October 15, 2000
Location:
Calabash, NC
Odometer:
517 miles
With seafood on our minds, we cruised to Calabash, NC! Our
choice anchorage, and the only close anchorage to the town, was filled
with dredging equipment so we took a slip at Marsh Harbour Marina, where
we purchased 300 gallons of diesel and cleaned up a bit. We walked
into town and had a wonderful dinner at Grapevines restaurant. The
calamari appetizer was superb and the stuffed founder was
delicious! The next morning found us re-bedding the starboard
ports, filling the water tanks and heading south!
October 16, 2000
Location:
Waccamaw River, SC
Odometer:
550 miles
The Waccamaw River is gorgeous - the prettiest
area we have cruised in - ever. The pictures we have loaded here do
not do the area justice. The trees we just beginning to turn, the
water is dark and quiet, and birds and water fowl abound. We fell
asleep to the sound of woodpeckers....Island Bob would be in heaven.
October 17, 2000
Location:
Whiteside Creek, SC
Odometer:
610 miles
The next day we continued cruising for most of
the day and anchored in Whiteside Creek. Upon entering the creek we
were greeted by a pod of dolphin - what a wonderful hello! This area
of the ICW is flat and marshy - a change from the tall trees and narrow
creeks of the Waccamaw River.
October 18-19, 2000
Location:
Charleston, SC
Odometer:
650 miles
We arrived in Charleston around 11am. We
anchored across from the City Marina with cross currents of nearly 3 knots
and a tidal change of 6 feet. The boat was really rocking - not
great sleeping conditions - felt like we were underway. Charleston
is much bigger than I imagined but still has a very convenient public
transportation system. We took advantage of these "cable
cars" (city buses) and toured the city. We walked through
Market Street and watched the local women weave baskets in the open air
markets. We ate lunch at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company and were
educated on how to stop a passing waiter. Each table has license
plates that either say, "Run Forest Run!" or "Stop Forest
Stop!" If you need a waiter, you flip to "Stop Forest
Stop" - pretty humorous and effective! The food was fair but we had a
fun afternoon. We returned to the City Marina and did some laundry
and when we returned to the dinghy dock the dinghy's were sitting on the
bottom! We had to lift the engine and push off the bottom to reach
deeper water. The next day we went to the Charleston Library and
caught up on e-mail then went to the Aquarium. The Charleston
Aquarium opened in May of this year and is worth the visit. It does
not compare to the Baltimore Aquarium or the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
We then went to the IMAX theatre and saw "Dolphins".
What a wonderful show!! There is incredible footage of Abaco Bahamas
and the film demonstrates just how intelligent these mammals are - I love
these creatures even more (if that is possible).
October 20-22, 2000
Location:
Beaufort, SC
Odometer:
719 miles
The trip to Beaufort was amazing for one reason
- dolphins!!! Three dolphins swam with us for around 20 minutes
directly in front of the bow. The more noise I made (screaming with
joy, etc.) the more they would surface or swim with one eye up watching us
- incredible. The photos do not demonstrate just how amazing this
experience was. We are currently in Beaufort anchored beside Lady
Island Marina. Beaufort is a small, quaint and friendly town - we
really love it here. There are numerous small shops and restaurants
and the people are exceptionally friendly. More on Beaufort to
come......
