November 21, 2014

0700 – Brilliant day at Awendaw Creek.

0830 – Leaving our anchorage, 46 degrees, winds W 5 knots. Favorable current. Porpoises make their daily appearance soon after entering the ICU. Mark 76.

A run down to Charleston today through more extensive marsh lands. A few houses set back on high ground with long piers, some a half mile long, maybe longer – running out through the marsh to docks – many covered. The docks are all floating with hinged gangways. As we approach Charleston the houses waterfront houses get bigger and grander.

 

 

 

 

 

Just north of mile 462 and the Ben Sawyer Bridge we had some excitement. We were traveling about a mile behind three other sailboats and notice that they had all stopped, pretty much in mid-channel. What was going on? Were they anchored for lunch? Waiting for the bridge to open? No by golly they were all run hard aground. The channel through this part of the ICU is quite shallow and of course at low tide, which it was at the moment, even more difficult to negotiate. In addition, constant strong tidal currents create constantly shifting shoals. Tides here run about 5 feet. Two of those boats are 6 foot draft vessels but the other guy was 4.8. By radio the vessel Release cautioned us and suggested we join them. I thought to myself, “You mean aground?”

Undaunted, we with our now very much prized 4.5 foot draft, slowed down, held our breath, watched our depth gauge and pressed on. We waved and smiled as we ghosted by and tried not to look to smug. We arrived at the bridge just as it opened and Emily, master helmsman, took us through.

Beyond the Bridge we dumped out into the upper reaches of the Wando River from which we ran down past Shute’s Folly and Fort Sumter in the distance straight to the Maritime Marina on the north side of Charleston where we stayed for the night.

 

On the way we saw this boat,

 

 

Our plan is to stay here a couple of days, visit a cousin of mine and see a little of Charleston, a grand city as cities go – home of the College of Charleston and the Citadel. We are parked across the harbor from the USS York, a retired aircraft carrier, now a museum complete with old fighter planes and all kinds of cool stuff.

 

 

Namaste