-out repairs.

If you want some nightlife, stay at Palmetto Bay Marina on the way up the creek. There is a good restaurant there, Black Marlin, a decent outdoor tiki bar, and a more typical restaurant with lots of fried food along with other tourist delights. Docks are newer, but not the best. Parallel parking, no slips. People are friendly though and they have fuel.
Russ

We spend a month or two right before and after hurricane season in Hilton Head. We love it. We keep a car in storage there. All the marinas are nice but we stay in Palmetto Bay Marina and love the marina and the surrounding area. A word of caution, boaters share the heads with several bars and restaurants. We use the facilities on our boat so we are OK with that arrangement. At the foot of the docks is Woody’s Bar and Grill, the Black Marlin and the Tiki Bar. And of course Glitzy’s for carry out food and beverage. The Sunrise Cafe may have the best breakfast we have had anywhere. All that in the complex at the foot of the marina. No car is needed.
Best Regards
George
S/V Chez Nous

Click Here To View the South Carolna Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Palmetto Bay Marina

On 9/1/09, as part of a “South Carolina Wish List,” I posed the following question:

48. Has anyone cruised all the way north on Hilton Head’s Broad Creek to Shelter Cove Marina. What depths did you find? Please describe the services you discovered at Shelter Cove!

Responses follow:

Shelter Cove Marina is a well maintained Disney property. It sits in the middle of a large condo, townhouse and boutique complex. There are a number of restaurants there mixed in with higher end boutique stores. Food is ok, nothing special. There is one major downside to some…all businesses and restaurants are closed by 9pm, even the tiki bar. Some docks are accessed from the far side of the creek from the commercial area, which can be a very long walk for some. Depths up the creek are 10′ or greater with no less than 7′ in the marina.
Russ

Click Here To View the South Carolina Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Shelter Cove Marina

Port Royal Landing Marina sits hard by the northern side of the McTeer Bridge, which crosses the Beaufort River/ICW a short hop south of downtown Beaufort, SC. This is a nice marina, but watch out for the current when docking!

We are currently at Port Royal Landing Marina. Diesel 4.27. Slip 1.50 pf.+ 5.00 for elec. Everything else was included, WiFi, Cable TV, VERY clean showers (ladies room/shower even had fresh flowers and music!) They have a restaurant/bar on site and BEST of all a courtesy club cab truck so we could even get some larger items at Lowes. Tomorrow, I can go to WalMart! I havn’t had a WalMart fix since we left Wilmington, N.C. The staff is extremely courteous and most willing to help. We would highly recommend this marina.
Ben and Barbara Falmlen
Two Cats Too

Click Here To View the South Carolina Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For