The Big, Red, #8 Buoy

Last month we went to Hilton Head for a quick weekend getaway.

We went to the beach for a couple of hours to walk around and for Lucas to use his metal detector. Beaches are supposed to be prime spots for metal detecting, right? We've struck out every time. I think he's found a penny the handful of times we've been to the beach. At that penny was actually found at the playground right before the beach!

It was still a nice, albeit windy, day out for a walk on the beach. On our way there we stopped for a quick geocache find.

Then we continued on to Coligny Beach and stumbled upon this:

As we were walking we noticed a crowd of people around this big red thing in the distance and everyone taking pictures. We got a little closer and could tell it was a buoy. Definitely not something you see on a beach every day!

I wondered to Joe why there was a buoy on the beach? Where did it come from? What is it doing here? I recently read about a boat that washed ashore somewhere in FL from Hurricane Irma (or maybe it was Maria), and wondered if a hurricane brought this ashore in Hilton Head.

So Joe turns to what else? Google. It didn't take long for him to discover that this Coast Guard Buoy #8 did indeed wash ashore from Hurricane Irma. They are still trying to figure out how to remove it (13,000 lbs!) and return it to Port Royal Sound.

A short break on bench swings after the walk on the beach.

Another geocache found on Hilton Head at Jarvis Park...

And some beautiful scenery at Jarvis Park; it is a really nice park with a large walking trail and beautiful views.