I’m getting a little behind in my blog posts, so I will try to catch up bit by bit. We said goodbye to Charleston on Monday, October 26th. The night before we had a happy hour with Magnolia and Simple Life. We had first met Simple Life and her crew, Michele and Joe, in Chesapeake City on our 2013-2014 cruise. It was a treat to see them pull into the Maritime Center and say hello again.
Last night in Charleston- Happy Hour with Magnolia (Anthony & Annette) and Simple Life (Joe & Michele) .
Our travels from Charleston to Savannah took two days, two dreary rainy days, which is why it felt like slogging was the correct descriptive word. But, it wasn’t all that bad because we were traveling with Magnolia again, which makes it fun as we chat back and forth on the VHF comparing notes on conditions.
An early departure meant another sun coming up behind us as we motored around the Battery in Charleston and up the Ashley River to the ICW.
Al noticed windblown roofs on these docks. They were all near one another which made Al wonder if they had all been constructed by the same company, and poorly at that.
But, there was also some very windblown trees along the shore so perhaps there had been a strong blow through the region.
Another important milestone along the ICW – Mile 500, very close to this red marker 126. Once again, I think there should be a marker of some significance, like a big” 500.”
A photo just to show the dreariness we were slogging through. Pretty gray.
The waters were very high, from the high tide made higher by the full moon and the recent flooding in South Carolina. The edge of the ICW was difficult to determine – see how the marsh grasses barely show above the water line? And this green marker with someone’s nest sitting upon it was almost under water.
We anchored in a South Edisto River anchorage for the first night and even had dinner with Magnolia in spite of the rain. The next morning we headed towards Beaufort, South Carolina (pronounced Be-u-fort, not Bo-fort as in North Carolina) slogging again though gray clouds and rainy periods. In spite of that, there were still things of interest to notice.
A shrimper coming in the Port Royal inlet.
A duck blind. Through one stretch of marshland, we heard a lot of gunshots. Keeping our fingers crossed that we did not resemble a duck.
Ibis and pelicans
We continually had to pass through current line debris consisting of dried grasses carried in long lines. The current changed throughout the day, sometimes with us and sometimes against us, depending on where we were.
Our route from South Edusto River, past Beaufort, stopping in the May River where we anchored right off the ICW for the second night.
The dolphins were all around us in this anchorage.
You can see just how heavy the rain was at times – we could barely see Magnolia anchored nearby. Needless to say, we stayed on our own boats that evening!
Dark skies above Kindred Spirit as well.
Much to our surprise, the skies cleared enough for a rainbow before darkness descended . Hopefully this a good omen for the next day.
The full moon shines above us. I love the hatch over our heads – we can look at the moon and stars as our eyes close and we nod off to sleep.
The final day of travel to Savannah was a short one and much less gray. The skies were finally brightening. This is the where the ICW enters the Savannah River.
On the other side of the Savannah River we arrived at our destination, a private dock in a friend’s community, right off the ICW in Savannah.
“Home” for the next 10 days (which will be another blog.)
Our friends, Al and Lynn, also have a Mariner Orient 38, so you know that our conversations were all about those boats, AND Savannah.
Mariner Orient sister ships Left – Kindred Spirit in the foreground and Marisol across the way. Right – a closer look at Marisol.
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