Brown Island, South Santee River, SC to Charleston, SC
KORKZcrew is the blue dot on the map
KORKZcrew's anchor went up at 6:00 am sharp today, en route to Charleston and ultimately to Jekyll Island in time to meet Griff for Christmas on the 22nd. In a first-of-its kind development in our short history as trawler owners, we are making better time than we thought we would, and have just decided to slow down our journey a bit and stop in Charleston. It's unusual for us to stay at a marina, with the exception of pre-determined plans like a Christmas rendez-vous, but stopping in lovely historic Charleston during the holidays? Twist my very twistable (and happy) arm.
Skeet was our eyes on the bow this morning when we saw what looked like a boat in front of us, but what he determined were just lights on a nearby dock.
I started the day working on my computer in the galley. It's a cozy spot for hanging out, and the countertop has an overhang with enough room to fit one or two stools. The boat came with two, but we've discovered that one works better for our needs. Less is more, especially on an already-small live aboard boat.
One of my projects over the last month has been to buy sourdough boules and croissants from a local favorite Wilmington area bakery, flash freeze them, and then, well, you know what I'm about to say. It's funny when you start to put away your provisions (or maybe it should instead be embarrassing) to quickly realize where your priorities lie — and for me it seems that carbs rank pretty high on the list. Yikes. I've never claimed to be a health nut, and it might be because I'm not but desperately need to be. I've loved everything bread bread bread since I was a little kid, and distinctly remember my mom on multiple occasions instructing me to eat SOMETHING besides the bread at dinner. Oops. That's one life lesson that definitely didn't stick.
A quick story about the pillow in this image from our bedroom: my good buddies from Wilmington cooked up a scheme to decorate a pillowcase to take with me on this journey, and gave it to me at dinner a few nights before we left. I am a very lucky woman to call these people my friends. They are each incredibly special souls.
In other news, we put up our fake wreath today, which is the same fake wreath that used to live on Skeet's bedroom door every Christmas. He painted the ribbon himself when he was just a tot. Yes I'm a sentimental FOOL, and apparently a fake decoration fiend as well. The wreath usually precedes the installation on the bow of the not only fake but also inflatable tree (one tree; twice the tackiness!!), but that might have to wait this time around as we've been doing most of our driving from inside the pilot house, and the tackiness would interfere with our line of sight. It would be hard to explain to the Coast Guard that we ran into another vessel due to an inflatable tree obstruction, but it sure would give them a story to tell about some stupid AND tacky cruisers.
The Intracoastal Waterway between Georgetown and Charleston is particularly scenic, with few houses and endless views of untouched, unfake (!) beauty. The videos below hopefully gives you a sense of just how peaceful it is, and how remote it feels.
Dolphin sighting!
As we got closer to Charleston, the action on the waterway began to pick up a bit, and Skeet and Ron went into collaboration mode. They work really well together and both benefit from picking each other's brains. Skeet has all the navigation tools down to a science, and is always cross referencing the information on our GPS with the Aqua Map app on his phone or iPad.
Before too long we could see the iconic Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge (Cooper River Bridge) from the ICW. "When the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge opened on July 16, 2005, it became the longest cable-stayed bridge of its time in North America and the tallest structure in South Carolina."
Passing The Battery in Charleston
As we approached Charleston Harbor, Skeet figured out our best options for docking using the Dockwa app on his phone. Dockwa tells you about marinas in the area, their amenities, and their fees for fuel, overnight stays, and other services. Marinas typically charge their overnight fee based on the length of the boat, which is another plus of having a relatively small trawler (37 feet). Safe Harbor Charleston City was the marina we chose, with a beautiful and convenient location right on the Ashley River near downtown.
The marina had us park on the outside of the docks, and we were welcomed with this beautiful rainbow right after we tied up.
This will give you a sense of the scale of the marina's massive pilings. That's Skeet walking toward the marina exit. We hung out on the boat for a few hours getting things squared away, and decided to take an impromptu walk into town to stretch our legs for the first time since leaving Wilmington on Saturday. Steve was especially happy with that development.
It took me by surprise that seeing the various doorways of these beautiful historic Charleston homes actually made me incredibly sad, realizing how much my Mom would've enjoyed the imagery in person or via email, and that I couldn't share it with her in either way.
Our stop in Charleston was so unplanned that we ended up winging it with our walk, seeing where it would take us (thanks to Skeet of course), and deciding to eat at a strange time because none of us had had lunch. Skeet had also done a little bit of intel on good restaurants nearby, and boy did he hit the jackpot with this one! It turns out our weird timing worked to our advantage, as the restaurant he recommended is incredibly popular, and still had a 20-minute wait for a 3:00 reservation. 167 Raw is an oyster bar on Fulton Street, and has a sister property just around the corner called Bar 167, where they encourage you to spend your time until your table at the restaurant is ready. You don't have to ask US twice. 😂
That's the oyster bar on the left, and Bar 167 on the right. Both were absolutely fine with Steve tagging long.
The bar is upstairs at Bar 167, and they have a menu that's smaller and a bit different than their sister restaurant, with incredible mixed drinks. As far as I can remember. Just kidding. But I can honestly say I've never had a vodka grapefruit with a huge wedge of . . . grapefruit sitting right on the top, which sounds dumb to say out loud. But GOSH it was good, much like the setting itself. Such a charming spot that we debated about even leaving at all once our table was ready, but as it turns out, things were only going to get better from there.
Here are some scenes from our experience at 167 Raw, where we had lobster stuffed pasta agnolotti, a tuna tataki appetizer that was so incredible we ended up getting another one to go, and Skeet had a tuna burger we could not stop photographing or talking about. It's hard to talk about it again here, in fact, without getting a bit choked up.😜 The only bad thing about a great meal in such a special spot is that it has to come to an end. But thank you SKEET for finding it in the first place, and for encouraging us to move our lazy bodies and continue on from Bar 167. Now I guess it's back to vacuum sealed casseroles, but that's ok. We'll take the wins when we can. And what a win it was!!
One last look at KORKZcrew parked at the marina before we call it a night.
Night night, KORKZcrew!
7.25 hours underway; approx. 42.5 nautical miles traveled
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