Leg 51 - North Santee River Anchorage
Before I get to today’s travels, let me review our wonderful stay in Charleston. The day of arrival we just cleaned up, secured the boat and had dinner at a restaurant near the marina. This marina is huge. It took 15 minutes to walk from the boat to the front of the marina and restaurant so we just had dinner and walked it off on the way back to the boat. Sunday we Ubered into the Historic City Market which is 4 blocks of shopping stalls. While there, we took an hour long historic carriage ride through Charleston learning more than we will ever remember. We have been here a number of times and we continually learn more information on each visit to this wonderful city. Saida came by and picked us up and drove us back to her house where she gave us the keys to their truck. On her recommendation, we jaunted over to James Island and had a wonderful Greek dinner for Mother’s Day. Then back to the boat to relax. The next day we had a nice breakfast as I planned out more legs of the trip and Sue planned our itinerary for exploring Charleston. After Sue got a hair cut, we met Saida for lunch at a Mexican restaurant. Afterwards, we drove to Charles Town Landing – a State Park that covers the history of the beginning of Charleston. Unfortunately we had to go grocery shopping and had leftovers for dinner. Sue had chipped her tooth Sunday night on a cheap fork in a restaurant, so Saida, graciously managed to get Sue an opening with her dentist the next day. Afterwards we went to the Aquarium and the Fort Sumter Visitor Center Museum before having lunch at East Bay Street Deli nearby. In order to return the truck and see Saida and her family one more time, we met her for dinner at a neighborhood café. There, you are all caught up.
We planned for a 9:00 AM departure on Wednesday. Delightfully, the temperature was in the low 60’s. Because the boat next to us was brand new (remember, the mast isn’t even on yet) and also quite wide in the beam, I asked the marina to send someone to guide us out. That is all we need, having to pay for damage to a boat that was a foot and ½ off our starboard bow. All went well and we were soon motoring on the Ashley River. We motored around the Battery and Rainbow Row for pictures and then out to Pinckney Castle (fort) and the infamous Fort Sumter. Finally we headed back to ‘the ditch’ or the ICW. Since it is a weekday and water traffic was minimal, we had an enjoyable ride through the marsh lands in cool air under a sunny sky. The wind was gusting a lot and on the bow so we never raised the sails. I had planned to anchor in the South Santee River but Sue read better reviews for anchorages in the North Santee River. As we passed by the South Santee River we came upon a 6-8 foot log that looked like an alligator. Well, it looked like an alligator because it was an alligator. I guess I won’t be swimming in these waters. We pulled into the wide anchorage along with two other boats, hooked the anchor, and settled down to relax. Dinner is on the grill– marinated salmon, roasted potatoes, green beans, and a salad. Since it might rain over the night we will have to batten down the hatches, so to speak. Tomorrow, Georgetown!
Leg 52 - Harborwalk Marina in Georgetown
Oops, so sorry this is late but once we got into port we were busy, busy. But, back to last Thursday.
It was a peaceful night as we swung with the current gently through the tide changes. The wind was strong enough to keep the bugs away, but not so strong to make it an uncomfortable anchorage. It never did rain and in the middle of the night someone got up and opened some hatches so it was somewhat cool down below. We had a simple breakfast before getting underway. The anchor came up clean and we were on our way out of the marshes and into Georgetown. The short trip of 13 miles should have only taken a little less than 2 hours but we were fighting the 2 knots current and the winds now at 20+ knots. At times we were moving along at 3.8 knots with 2800 RPM. I sure missed our previous experience of doing 8+ knots at just 1500 RPM. By early afternoon, we had arrived at the Harborwalk Marina in Georgetown and stopped for a quick pump out before docking in our slip. I mentioned that I wanted to be stern in, so the dockmaster walked me over to my slip to make sure I realized it would be a weaving path through rather large boats. Regardless, I proceeded with my original plan and made it in with no casualties. He seemed impressed – or relieved. Anyway, we quickly secured the boat and called an UBER for a lift to Pawleys Island in order to pick up our rental car. We will be in the area for about a week (between here and Heritage Plantation Marina). This is where we vacationed as a family for over 15 years and we want the time to re-explore the places we thoroughly enjoyed for so many years.