Onward to Beaufort

We didn't have to vacate our dock at the marina until noon, so Jessica had time to go home and pack for the voyage to Beaufort and we had time for one more bike ride. We viewed Charleston's other river, the Cooper, from the pavilion where we once enjoyed Thanksgiving. That year we hadn't planned ahead and had to feast at a picnic table on turkey subs with Crispy Cream donuts for dessert. It was actually alright. This year's feast for boaters at St Mary's sounds like more fun.

Beaufort (that's Bewfort, SC) was home for four nights, since we wanted to be securely anchored for the passage of Hurricane Ida. It was mostly a non-event with winds of around 25 knots. It would have been dreary with two days of rain, except we discovered old boater friends anchored nearby who happened to have a car. We hadn't been in a car in a month and made the most of it. First we delivered Jessica to the bus station, then made all the provisioning and shopping and eating stops. Our friends had to locate a marina to store their boat for the month of December, so we got to tour the gated island of Dataw. The next day we piled even more people into the car and cruised (in the land sense of the word) around again. We walked and biked every minute it didn't rain and got our fill of the historical neighborhood. Pat Conroy is legendary here, just missed a book signing by a few days at the local store. I bought his book "The Water is Wide" about his year as a teacher on Dafuskie Island, our next stop down the way. He didn't bother signing the cheap paperback copies.

Charleston Continued

It was my turn to do a little boat work and being at a marina with running water is the only time the boat is ever going to get scrubbed. It now has one clean side, must make pictures only of that side. It's still a waste of good touristing time and should be limited. Our son's friend Jessica, who lives in Charleston joined us for a few days and gave us an insider's tour Sunday afternoon. We saw the city from the top of the Market Pavilion Hotel; the rooftop pool and restaurant with mushroom heaters was an upscale change from our usual haunts. We headed around the corner for dinner at Hyman's Seafood' one of the oldest restaurants in Charleston. They lure tourists in with sample hush puppies on the street. There's a lot of tourist luring in Charleston, Jessica says they call it body snatching.

Charleston touring

The hiking and biking and dining in Charleston has already become a blur. Dining on ribs at Sticky Fingers is one clear memory. Getting back to the boat too tired to do up the town on a Saturday night is another. At least going to bed at eight lets us get an early start. A boater friend and I met at 7:30 to walk every cobblestone and brick street in Charleston. Sunday morning walks in a new city are the best. We handed newspapers through cast iron gates to the landed gentry, met puppies and their owners, found alley walkways, got desparate for coffee and treats before we finally got back to the marina restaurant. We left husbands on board to do boat work, they seemed happy not to be trudging around with us. Lee got the stove installed with only a few setbacks, like to gas line coming in on the opposite side. He was very motivated to get the on-board bakery up and running.

Charleston's waterfront

We arrived in Charleston in time to anchor out and then move to the City Marina the next morning. Since checkout time is noon, we paid for two nights at the marina and had 2 1/2 days to explore Charleston. We took advantage of their van to get to the West Marine Store to pick up our new stove, a clever machine that puts all the blame on me for any future burned baked goods. We used the extra time to provision at the Harris Teeter, Charleston's version of our beloved hometown Wegmans. We ignored the laundry, launching our folding bikes for a thorough exploration of Charlestown historic neighborhood south of Broad.

Rounding the Battery in Charleston

Miss Nell and her crew