Charleston explorations

Brrr, departing Georgetown for sea...

Charleston, South Carolina is always one of our most favorite stops on the AICW. This time, for the first time, we departed Georgetown, SC, at high tide and ran the current out to sea. Exiting Winyah Bay between the submerged jetties with a 3 knot outflow against a 15 knot wind made steep 4 foot waves! Our boat was going vertical, then diving under waves like a submarine, then driving skyward like a rocket. Holding onto the wheel was a task and, lucky for us, it only lasted for a mile or two. Once past the jetty, we turned south and headed out to the 30 foot deep water where the waves subsided and we could motor sail south to Charleston 68 nm miles away.

Sunrise heading to sea, so calm...just wait

At one point we were asking ourselves....WHAT THE HECK are WE DOING?.....as we did not foresee the current against wind situation. Our buddy Reuben aboard svPRIORITY, single handing, was harnessed in and hanging on and so was IP38 MOONDANCE. After a great ocean run, we turned into the Charleston Harbor and up to our favorite little spot, the Maritime Center at 10 Wharf Street. This location is so good because it is right off East Bay Street and very close to the Harris Teeter grocery store.

REUBEN did it! 630 nm single handing to Charleston, SC
L-R Reuben, Bob, Nina, Radeen and Hayden

With our team safely docked in Charleston, it was time to celebrate, as this was the first time Reuben on Buddy Boat IP380 PRIORITY had single handed such a long trip. Three weeks ago exactly, Reuben departed Baltimore by himself and ran with us for 630 nm to Charleston, SC! WOW, that is truly amazing and we are so proud of his accomplishment. Reuben is a fantastic man and we really enjoyed our time together. This was truly a time to celebrate with a bottle of Champagne and good snacks. Cruising is such a great life - it is more about the friends than the destinations that you reach. We really have great friends and we enjoy sharing this life together. From here, the team may be going in separate ways and at different times. Reuben will be having crew arriving Tuesday, Bruce Gregory of IP32 Morning Star. Moondance will be making a direct ocean run for Fort Pierce. Team Island Spirit extended our dockage until Monday as we have some other jobs to work on. For now, we will simply walk the town, enjoy the services, and tour the historic sites. There is nothing on the East Coast like Charleston, South Carolina. To arrive from sea makes it that much better.

Here are some photos

Nighttime photo of the Ravenel Bridge and Island Spirit

Auto Carrier GRAVITY HIGHWAY arrives to offload Korean cars

Gravity Highway auto carrier close to the docks in Charleston, SC

One tug boat docking the Gravity Highway

The Old and the New, Gravity Highway and the schooner Pride

Hampton and Connie of mvSNARK, good friends and former IP32 owners

Fine dining at Oak Steak House with our team, Radeen, Bob and Nina

Our good friend Reuben with Hayden

Fine dining for steaks and good red wine. Thank you, Reuben!
Reuben, Hayden, Radeen, Bob, Nina

The Arthur J.Ravenel, Jr, Bridge opened in July 2005.

Charleston is a major shipping port, this is another Auto Carrier

The car lot offloaded and the train cars ready to load,

Sunset on the Ravenel Bridge with the Charleston Harbor Resort Marina

A tour of Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired

Fort Sumter has an impressive display of cannons from all eras

Fort Sumter

Walking the Straw Market Place of Charleston, SC

Cooking Shrimp and Cheese Grits for the team's farewell dinner

City Hall, Charleston, SC and the First Bank

Charleston has the most beautiful historic buildings

Sunrise over one of the many churches of the "Holy City"

The manager and horse trainer for Old South Carriage Tours

The HUNLEY was a Civil War submarine with a torpedo pole bomb!
Human powered

Mrs. Charleston, Radeen, in front the replica of the Hunley

To the left is the MEGA dock, to the right is MARITIME Center
The action, East Bay Street is to the right.

We are so drawn to cities and we really enjoy spending time in this one. For us, there is something interesting and unique about arriving at a city via boat. We are living this simple boating life style yet we have the conveniences of a city. For us, it really adds to the boating life.