Charleston 17-18 Apr

    From Port Royal, just up from Hilton Head, its two days by boat to Charleston through the SC grasslands and shallow waters, but this trip we were traveling during mid to high tides. We anchored up in Oyster House Creek on the 17th. Initially, it was quite windy and a bit rough as there is little protection from the wind and waves in the grasslands, but the wind settled down some during the night. The next morning we were off to Charleston and made good time arriving off the peninsula with the historic waterfront homes just after noon.

   We had hoped to stay at the Charleston Maritime Center marina but found out that most all the Charleston marinas were fully booked. We found a spot up the Cooper River at the Cooper River city marina. While it is in a fairly industrial area between two merchant ship unloading facilities, the marina folks and services were excellent. Since we were leaving early the next morning they let us tie up on the end of the T-head rather than in a narrow slip. Given the tidal currents in this marina, that was just great.

   While in Charleston we were able to meet with our good friends, Paulette and Tim. Paulette was our best friend from high school days and Sue's maid of honor at our wedding. We had a great visit and wonderful dinner at a waterside restaurant. I scoped out the anchoring spots much closer to the restaurant, as they told us it was one of their favorites. Next trip we will know where to go and anchor nearby. 

Next morning it was time to push off and continue the journey northward. Charleston is just as busy a harbor as Savannah and we had to race this guy to see who would get through the bridge first. We made it through with plenty of time to move over a bit to the right and give him space to pass.