There
is something comforting and heartwarming about retracing our steps as we cruise
south along the ICW, revisiting many of the marinas familiar from our northward
trek some months ago. The variables might be different, but the root equation
is the same. Oh, do I sound like a mathematician? This revisiting gives
us some expectations as to morning walking routes, amenities offered on-site
and in the immediate vicinity, friends/acquaintances we might encounter, etc.
Quite delightful...at least for me!
This
week's goal was to reach Charleston, SC in time for a weekend road trip to
Gainesville, FL for the MU-FL football game. Clay had surprised me with this
possibility, then buckled down to fine tune plans to make it a reality.
Monday's travel took us to Harborwalk Marina in Georgetown with a midday stop
at Osprey Marina, well-known throughout the boating community for its
cheap (well, comparatively so) gas and free pumpouts. We took advantage of both
services after killing time in the waterway awaiting our turn. Popular spot!
We
did frequent weather checks Monday night, anticipating the upcoming round of
storms due to hit Tuesday. Clay called the go-ahead to depart early Tuesday
morning, and we enjoyed a beautiful and sunny but quite windy cruising day. Had
we had adequate water depth, we could have reached Charleston Maritime Center
this Tuesday evening; but tides were not in our favor, so we docked at the Isle
of Palms Marina, ate casual fare at nearby Morgan Creek Grill (a sports bar on
the upper deck, to Clay's delight), then retreated to the boat with barely ten
minutes to spare before the storms hit. On a boat, there's little doubt when
the storm front hits!
Mid-morning
clearing on Wednesday allowed us to explore this Isle of Palms area a bit on
foot as we awaited a water depth (tides) to accommodate our crossing to
Charleston. We draw only 4', but we need every bit of that 4' to avoid running
aground. And, that wouldn't be pretty!
The
Charleston harbor was as we remembered it. We arrived mid-afteroon for our
week's stay, checked in, showered and headed to the Charleston City Market just
for old times sake; didn't buy, but had fun looking. It's entertaining watching
shoppers wander through the kiosks/stalls. And, it's quite apparent we are
between seasons; I'm dressed in shorts, tank top and sandals; yet I see other
females in black slacks, long sleeve tops/sweaters, socks and close-toed shoes.
There's a dukes' mix of apparel being worn, for sure!
Much
of Thursday and Friday morning we spent finding closure on boat tasks and
prepping for Friday's departure. Because Enterprise (car rental) was slow to
respond to our call for pick-up Friday morning, Clay and I opted to hail a
pedicab on the harbor front, load ourselves and our weekender bags aboard the tricycle
cart and enjoy the short ride through historic downtown Charleston to the
Enterprise location. Our very personable young male driver (actually I guess
he'd be called a 'biker') chatted amiably during the ten-minute ride as we
peppered him with our curious questions. He was a short-term resident of
Charleston, having arrived some nine months ago from St. Louis via Nashville.
He told us he was required to obtain both chauffeurs and business licenses
during a one-month wait period before he could work as an 'independent
contractor' with the pedicab company. Looked to be a delightful occupation to
me: enjoying the great outdoors, meeting people (probably most were happy
vacationers), exercising, working self-defined hours. He delivered us to our
car rental location, wishing us a safe trip and a Tiger win. Off we went to
cheer the Tigers to a victory over the Florida Gators.
More
later as we return to the SaSea Sally harbored in Charleston, SC.
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