On November 19th, we left our dock in McClellanville in a hazy, almost foggy morning.  Visibility was good enough to see a quarter mile or so.  Tide was high which made the day’s trip easier than it could have been.  I called Mark Little (Grand Adventure) who was going directly from Georgetown to Charleston.  He had warned us about some skinny water between marks 74 & 94.  As it turned out with the high tide, we didn’t have any problems.  As we approached the Ben Sawyer Bridge, a tug pushing a working barge pulled out in front of us. We proceeded around him slowly and under the bridge.  As we were entering the Charleston Harbor, we lost our electronic ICW line on our chart platter.  Suzanne quickly turned to the paper chart and guided us into the harbor and up to the marina. Once secured, Al hooked up the power and cable TV then checked us in.  Then Mon Amie received a good detailed washing.  We were now secured on the Mega Dock pier of the Charleston City Marina.

On Friday, November 20th, we both had some important priorities.  I purchased 4 gallons of oil and changed the engine oil and filter.  Suzanne caught the marina shuttle across town for a pedicure.  That’s what happens when she’s the admiral and Al’s the captain responsible for keeping the boat in ship shape.  After lunch, we took the marina’s shuttle to Harris Teeter’s supermarket.  After checking out, we called for the shuttle and rested on a bench waiting for it.  Once back to the boat, Al took a push cart over to the ship’s store and purchased 2 gallons of water and a case of drinking water.  That night, we had fresh sole fillets from Harris Teeter’s.  What a treat!

Saturday, we mapped out our options for next week’s cruise to Beaufort.  The marinas in between Charleston and Beaufort are off the ICW.  So, we decided that we would try to make a very long day of it on Tuesday and go the entire distance.  With the cruise plan set, we decided to take in Charleston.  We did some window shopping including Al buying a couple of shirts at Tommy Bahamas.  Since we missed lunch, we had an early dinner at the Noisy Oyster Bar on Market Street and East Bay Street. Afterwards, we took the marina shuttle back to the boat where Suzanne made her famous eggs, sausage, cheese dish for the next day’s Sunday’s brunch with Larry and Cindy McHale, good friends who were driving from their home in Aiken, SC.  They made reservations for Sunday night at the local Marriott hotel.

Sunday, November 22nd, Larry and Cindy arrived about 10:30 AM.  We broke open a bottle of champagne and gave them a tour of the boat.  Then we had a long conversations over a delicious brunch which also included fresh pineapple huge grapes and cinnamon muffins and finally banana bread that Cindy baked.  We stuffed ourselves with food and deep conversation for two to three hours then turned on the NFL.  The day was chilly and rain was coming down pretty hard.  It was nice to be with good company in a warm and dry Mon Amie.  We  yacked all afternoon while watching the Cowboys and Redskins play.  About 4:30, we broke out snacks and began cocktail hour.  We finally went to a restaurant to have a light dinner.  Larry and Cindy dropped us off at the marina entrance. 

Monday started with a phone call from Larry who was waiting with Cindy in the marina parking lot.  We drove to a large ex-Naval base in North Charleston where we attempted to see the Huntley (first submarine to blow up a ship) being restored.  We found that they were only open on weekends.  Plan B was, but what else!  Shopping a the Tanger Mall.  After buying many things we didn’t realize we desperately needed, we proceeded to downtown Charleston.  Where after numerous attempts at various restaurants, we ended up back at the Noisy Oyster Bar for more raw oysters and fresh fish. We returned to the boat where I took a few photos of Larry at the wheel giving him something to think about.

On Tuesday just after daybreak, we left the Charleston City marina for our long journey.  This was the longest day (66 statute miles) that we had during our whole trip.  We had a good welcoming and tied up behind a large power catamaran, Final Approach, owned by Bob and Debbie Demers.  Yes, you guessed it, i.e. Bob is a retired airline pilot. 

On Wednesday, we walked the main street of Beaufort.  Wow!  This is a great town with lots of shops.  Not to be outdone by Al with his Tommy Bahama purchases, Suzanne purchased a new jacket, a hand made bowl for our salon table where shells are now displayed and some Pandora bracelet beads.  We had a outstanding dinner at Emily’s which specializes in Tapas. 

Thanksgiving Day morning included telephone calls to family.  Just as important, we set up our four Christmas trees (granted: two are less than a foot tall). After decorating them, we prepared for our next day’s trip.  Then about 1PM, we took a walk up to the Parish Church of St. Helena where they have served for 30 years free Thanksgiving Day dinners.  Last year, they served 1,700 dinners to various local community organizations like meals on wheels, churches, as well as boater transients.  We were welcomed warmly and were treated like royalty.  What a fantastic giving day by this church and their hard working members.  The food was delicious.

Next Stop:  Thunderbolt, GA