March 28, 2017
Miles Today: 43.1 NM
Total
Miles: 485.7 NM
Our next stop is Charleston,
SC. It’s about 70 nautical miles. We’ve
been told the tides and currents are very strong in the Charleston area and to
time our docking for slack tide (the short period at the end of high or low
tide, when the water is not moving). We
opted to anchor 22 miles outside of Charleston the night before, so we could
pull into the marina and take advantage of slack tide around noon the next day.
It was to be a day of
encounters with shallow water and strong currents. We met shallow water at the entrance to the
Coosaw River, but the ride down the river was lovely. Still, it amazes us that these wide rivers
and/or bays have only 8-14 feet of water and you better stay in the marked
channel! There were several ‘cuts’ we
also traversed – Ashepoo Coosaw Cutoff, Fenwick Cut, Watts Cut – again, stay in
the middle of the waterway. The South
Edisto River had a strong current which both of us found difficult to steer a
consistent heading. The auto pilot got
its first real workout and we enjoyed every moment of its capability!
Riding down the Coosaw River - all alone
After successfully meeting and passing a large barge entering the Dawho River, we headed up the North Edisto River and the Wadmalaw River and turned into Church Creek. A sailboat and two powerboats were already settled in for the night. We found a quiet spot a little further up the creek and enjoyed a lovely night at anchor. In this part of the country, we’re finding the anchorages are often isolated and very peaceful. There's something about being on our boat, anchored in a sheltered nook of the river, with trees and marsh all around, very few lights and only the sounds of water and birds. It's becoming our favorite thing to do.
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| Arriving at Church Creek, SC |
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| Crab pots near the shore |
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| Sunset on Church Creek |
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| Night Lights |
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| Sunrise |
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