Hilton Head Life

Smoking bans take effect in Hilton Head, Bluffton

Smoking bans took effect Wednesday in Beaufort County and in Bluffton, a day after the Charleston City Council gave initial approval to a similar ban.

After more than seven years of debate, the Charleston council gave first reading approval to a ban on smoking in workplaces, including bars, restaurants and private clubs. The ordinance needs one more vote.

The Beaufort County ordinance bans smoking within 25 feet of doors or windows of a public building while the Bluffton ordinance requires only that smoking be done a reasonable distance from the business.

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Odds/Probabilities of Major Hurricane

The table below shows the probabilities of any major hurricane with winds over 111 mph passing within 80 miles of the cities below in any one year:

Odds/Probabilities of Major Hurricane

Rank	Location	Major Hurricane
1	Portland, Maine	0.3%
2	Ocean City, MD	0.9%
3	Atlantic City, NJ	1.2%
4	Hilton Head, SC	1.3%
5	Boston, MA	1.3%
6	Virginia, Beach, VA	1.3%
7	New York City	1.6%
8	Jacksonville, FL	1.9%
9	Brownsville, TX	2.2%
10	Charleston, SC	2.2%
11	Corpus Christi, TX	2.3%
12	Myrtle Beach, SC	2.6%
13	Providence, RI	2.9%
14	Biloxi, MS	3.0%
15	Mobile, AL	3.0%
16	New Orleans	3.2%
17	Nantucket, MA	3.2%
18	Panama City, FL	3.7%
19	Cape Canaveral, FL	3.9%
20	Galveston, TX	4.2%
21	Tampa, FL	4.8%
22	Cape Hatteras, NC	5.3%
23	Fort Myers, FL	5.6%
24	Key West, FL	7.7%
25	Miami, FL	11.1%

Data from Hurricane Watch by Dr. Bob Sheets/Jack Williams.

Odds/Probabilities of Any Hurricane

The table below shows the probabilities of any hurricane passing within 80 miles of the cities below in any one year:

Odds/Probabilities of Any Hurricane

Rank	Location	Any Hurricane
1	Portland, Maine	2.9%
2	Ocean City, MD	4.2%
3	Atlantic City, NJ	4.8%
4	Boston, MA	5.9%
5	New York City	6.3%
6	Virginia, Beach, VA	6.7%
7	Corpus Christi, TX	6.7%
8	Hilton Head, SC	7.1%
9	Brownsville, TX	7.1%
10	Jacksonville, FL	9.1%
11	Charleston, SC	10.0%
12	Myrtle Beach, SC	10.0%
13	Providence, RI	10.0%
14	Biloxi, MS	10.0%
15	Mobile, AL	10.0%
16	New Orleans	12.5%
17	Nantucket, MA	12.5%
18	Panama City, FL	14.3%
19	Cape Canaveral, FL	14.3%
20	Galveston, TX	14.3%
21	Tampa, FL	17.5%
22	Fort Myers, FL	17.5%
23	Key West, FL	19.6%
24	Cape Hatteras, NC	21.3%
25	Miami, FL	26.3%

Data from Hurricane Watch by Dr. Bob Sheets/Jack Williams.

Weather Hard to Beat

After a three weeks in Boston, I'm back in Hilton Head. When I left Boston, it was balmy 22 degrees and windy. Despite the 22 degree mark, weather.com gave me a dose of reality with it's handy "feels like" temperature: 2 degrees. It was painful to be outside.

My first few days here in Hilton Head have felt like a vacation. It's nice to live here. The temperature here today: 74 degrees, sunny, with a gentle breeze. Weather.com's "feels like" temp is also 74 degrees. Now that's more like it!

Route 17 to Savannah at Night

Living in Boston, you get used to the roads lined with sidewalks and street lights. Take a trip down Rt 17 on your way to Savannah from Hilton Head at night and you're in for the polar opposite. Pitch black, just two lanes and lots of trees. It can be a bit intimidating, particularly when you are trying not to miss the few lefts and rights you need to take off of Rt.46 and Rt. 170 to actually make in to Savannah.  Oh yeah, it can get foggy -- and maybe some deer too...

I couldn't help but wonder where I was going to end up if I missed a turn. For now, I'll stick to Rt. 17 during the daylight hours only. A trip to or from Savannah at dark will be on well lit I95 even if it does take longer.

By the way I'd take the darkness and trees over those unnatural street lights any day.

Will they Ban Smoking Here?

It would sure be nice if they banned smoking here in Hilton Head/Beaufort County.  It's easy for me to rant about this as: 1) I'm a non-smoker and 2) I enjoy eating at the bar.  My lungs have likely already been irrevocably damaged from too many visits to crowded, smokey Boston last call dives for years.

But sure enough, my first night on the HHI I decided to dine at the reliable Outback Steakhouse on 278. Just as my Queensland Chicken and Shrimp shows up some dude sits down (two seats away) and lights up. Do you mind? At least it wasn't a cigar.

Of course as the weather warms up here in Hilton Head, this will be less of an problem. Hopefully I'll be dining out at more at outdoor establishments where stinky smoke drifting over my dinner will not be an issue.

Traffic

In my short time living here in Hilton Head I've noticed that many here complain about the traffic. This amazes me because although there is some congestion getting on and off the Island around rush hour, the traffic at least moves along. 

After spending years battling traffic in Boston I'm not even sure what happens on US278 should even be called traffic. I sat on the GW Bridge on 95 and went a mile in 3 hours. Now that's traffic.