Captain Jack's Kiawah Sailing and Dolphin Watching — Local services in Seabrook Island

“An Afternoon on the Palmetto Tide”

It is not often one gets to enjoy a holiday in their own "back yard", but that is exactly what happened on the Palmetto Tide one afternoon on the North Edisto River. Captained by Jack McConnell, the Palmetto Tide has been sailing the waters of the North Edisto River as long as I can remember, providing many with sailing adventures ranging from sunset cruises to offshore sailing, and dolphin watching to beach combing for shells and driftwood along the shores of Botany Island.

My experience with Capt Jack was practically a bus man's holiday as I am a local charter fishing captain. I have been fishing out of Bohicket Marina since 1983, but never had the opportunity to sail the very waters where I made a living. On this fine Carolina afternoon, Capt Jack treated my daughter, Morgan, and myself to a combination of sailing and dolphin watching in the North Edisto River. Although Morgan grew up on fishing boats, this was her first venture into sailing and the look on her eyes as the Palmetto Tide filled her sails and heeled over under pressure of the wind was, to borrow the term, priceless.

It was a perfect day for sailing as the wind was brisk and Capt Jack spares no effort to insure his guest have the best of times. Morgan not only had a turn at the helm, but she sat along the bow rail where she was able to get more than a taste of the North Edisto. As Jimmy Buffet says, it is a special treat to expose your children at the age of 10 to the thrills of life you may not experience until you are 30. This has is my philosophy with Morgan, and this day was no exception as it left those permanent images as new and exciting experiences always do.

To complete a perfect day of sailing, Capt. Jack takes his guests dolphin watching on the North Edisto River. Just offshore of Seabrook Island, we were able to observe the dolphins as they move about their daily routine, which appears more like a game than the survival it actually is. Dolphins are the most fascinating of all animals and although I have hundreds of hours observing them, they never cease to amaze me. There is no doubt they are cognizant of us and who we are, but also recognize the different "regular" boats visiting their home.

When you spend your day with Capt. Jack, don't forget your camera, favorite boat music and beverages, as you will have one of the best experiences of a lifetime as the Palmetto Tide is waiting for...

Perhaps the most pleasant of all the afternoons we spent on a recent Kiawah Island family vacation. As we motored out from Bohicket Marina the knowledgeable and hospitable Captain Jack informed us that he couldn't 100% guarantee we would see dolphins, but within minutes we were surrounded by family groups of them arching out of the water on every side of the boat. We enjoyed a light breeze and at the first opportunity Jack turned off the motor, so that instead of scaring off the dolphins with the sound of an engine we were silently sailing along beside them. It was extraordinarily tranquil and calm, and being on the water, without the sound of a single engine, is one of the best reasons to take a sailboat tour instead of a motor tour. Although we saw many, many dolphins, and birds including pelicans, Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, all manner of terns and gulls, oystercatchers and many more, our entire family agreed that even if we hadn't seen a single dolphin it still would have been a fabulous excursion. Captain Jack clearly knows every channel and inlet of the Edisto and knows exactly where the dolphins hang out at every time and tide. Highly...

Charleston has been a family vacation destination for years. Captain Jack helped make this year one of the best!

Relaxing, and fun for almost any age. Great group trip for up to 6 people. or just a couple.

Jack was the consummate tour guide and captain. Interesting to listen to him describe the fascinating history and current highlights related to our route, but wasn't the "showman" type that tries to make the trip about them.Friendly to talk to with, and great about answering questions.

Even let us steer the boat, and learn a bit about sailing.

We got close to many dolphins, and Jack led us to a secret spot to see them strand feeding, where they come up all the way out of the water onto the beach! Also saw Bald Eagles, and lots of other wildlife.

Beautiful tour, made us feel at home on his boat, and we have memories for a lifetime. We'll tell everyone we know to book this...