Georgetown, Charleston & Hilton Head

We departed Myrtle Beach Monday morning headed for Georgetown SC. We had intended to stay one night, but realized we would need two.   Another mechanical issue had developed in the past day, a failed alternator on one of the engines.  I had contacted a mechanic there who we had used in the past and he would be available Tuesday morning for the install.  Fortunately, there is a spare on board.  I think I have mentioned before that this boat came with an extensive spare parts inventory.  

The 50 mile run to Georgetown was very pleasant, with blue skies, light winds, and warm temps.  Myrtle Beach is quite large, so it took a couple of hours to clear the residential area. The landscape transitions from a straight cut to winding river and the foliage slowly transitions into cypress swamp.  Not the most interesting scenery but very remote and quiet. Hence, no pics. But the dolphins have returned in numbers.  We are getting engagements a number of times a day, with small pods enjoying our bow wake for up to 20 minutes at a time. 

We had an ebb tide with us all the way so made very good time down the Waccamaw river, arriving Georgetown late afternoon.  

Georgetown is a favourite stop for us.  It is the 3rd oldest town in SC and the homes reflect that.  Lovely little town with one the greatest collections of Antebellum era homes on the east coast for a town of its size.  The other big draw of this place is the seafood shop that we buy fresh shrimp from.  Shrimp here are the size of prawns in BC, and a pound is about 20 shrimp.  

We had a great visit with the son and partner of good friends of ours from Vancouver, Kris and Julia, and baby Aeva, who are touring the east coast in their camper van. Their trip coincided with our stop in Georgetown.  They joined us for dinner that night and  briefly for coffee in the morning before continuing their travels.  Great to have a visit with them. 

The alternator install went well but it was too late in the morning to get away and arrive at our destination before dark so we enjoyed more of Georgetown.  On previous visits, we didn't have our bikes, so this time we made use of them to explore the 40 square blocks or so of the historic part of the town to see the great houses.  Also came across a "Champion" oak tree that is believed to be more than 500 years old.  Amazing that a tree of that size could survive the number of hurricanes that has swept through that area over that time.  

The only downside to the area is that there is a pulp mill nearby and for the first half of our visit, the wind brought the distinctive aroma our way.  Kind of like being back in parts of BC.

We departed for Charleston SC early Wednesday morning and had a spectacular day for the 7 hour run, with 0-5 knots of wind and 75F temps by mid afternoon.  The scenery transitions to classic South Carolina low country, with miles of sea grass on one side, with some treed islands and a bit of topography to the west.  

The control depth for the ICW is supposed to be 12' from Norfolk to Florida, but we spent a lot of time  in single digit depths, an extended period in 8' or less, and at times saw soundings with a 4.  Now those are from the transducer location on the hull which is a couple of feet above the keel, but still, a very discomforting depth to be travelling in.  Makes for very "focused" attention to the channel, trying to find the deepest water on the chart and and in real time.  

We arrived Charleston about 1430 and were put at the 1000' mark of the 1500' "Megadock", which makes for a long walk to the shore, but makes for great boat viewing on the way.  

We made use of the marina shuttle van for a provisioning run and made plans for the next day.  We have been in Charleston twice before and have seen a number of the main sights, so we were looking for something new to do. We visited the Museum in the morning, which is outstanding.  The oldest museum in the US, it presents the economic, social and cultural history of the area very well.  It also includes a replica of the Hunley, the first submarine to sink a ship, during the Civil war. 

We mostly think of the economic history of the area being dependent on cotton, but rice was an important crop here as well.  Pre-civil war, 90% of the nations rice production came from NC, SC and Georgia, but was only economic with the benefit of slave labour.  70% of slaves transported to the US in the first half of the 1700's came thru Charleston.  Post civil war, rice production declined dramatically and was done by the turn of the century.  

In the afternoon we used our bikes to explore the Battery residential area more thoroughly, in still fine weather.  We had done a walking tour of the Battery previously, but of course had only seen the highlights.  On our bikes, we were able to explore many more streets and see more of this fine collection of antebellum era homes.  Charleston has done a great job of preserving the history and architecture in the area.  

We departed early the next morning with light N winds, but behind us of course, for the 60 mile run to Beaufort (Bew-fert SC, as opposed to Bow-fort NC) and arrived mid afternoon in stronger winds.  Not a very appealing marina but our only choice in the area.  When we did this southbound trip 2 years ago, we were a couple of weeks behind the main pack of boats headed south, and had some flexibility on marina choice.  This year we are having to reserve marinas a few days in advance, but still don't always get first choice.  A bit hard to do when schedule is so uncertain on a boat with wind and weather issues to think about.

We got up the next morning to a bitterly COLD NE 15-25 knots of wind that was pinning us on the dock, but weren't about to stay.  As we didn't have far to go that day, we did wait until the tide turned mid-morning to reduce the wave impact in the river.  Used the spring-pivot method to get the stern off the dock, and came off stern first to avoid contacting the dock.  At least the wind was behind us for the 25 mile run down to Hilton Head and we arrived early afternoon at a very protected and pleasant marina. 

Previously when we have visited Hilton Head we have stayed at a marina which is behind a lock, so very protected.  As it was not available to us this time, we chose Shelter Cove which is inland on the island and equally well protected.  Being better positioned to visit more of the island, it was a fortunate change.  

Hilton Head must be one of the most bike friendly communities in the US.  There are miles of bike trails well separated from the traffic.  We made sure the bikes were well powered up and set off to explore as much as we could. The ride from the marina to the beach was about 4 km, and we then rode about 16 km on the beach.  The sand is firm and smooth making for a delightful ride.  

The beach is beautiful and seems endless.  We never did get a hint of the end.  The water is cool of course at this time of year, although kids were playing in it.  The beach is fronted by a variety of resorts and beautiful beach front homes.  With 70F temps and a light wind, it was a delightful ride.  

In the afternoon I even got a thorough boat wash done, which it needed as it had been nearly a month since done last, other than the rains in Chesapeake Bay. 

Our travels this week took us approximately 150 miles SW, requiring about 215 miles of travel.  The difference of course is due to the winding channels that comprise much of the ICW in this area.

Tomorrow we head for Georgia, and even more windy channels.