This week, we were in no great rush, because our destination was only 74 nautical miles away (64 road miles). This was a good thing because, as Anne Lennox of the Eurythmics would say, ”Here Comes the Rain Again!” However, it was just rain most of the week – like a rainy spring week at home. Fortunately, the rain brought cooler than normal temperatures – mid to high 80s in the daytime and 70s at night – while we were in Georgetown, SC. It got back up into the 90s for the Fourth of July weekend.

Monday, June 27, 2022- Safe Harbor-Charleston City Marina

Three weeks ago, we sold the sailing dinghy that came with HOMES. Today was the day that the buyer came to pick it up. When we bought HOMES, she came with two dinghies: 1) The one we use – a 2021, 13-foot Zar Mini, hard bottom dinghy with a 30 HP Suzuki outboard motor; and, 2) a Norseboat 12.5 sailing dinghy.

We are not sailors, so we were never going to use it. Tim and Nick took it out once on Spring Break, but didn’t try to sail it. So, we listed it with a Norseboat broker who sold it in three weeks to a guy in North Carolina. That guy was very happy that we were heading up the coast and could drop it off.

Luckily the Charleston City Marina ”Mega Dock,” where we had been staying since Friday, had golf carts with hitches. A dock hand drove the buyer’s trailer down the dock to HOMES and Tim craned it onto the trailer.

Now we’ll have to figure out something to do with all of that deck space!

While Tim was dealing with the sailing dinghy, I spent the morning and afternoon cleaning and doing laundry. It was a steamy day outside, so staying in the air conditioning was preferable. I like to do big cleaning jobs and washing sheets and towels when we are at a marina and hooked to their water. I washed all of the windows. The porthole windows and screens took the longest because they were covered in dried-on saltwater spray.

After our respective work days, we had an early dinner on the boat (Tim is a master with his Instant Pot!), then headed out to walk the town one last time. I still wanted to see the Old Exchange Building and Rainbow Row. The Old Exchange Building, which was completed in 1771, is a Charleston landmark. It has been the property of the British, United States, Confederate and Charleston city governments. It is where, in 1788, the South Carolina leaders debated and approved the U.S. constitution, ensuring liberty for all. Ironically, inside and just north of the building is where thousands of enslaved people were sold as early as the 1770s. Charleston was one of the largest slave trading cities in the U.S.

Rainbow Row is a series of 13 brightly-colored houses along the waterfront dating back to about 1740. After the Civil War the area became a slum, but in 1931 the neighborhood was revitalized. Some theories for why the houses are painted various pastel colors are: so that drunk sailors might find their home easier; it was how a merchant indicated what items he sold; or, the light colors helped to keep out the heat.

I think Tim’s favorite part of our history walk is when we found an alehouse dating back to 1803 – The Blind Tiger. We enjoyed a local craft brew and cider, before the long walk back to HOMES.

Tuesday, June 28, 2022 – Charleston, SC to near McClellanville, S.C.

It was nice getting underway again, after being at a marina since last Friday. We headed out across Charleston Harbor and past Fort Sumter imagining the horrors of this area during the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. However, we were quickly brought back to reality because of two big freighters and a Coast Guard boat that we had to negotiate around. Those big boats move much faster than we do!

We traveled 42.9 NM today and were underway for a little over 7 hours. We took it slow because, despite leaving at high tide, it was 7-8 feet in some places. The weather forecast was calling for rain all day, be we only got into a little light rain for a short time – long enough for Tim to drive from the lower helm for the first time.

If you drive Route 17 from Charleston to McClellanville, near where we anchored today, you could do it in about an hour. However, our 7-hour trip took us through Francis Marion National Forest on our port (left) and and sea islands on our starboard (right). The National Forest is named for a Revolutionary officer who was nicknamed the Swamp Fox and is considered one of the fathers of modern guerrilla warefare. The forest is a subtropical coniferous forest, meaning it is made up of conifers (con-bearing seed plants) like cedars, Douglas-firs, and cypresses, whose needles are adapted to deal with the variable climatic conditions. In 1989, the forest was nearly destroyed by Hurricane Hugo. Today, most trees in the forest do not predate that hurricane.

We anchored off Cedar Island in the South Santee River/ Santee Coastal Reserve. Being all alone in the middle of a wildlife reserve was nice after being at the ”Mega Dock” for four days. Reviews for this anchorage said that people have seen alligators. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any alligators, but our luck would change tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 29, 2022 – Near McClellanville, S.C. to Georgetown, S.C.

We were awakened at 4:30 a.m. by heavy rain. We shut the windows and went back to bed, since we had no intentions of leaving in the rain. When we did get up, we found that HOMES has a leak somewhere in the helm. We’ll investigate once we get to the marina where we’ll be staying for a few weeks. The rain moved out around 9:30 a.m., so we pulled up anchor and headed out for our 3-hour trip to Georgetown – only 16 nautical miles away.

We cruised through the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center – 24,000 acres of marshes, wetlands, forests and beaches, donated by a long-time owner of the Boston Red Socks, who inherited the property in 1925. We went past the pontoon swing bridge that connects the two sides of the wildlife center. The swing bridge, which replaced the last operational ferry in Georgetown County, is the only means of access to Cat and South islands. Before the islands were owned by Yawkey, they were home to at least seven plantations. The swing bridge is pulled across the ICW by cable. It is operated by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and used infrequently by park personnel. Not surprisingly, we didn’t get to see it swing.

Just as it began to sprinkle again, we anchored right off the banks of Georgetown, on the Sampit River. What a great anchorage and town!

Georgetown is the third-oldest town in South Carolina. Last week we visited the first (Charleston) and the second (Beaufort). We braved the sprinkles and took the dinghy in for coffee and a walk around the historic downtown. We ended our walk at Buzz’s Roost. Tim got a flight of local craft brews and we enjoyed talking with some other boaters. The highlight today – I saw two alligators!

Thursday, June 30, 2022 – Georgetown, S.C.

Today was a non-moving day, so that we could explore Georgetown. We headed in for breakfast at the local cafe – Thomas Cafe. As we were leaving the cafe, we ran into a boating couple who we met in Titusville, FL and saw again last week at Charleston. They are ages 78 and 80 and will be selling their Defever trawler for a sailboat in the fall because power boating is too easy. We took this trip now because we thought we were getting too old to do this. 😂 We made plans to meet them for dinner, along with another couple from the marina where they are staying. They said that couple wants to meet us because they lived in Ohio before moving to Florida.

After leaving the cafe, we took a tour of the Kaminski House and museum, which we can see from HOMES. The Kaminski House is a plantation house named for the last owners who donated it to the town. It was built around 1769 by Paul Trapier, one of the wealthiest merchants/ planters in the colonies, for his unmarried 23-year-old daughter, who was considered a spinster. She did eventually marry, but had no children. She left the house to her niece in 1817, and then it was sold to a widow in 1855. So, unique for that time, the first three owners of the house were women.

After spending the afternoon on HOMES, we headed back into Georgetown to tour the Georgetown Maritime Museum before meeting up for dinner. The museum was packed with history. I took this picture of Georgetown in about 1920. The big 4-masted sailing schooner, built during WWI, is loading lumber at the Sampit River Sawmill. Fast forward to today, HOMES is anchored just at the curve of the river.

We met up with the other two couples for dinner at Buzz’s Roost. The couple on their boat ”Freedom” lived in Marble Head, OH for 21 years. That area was our home away from home for all of the years we had our other boat (Slow Poke) at Lake Erie, and Tim for many years before that on his first boat. So we enjoyed reminiscing and exchanging current cruising stories. They have done the Erie Canal twice and many other places where we want to go.

We enjoyed our last evening at Georgetown, watching an alligator float by the boat, fish jumping out of the water and listening to live music from the nearby restaurant.

Friday, July 1, 2022 – Georgetown, S.C. to Murrells Inlet, S.C. (Wacca Wache Marina)

We were again awaken by rain. However, a little rain wouldn’t deter Tim from getting the biscuits and gravy at Thomas Cafe that he didn’t order yesterday. So, we took a soggy ride in the dingy for breakfast. It was well worth to the trip! We pulled up anchor around 9:30 a.m. and headed out, passing the boats of the two couples who we had dinner with last night. They are both staying here because they want to be off the water for the Fourth of July holiday.

We noticed during our 18 NM trip today on the Waccamaw River that our scenery is changing. The Waccamaw River is a fresh water river. We still see palm trees and moss on trees, but now we see alligators and trees that look a bit more like the trees we see at home.

We had a short 18 NM trip, so after 3 hours, we pulled into Wacca Wache Marina at Murrells Inlet, S.C. The name Wacca Wache derives from the language of the Waccamaw Indians and means happy waters.

The waters may be happy, but the rain continued for most of our cruise. Tim drove from inside. I was the back-seat driver and worked on my blog.

We’ll be staying at Wacca Wache Marina for a few weeks, because we don’t want to be on the water over the Fourth of July holiday week. We had always been planning on coming home in July for a visit after this ”shakedown” cruise, so now is the time.

The marina isn’t within walking distance to anything. However, we are just here to complete a few projects and leave HOMES somewhere safe while we go home. The Wacca Wache Marina has been here for 70 years. The marina originated in 1954, built from remnants of local houses and cottages that floated down the waterway after Hurricane Hazel. We are enjoying the retro feel of the marina’s restaurant and bar.

Tim started the project to find the leak in the helm right away. He temporarily resealed the skylight that was causing the problem. We’ll bring back from home what we need for a permanent fix.

After dinner on the boat, we walked up to the marina restaurant for a drink. After all of the fun exploring Charleston and Georgetown, we’re ready for some time at HOMES.

Saturday and Sunday, July 2-3, 2022 – Murrells Inlet, S.C. (Wacca Wache Marina)

Saturday brought our first tropical storm scare. Tropical Storm Colin formed early Saturday morning, surprising forecasters. It was supposed to hit our area with gusty winds up to 40 MPH and produce 1-2 inches of rain. Luckily none of that happened. The locals all carried on as normal. The boat ramp that we can see was busy all day long.

Tim spent the day washing the dinghy. I stayed in the air conditioning – too steamy for me! I worked on my blog and read a book. We never got any wind and very little rain.

We went into the marina restaurant for a drink in the evening. We sat at the bar and enjoyed talking with an elderly couple. They had just come from church in Georgetown – 20 minutes away. Yes, it took us 3 hours in the boat! They live up the road from the marina, but she had a strong New York accent and cussed up a storm. I asked her about the nonchalance of the locals when a tropical storm was headed our way. She laughed and agreed that they watch the storm before getting too worried. There are three things to watch for…but she couldn’t remember what those three things were. 😂

Today, we routed the next few legs of our journey, which we’ll resume after a short visit home. I won’t do any blogs for the next two Sundays, since we won’t be moving. So, I hope you pick back up with us on Sunday, July 24th!

Happy 4th of July!! 🇺🇸

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