11/14/15 To 32 47.355N,
79 55.457W Charleston Maritime
Center 15.7NM
Trying to time our on the hour arrival at Ben Sawyer
Bridge - about 9NM away, we got underway just before
0800. It's a bit ironic that the Ben Saywer Bridge
is on demand weekdays except for rush hours, but only
opens on the hour on weekends and federal holidays.
We were caught unaware once, and waiting for 55 minutes is
a royal pain. One boat ahead of us missed it by
minutes - he'd been 1/2 mile away, but she wouldn't hold
it for him - was still anchored when we arrived.
Thanks to a stiff NW wind and a current boost, we were
about 15 minutes early, if we'd counted on a boost, it
would have been into the wind and up hill all the way, and
we'd have been late!
 |
| The roost gets crowded at high tide |
We got a call from the Maritime Center checking to see if
we were still coming and inquiring about our arrival
time. Our slip was available. The harbor was
busy - to reach the Maritime Center, we use one of the big
ship channels, and were met by an out bound container ship
and passed by another heading in. Normally we try to
stay outside the big ship channels, but at Shutes'
Folly, the shoal extends almost to the big ship
channel. Still, there was plenty of room for both of
us.
 |
| The Yorktown Exprress coming up behind us |
With 15kts of NE wind and the current winding up, getting
into our slip was tricky. The marina staff have
always been terrific - on the dock to grab lines and
knowledgeable. This was no exception, and we were
grateful since, as Leonard said, we'd have 1 chance to get
to the dock before the wind and current would take
over. He got us to the dock and the dock hand had
the line on the cleat before I could have gotten
off. A large power yacht had the big boat slip
a dock to windward, providing a handy wind break for us,
an added bonus.
Once checked in, we headed to the local Farmer's Market on
Calhoun. It's always fun to see the variety offered
at the local markets. While there are a number of
farmers with fresh veggies and fruits, Charleston seems to
have more prepared food and craft stalls. My back
pack was full of veggies by the time we left, including
some really nice, fresh looking, shrimp.
 |
| Charleston Farmers Market |
While Leonard worked at installing the replacement sensor
on the 'fridge which we had shipped to Charleston, I
took advantage of the free washers at the marina to do
laundry. With those chores done, we made a quick
pass at the nearby Harris Teetor and Ace Hardware for
groceries and 'O' rings. With most of the chores
accomplished, we'd have Sunday to enjoy Charleston.
While cool, the weather has been sunny since leaving
Little River, and the wind gradually died down in the
afternoon, making for a peaceful night.
11/15/15
At Charleston Maritime Center
Another sunny, pleasant day, could we ask for
more? We've been enjoying mostly sunny, warm days
since we left Little River. The last cold front
was described by NOAA as 'dry', and other than some
cloudy periods we hardly noticed the slight dip in
temperatures. This week's version is forecast to
bring rain for a day or so before the sun returns
through the weekend. This sure beats the rainy
spell we had through NC!
 |
| Charleston Maritime Center harbor with Sea Fox, a 27meter restored yacht serving as a protective wind break |
Our lay day in Charleston was spent chatting with some
of our neighbors on the dock and a long walk.
After wandering through the beautiful campus at the
College of Charleston, we wandered over the city marina
docks to check out the scene there. Plenty of big
boats were on the mega dock, and while the marina has
better protection in a NE wind than the Maritime Center,
it is a longer walk to town. Actually it can be a
very long walk on the dock just to get to shore - once
we were at the very end, and I do believe it was all if
a 1/4 mile to the dock ashore (and heads).
 |
| Miss Mary Smith House C1799 in the Ansonborough section of Charleston |
We checked out the boats at St. Barts Yachts dock -
including a 'green' hybrid vessel whose low clearance
with fit under a lot of bridges. It looked like it might
be a good boat for the 'Great Loop'. Not sure
about the hybrid part, since it had a good sized diesel.
 |
| Garden in Charleston |
Our wanderings took us down the peninsula to the park
along the battery. Being a beautiful Sunday, lots
of folks, tourists and locals, were out enjoying the
day. We ate lunch, sitting on a park bench,
watching the boats in the harbor. After stopping at the
gelato store, we walked through part of the market on
the way back to the marina. I sent Leonard back to
the boat to fill the water tank and rinse the decks
while I made another pass through the grocery store.
 |
| 1915 Ford out for a Sunday drive |
After watching half of the Patriots game, we walked over
to King Street to a place called Smoky Q, a barbecue
place, for dinner. It was small, with only a few
tables, so we sat at the bar ( Leonard got to watch the
game while we ate). The food was very good, worth
considering on the way home in the spring.
No comments:
Post a Comment