The wind blew all Saturday night and was still blowing Sunday morning, but not as quite as strong.  Given the past few days, we're glad we replaced the anchor chain before we left.  The old one had been getting progressively shorter as Leonard removed portions that showed the most wear.  The old chain had also been flaking rust and making a mess on the deck and being in salt water would only make that worse.  New chain was an reasonable insurance policy, and one less worry when the conditions deteriorated like they did this past weekend.

After breakfast we joined the parade of boats heading south .  Getting the anchors up took longer than usual, as they were both well buried, in fact it took several minutes of the boat rocking over the Danforth before it finally broke free.  Along with the extra hour gained in the time change, we had the current hustling us toward Beaufort, and had an ETA before 1000. 

The channel into Town Creek can be tricky..  It's  narrow with shoals close off both sides.  Several boats were heading out as we entered, and then the wind decided to blow 25 kts on the beam tending to push us out of the channel.  It was a relief to get into Town Creek.  We'd phoned the marina looking for a slip, but heard on the VHF they didn't open until 1000 on Sundays.  We were early enough we decided to drop an anchor and possibly just anchor out if things looked good.  Some how other boats always look closer when you're on board than the do from shore, and it was close quarters in the inner area where we tend to anchor.  There were a number of permanently moored vessels and 1 partially sunken vessel in the area.   With the wind still blowing, we decided to give the marina another call rather than worry about the wind and other boats.


 A slip was available, tucked well inside,  but without power.  Irene did a fair amount of damage to the marina, taking out a number of slips.  With a bit of help we managed to get Antares tied up.  The docks are about 8 feet long (we're 36) and we'd been directed to come in bow first.  The end of the dock was well short of the stays, much less the lifeline gate.  Given my lack of dexterity, I don't know how I could have gotten off the boat to cleat the lines if we hadn't had help. We used enough lines strung between the pilings and the dock that we looked a bit like a spider in the middle of a web, without an easy way out.  Leonard commented we should have backed in so it would have been easier to get off the boat.  He rigged our last short dock line to the mast with knots in it to use as a hand hold when we got off or on.  The free board is higher at the bow than at midships, and required getting my foot up to about chest level.  That I can do, but then lack the upper body strength to  heave myself up (Leonard didn't want me using the lifeline as a hand hold).  The line was just what I needed.

When we went to check in, the woman who had helped us  tie up, said she'd reduce the rate since we didn't have power on the dock.  At $1/ft it's probably the least expensive dockage we'll have the entire trip, so we'll deal with some inconvenience.  There are laundry facilities along with decent showers, and the marina has a courtesy car available for transients, which means we don't have to ride or bikes or walk several miles along a busy federal highway.

After we rinsed the boat down (the mud from the Beaufort anchoring was especially sticky) we headed into town.  Our first stop was the post office to check their hours.  We've used this post office in the past and it's conveniently located right by one of  the dinghy docks on Taylor Creek.  Imagine our surprise (and dismay) to find it had moved, and no new location was posted on the door.  Interestingly enough, the Beaufort USPS website had listed the location as open when we arranged for Melaina to send Leonard's license application in care of general delivery.  Leonard remembered a second location had been listed too, we just didn't know where it was.

We strolled along the waterfront board walk, looking at the boats on the docks and watching boats arrive.  We saw a near catastrophe when a big sail boat wanted to leave the fuel slip dock.  There's a reason (actually 2) we don't tend to use this marina.  The current in Taylor Creek can run at a good clip and maneuvering into the slips tricky, especially if wind is added to the equation.  (The second reason is price - it's a great location, right in the center of things and the dock guys are great, but it comes at a heftier price than we're willing to pay.)  The wind and the current were doing their thing, and at the outer end of the slip, the bowsprit (huge) of the boat on the face dock was encroaching well into the fuel dock area.  Quite a crowd gathered to watch, and I felt for the woman on deck who was trying to get a line off a piling that kept getting hung up.  Once she got it free, she raced around getting other lines in the right place while the guys on the dock  tried to keep the boat close to the dock (both the wind and the current had other ideas).  It was not of a size that it could be held with a line, so they had their hands full.  It did have a bow thruster which helped, and eventually they managed to warp the boat back enough to just miss the bowsprit as they departed.


We checked out the Maritime Museum's wood shop and learned the museum was free on Sundays, so we walked through and looked at all the Queen Ann's Revenge exhibits (Blackbeard's big ship that was discovered just outside Beaufort a number of years ago).  There are 2 theories about the wreck.  The first that Blackbeard purposely scuttled his ship because it was too large to maneuver in the shallow waters of the Banks, had a larger crew than he wanted to share the spoils, and by scuttling the boat he downsized (sounds like some kind of corporate executive).  The second is that it was an accident.  There were several interesting videos, but as they were literally back to back, it was hard to separate the dialogs. They also ran the PBS Blackbeard special in an auditorium, but we missed part of the last showing.

A stop across the street from the Museum at Spouter's Bakery, provided us with treats, but no bread.  The woman suggested one in Morehead City which sounded interesting.  We took the scenic route back to the boat through the older part of town that has some of the original  homes, and back along the boardwalk at the back of the anchorage.

Monday morning I requested the courtesy car so we could get to the post office.  It was conveniently located next to the Food Lion, so I shopped while Leonard took care of renewing his license.  There was no problem getting the letter as General Delivery, and the renewal is on the way back to Montpelier.  The honorary time for the car was 75 minutes, so we hustled (others were waiting for it) and ran over to Moorhead City after I finished filling a shopping cart with food, only to find that the bakery was closed, and the fish market literally had an empty case, quite the bust.

Leonard replaced the roller furling line - very easy with the bow hanging over the dock and everything within easy reach.  He also rigged an emergency furling line with 10 wraps around the top of the drum "just in case".  He also replaced the one side of the main traveler with new line (the old one looked ready to break), while I stowed the food and cleaned the cabin.  With most of the chores accomplished, we took the afternoon off and went for a bike ride, exploring the area on Taylor Creek to the end of the point.  There was an interesting lot for sale, with a view (distant, to be sure) of the Cape Lookout Light House.  As a sign invited people to inspect the property on foot, we did.  Very nice, but we expect it is well out of what we are willing to pay even if we wanted to move. This was the first day warm enough to be in shirt sleeves since we left home.


We also checked out the Boat House Marina, a big new stack and store marina with transient dockage way up the creek.  They had a great store with gourmet foods and wine, and all the amenities of a country club (sans golf).  It was right next to a public launch area that gave access to both Carrot Island and Shackleford Banks, unfortunately the dinghy was back at the boat. We passed a big plywood manufacturing site where they make all kinds of veneers,  and had a mill end store (we didn't go in, although we'd been invited).  Eventually we found Freedom Park, which was a bit of a bust as it consisted of a series of playing fields and little else.

We returned via the boardwalk in town, and watched a series of big cruisers dock (kind of like cheating with professional crew and bow thrusters).  While Leonard was busy watching I checked out one of the stores and found some bargains - deck shoes for me for far less than West Marine has offered this past year, and sea boots for Leonard (ditto).  The owner packed them neatly in a bag (my shoes tucked into Leonard's boots) so we could get them back on the bikes.

All that was left do to was the laundry, which I managed to get done before the staff left for the day.  We had a $5 deposit on a key that was needed for the laundry room, and we hoped to depart before they opened at 0830.  It was nice to sit and relax with all the chores accomplished.  It seems we're still adjusting to standard time - we're ready for bed shortly after 2100 and find it hard to stay awake.

After some discussion, we decided to stay in the ICW rather than hop offshore.  While the winds had diminished to 10 - 20, the waves had not, and Leonard wasn't sure about dealing with 7' seas.  There is a lot of fetch when the wind blows out of the NE in these parts.  We planned on an early departure (not so hard when you fall asleep at 2100) in hopes that the wind wouldn't have picked up yet.  It was a bit of work extricating the boat out of the slip, and it was nice not to deal with wind or a peanut gallery of spectators.  It appeared we were one of the first boats heading out for the day.

We managed to avoid the numerous shoals that lurk just off the channel heading toward Morehead City.  Seems there are a couple of marks that are well off the channel, which makes it easy to get into trouble if you don't keep an eye on the depth gauge.  Our plan was to spends the night in Hammock Bay, which is in Camp Lejeune, a Marine base.  We had great timing for the Onslow Beach Bridge, just needing to slow down a bit.  Since we had an early start, we spent a fair part of the day sailing under the jib, and had lucked on to having the current pushing us most of the day.  When we arrived at Hammock Bay, we were the 6th boat to arrive (4 had gone through the bridge with us).  By nightfall, there were a total of 24 boats anchored in the bay, a mix of sail and power.  Leonard played spectator, watching the boats anchor while I made bread.  It was nice to be early, and not number 24 on the arrivals.

Nov 8th, At Anchor in Mile Hammock Bay, NC, Position 34 33.025 N, 77 19.445 W,  Traveled 37 NM.

We saw a number of dolphins today - they tend to congregate at the channel entrances.  There were a couple of eagles, and a coyote along the bank just after we entered the Marine base.  We could hear gun or mortar fire in the distance on the base, but the ICW wasn't closed.  There were several vehicles maneuvering on the banks, but they headed inland rather than crossing the ICW.

The Marines did some sort of night training with helicopters (Leonard said they were the Osprey) and flew over the anchorage for a while after dark.  I didn't want to think of what could happen if they decided to hover over the anchorage and kick up a down draft.  The winds are forecast to be light overnight, which is a good thing, given how many boats are anchored here, some on a 3/1, or 2/1 scope.


If fog isn't an issue in the morning, we're looking for an early start.  We have 3 bridges to contend with, 2 which open only on the hour and are inconveniently spaced if your speed is between 5 and 7 kts.  We'll spend a day at Wrightsville Beach, then check the weather and wave conditions in hopes of heading offshore from Southport to Winyah Bay and Georgetown.  The section of the ICW south of Southport is one we'd prefer to miss, but we need to keep an eye on the storm off Bermuda, and the local conditions.

Sent Nov 11th from Georgetown, SC

Locations:
Nov 9th, At Anchor in Wrightsville Beach, NC, Position 34 12.478 N, 77 47.926 W , Traveled 32 NM.
Nov10th+, At Anchor, Wynah Bay, SC, Position 33 15.462, 79 14.825 W, Traveled 100 NM from Wrightsville Beach
Nov 11th, At Anchor in Georgetown, SC, position 33 22.006 N, 79 17.177 W,  Traveled 6.4 NM from Wynah Bay Anchorage

The word for Wednesday was "tedious".  The bridges in this part of the ICW are timed and spaced to require warp speed or crawling.  We don't do warp speed, so crawling is what we did all day, and in spite of going really slowly, still had to hang out at the bridges waiting for them to open.  This is the reason we prefer to do this portion offshore.  Wouldn't have worked this year, given the strong NE winds that have been blowing for some time now and with Sean hanging lurking around Bermuda. To the NE  7' seas, add a SE swell of 7' with slightly different intervals, and you have what we consider to be uncomfortable conditions.  So we did tedious.

If we'd have departed 15 minutes earlier we might have made the 0900 opening at the first bridge with little waiting.  As it was, the anchor came up easily, we were underway sooner than anticipated, and the current gave us a boost, causing havoc with our timing for the Surf City Bridge that only opens on the hour.  More than half the boats had departed by the time we left (0645) and several more were pulling anchor with us.  Two of the early departures took a bit of a side trip when they accidentally turned up the New River (very easy to do with multiple buoys) instead of following the ICW.  We saw them up the river as we passed, and wondered where they'd anchored.  Later we heard them chatting on the VHF about discovering new territory.  I nearly ran us aground right out of the anchorage when I looked down to do something on the chart plotter.  That would have caused a bit of a delay, and a lot of aggravation, but we could have gone faster to the first bridge to make up for time lost!  As it was, we spent a fair amount of time with the jib out and the engine running just above idle speed to maintain just enough speed to have a more or less timely arrival.

Needless to say, we were delighted when we arrived at Wrightsville Beach (that bridge only opens on the hour too, and had quite a back up of boat traffic as you can push to catch the Figure 8 Bridge which opens every 30 minutes, but still have to wait 30 minutes at Wrightsville).   Only boats who need less than 22' clearance can avoid this problem, as they can slip under the last 2 bridges.  Add to the mix a number of locals running around in fishing boats and you have a recipe for mayhem.  Once through the bridge at Wrightsville, there are a number of marinas on both sides of the channel, and various boats who rushed through the bridge slowed down in front of the rest of the fleet for a slip, adding to the confusion.  We were one of the last boats (also the smallest) to go through, and  had to work our way through the fleet after we cleared the bridge. 

We took the cut to the beach, just past the marinas, stopping for fuel and a pump out at the Seapath Yacht Club and Marina which is on the way to the anchorage.  We were surprised not to see more boats anchored, but were glad not to have to shoehorn our way in.  A number of the boats  were headed for an anchorage at Carolina Beach that has less to offer in the way of options for going ashore.  We were dismayed to find construction work underway on the bridge.  They were surfacing the road bed, and the work was both noisy and very dusty.  We hoped they didn't plan to work around the clock, . As it was, they were still working at 2000 but quit shortly there after.

The highlight of the day was spotting a number of eagles and a small deer swimming the cuts between shoals to get to new territory.  We're finally seeing osprey nests on the day marks.  In the past, it seemed more day marks than not were decorated with a nest.


We launched the dinghy to go ashore for a walk on the beach.  Although we could hear the surf hitting the shore while we were in Hammock Bay, we haven't seen the Atlantic since we went in at Cape May.  It looked fairly calm, all things considered.  The surfers were out in droves trying to catch the perfect wave.  Most did more bobbing in the waves than actual surfing, although we saw a few catch a wave for a good ride.
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It felt good to stretch our legs again, and beach walking is one of my favorite ways to do that.  We'd seen several moon jelly fish as we motored to the anchorage, and the beach  was littered with ones that had washed up with the tide.  We watched the shore birds hunting for dinner along the waves.  The least sandpipers run so fast they look like their legs are on wheels.  Somehow they are able to judge just how far up the wave will wash to avoid getting caught, getting bits of food as they run.

After some discussion and reviewing of weather forecasts, we stowed the dinghy on deck after dinner with plans for a pre-dawn departure.  The segment of the ICW south of Southport is our least favorite section of the "ditch".  We have done it once in all the trips over the decades.  There are parts in the Waccamaw River that are beautiful, but that gets overridden by the portion dubbed "the rock pile".  The rock pile is a very narrow, rocky segment where it is ill advised to meet or pass other traffic.  You are required to announce on VHF when you enter the area  to alert other boaters.  Any number of folks have had mishaps along that stretch, with keel or prop damage.  While some folks love to hit the outlet stores by Myrtle Beach, my "shop 'til I drop" tendencies have disappeared given limited storage space and/or lack of need for more "stuff".  Weather permitting, we prefer to avoid the glitz and traffic and hop offshore from the Cape Fear River at Southport to Winyah Bay, SC.


The current weather window looked reasonable,  NW winds of a bit more than ideal, but doable.  The winds were forecast to switch to the SW by Saturday, and remain out of the SW for the extended forecast.  That would be right on the nose, and although not very strong, would be less than ideal.  The hop was about 62nm from entrance to entrance, about 10 hours if we could maintain 6 kts.  In the past we've left Wrightsville Beach early in the afternoon to do the 25 NM run to the entrance (or exit in this case) of the Cape Fear River.  This has us arrive around dawn, spending the night offshore.  Leonard proposed trying a very early departure, spending the daylight hours doing the hop, arriving at Winyah Bay around 2100, and anchoring for the night a short way up in the bay.  We would get more sleep, and would do the run up the bay to Georgetown in the morning.  The inlet is a class A, well marked, and we've been in and out of it a number of times in Antares.  The chart plotter is also a plus, although Leonard has done an excellent job of navigating with the old hand held GPS over the years, getting us into inlets and keeping us off shoals using the paper charts (we still use them and find them great, especially for the "big picture" that takes in a larger area than is usable on the plotter).

We left the Cape Fear River about 1000, deciding not to be tempted to use the "short cut" western exit that has an 8' shoal.  We figured Irene had been through these parts, and sand is easily shifted by the forces of water, why tempt fate?  After we were under way, we heard a distress call from another sailboat (a catamaran) who'd run aground while leaving the river.  They managed to get off with a bit of assistance from a sport fish boat, and headed out.  Our problem was the NW wind happened to be W (our course is 262) which was not as forecast and a bit more on the nose.  As Leonard said, it's light and maybe they can't predict light variances.  We put the main up, and got a bit of help from it, but motor sailed - in this case we prefer expediency to being purists.  If the wind  went to the NW, we would out the jib and hopefully pick up a bit more speed..

We had a great visit by a pod of dolphins (our good luck charm) going past Carolina Beach.  They swam alongside the boat, and one broached right by the stern to send us on our way.  Late in the afternoon we saw another pod playing out in the Atlantic.

On our way to the Cape Fear River we went under another "65'" bridge with the bridge height board clearly showing 63'.  That's a real problem for those who need at least 64' to clear.  We heard one boat repeatedly call boats as they approached the bridge to please relay the clearance to him.  We think he may have approached the bridge earlier and found insufficient clearance, had gone back to drop a hook and wait for the water to go down.  That could easily mess plans for the day with a much later start than intended.  His other option would have been to return to Wrightsville and go out the Masonboro Cut.  This would require rounding Frying Pan Shoal that sits about 20nm SE of the Cape Fear entrance. 

Our day offshore was not what we expected given the weather forecasts.  We motored along most of the day in 4-6' SE swells with almost no wind waves.  Most of the day there wasn't enough wind to fill the sails, and what there was, was on the nose.  As forecast, it did cloud over and if there were showers (20% possibility), they missed us.  Late in the afternoon we picked up enough of a WNW zephyr to unroll the jib and sail for several hours.  The portions of the forecast they got right were the clearing (nice as it gave us the full moon to shine a light on things) and the winds increasing to 20 plus.  With the clearing skies the wind really did pick up, to more than we wanted.  We have had less luck with the new jib partially rolled, it's hard to keep it from fluttering and difficult to reach the leech adjustment, especially after dark in a seaway.  With less than 10nm to go, we opted to motor rather than risk an accident.  Leonard suggested more than once that we could just head to Charleston, with an early morning arrival.  I pointed out that the Kudzu Bakery is in Georgetown, and they make an awesome pecan pie that he happens to like.

With our knack for perfect timing, we hit the entrance to Winyah Bay around max ebb, and fought a 2.5 current with the wind on the nose.  The only thing positive about it was both the wind and current were headed out, making for fairly flat water once we got past the breakwaters and out of the swell.  We took a number of waves that doused us with salt water before we got inside.  Then it was a laborious chore to crawl our way up the bay.  We'd gotten to the entrance close to the time we anticipated (2200), and it took another 2 hours to work our way up to a place that would offer a scrap of protection from wind and waves.  Leonard thought about anchoring further out until I pointed out the fetch there was huge, given the winds.  It's hard to see the "big picture" on the chart plotter.  We decided it would be a more restful night (or what was left of it) if we fought the current along the western channel to just before the ICW heading S.  We saw another sail boat anchored further out the bay, but their location didn't look all that protected.

Nov10th+, At Anchor, Wynah Bay, SC, Position 33 15.462, 79 14.825 W, Traveled 100 NM from Wrightsville Beach

It was 0100 when we crawled into the bunk, cold and tired.  The cold front brought colder temperatures with frost warnings Friday night for interior portions (back to fleeces!).   Everything was secured for the night and the anchor had jerked us to a stop when it caught in the current.  Mr. Fishy, our external sacrificial zinc we deploy off the stern, swam so hard in the current it vibrated the stern rail, making a thrumming sound.  It took a bit to morph this into the "safe" category of sounds and fall a sleep.

This morning we drug ourselves out of the bunk to catch the last of the flood current for a faster ride up to Georgetown, SC.  We arrived  around 0900, after most of the cruisers had departed for the day, making it easier to find a spot to anchor.  It appears a number of cruisers are choosing to ignore the signs posted on the town docks that request "please no overnight docking" and using the docks rather than anchor. We'll stay in Georgetown for a couple of days, and then head on our way to Charleston, with a stop by Capers Island to visit the nature reserve.

Nov 11th at Georgetown, SC, Position 33 22.006 N, 79 17.177 W, 6.4 nm from Winyah Bay anchorage
Nov 12, South Santee River, SC, Position 33 09.362 N, 79 20.217 W, 14.9 nm from Georgetown
Nov 13, Whiteside Creek, SC, Position 32 52.333 N, 79 42.887 W, 30.6 nm from South Santee River

After lunch we launched the dinghy and went ashore.  We checked out the main street on the way to the bakery.  Perhaps because it is close to Charleston, the economy here doesn't seem to have been hit as hard as other places we've seen this year.  While there were a few empty store fronts, the town appeared to be about the same as on past trips with a number of folks out shopping on the street and enjoying the boardwalk along the waterfront..  Many of the homes are listed as historical buildings, several dating back to the 1700's, and many more from the 19th century.  Most are kept in pristine condition, which given their size, has to be expensive.  As on past trips, there was evidence of homes being restored, sill rot appears to be a common problem in the warm, humid climate.  We've always enjoyed walking along the streets, admiring the homes and gardens, and hiking out to the park on the point of land that juts into Winyah Bay.  Another treat is the local shrimp, which are available from a couple of fish markets.  We'd seen a number of shrimpers out when we arrived, so they are really fresh.


We were back aboard Antares in mid afternoon when we heard a parade on main street, so we hurried back ashore.  It was the Veteran's Day parade, with floats, bands, marching kids and vets.  We were close to the reviewing stand, and could hear the commentary about the parade being given by woman announcing the various participants.  Nothing like a little local color to add to the day.
 
Saturday dawned clear and crisp.  The weather forecasters had it right - it was a cold front, and the temperatures were close to or below freezing over most of the coastal areas by morning.  Fortunately things warmed up nicely in the sunshine and light winds.  After breakfast, I ran Leonard up the mast to check the steaming light which had failed to come on when we needed it offshore.  The bulb, just replaced at Atlantic Highlands in October, had burned out, so the fix was easy, but irritating since bulbs should last longer than that.  We went back ashore for a walk, heading to the grocery store, the bakery, and the bookstore which has a large selection of used books to stock up on the necessities of life.


We didn't stay in Georgetown as long as we had planned.  While great for the Georgetown economy, the steel mill had reopened.  Not so great for cruisers, as much of the anchorage by the clock tower has been usurped by locals with boats anchored or on moorings.  Many of these look like derelicts,  other appear to be used by liveaboards, and not necessarily in great shape.  This leaves the back of the creek adjacent to the steel  mill as the anchorage for cruisers.  Two years ago the mill was closed, but  appeared to currently be processing scrap metal.  This, along with the paper mill next door, tend to leave residue on the decks, and produce noise, 24/7.  The steel mill had sirens sounding intermittently during the day, and noise, beyond the "white noise" level, around the clock.  Then there were the gun shots fired around 0100.  Didn't count, but more than enough not to mistake the sound!  Don't know what was going on, but Leonard declared he wasn't about to stick his head out to see what was happening.  There were no yelling or sirens, so no one must have called the police. 



Nov 12, South Santee River, SC, Position 33 09.362 N, 79 20.217 W, 14.9 nm from Georgetown

After running our errands, we picked up the dinghy and caught the end of the ebb tide, heading on our way.  Leaving at mid day, there was little traffic on the ICW, which made for a pleasant trip.  Approaching low tide, the water was a bit thin in spots, so we stopped for the night on the South Santee River, saving some of the thinnest water for morning when the tide would be rising.  The night was much quieter, since we were the only ones there. Small boats had been tied to docks on either shore, but they left before sundown.  We relaxed and watched flocks of birds, glossy ibis I think, fly overhead as they returned to their roosts.  We'd seen a number of eagles and raptures flying while we were underway.


Sunday was one of those picture perfect days with light winds and mostly clear skies.  It was chilly, but the 0700 temperatures on NOAA were all well above freezing, including inland.  The surrounding area was much more visible now that we'd risen about 5' with the tide.  We could see several masts passing by on the ICW ahead of us as we pulled anchor.  We timed it right to avoid the early morning rush of boats heading out.  For almost 3 hours, we had the ICW to ourselves, and thoroughly enjoyed the scenery as we motored past the Cape Romaine Wildlife Preserve. 

This is one of our favorite sections of the ICW, with little evidence of civilization, just wildlife, salt marsh, and clumps of trees where there is enough ground to support them.  With the early morning light it was beautiful, and with the water level higher, easier to transit.  The extra 5' was great, especially when the depth gauge was reading under 15' in the shallower spots.  We tend to slow down and hunt for the deeper water when we get readings of 10' or under.  Running aground tends to spoil the ambiance of the day.

Nov 13th & 14th at Whiteside Creek, SC, Position 32 52.333 N, 79 42.887 W, 30.6 NM from South Santee River

We headed to Whiteside Creek to spend time at Capers Island, another nature preserve that usually has few visitors.  The first year we stopped, there was an incredible variety of water fowl on the catchment pond.  It's never been quite as good since, but we still enjoy the island.  Usually the beach is deserted but for us, and runs for several miles, giving us lots of places to poke around.  There are several trails inland too, and over the years, a number of bird viewing blinds have been constructed.  Usually Mama Alligator can be found snoozing on a bank by the catchment pond. 

We have reservations at the  Charleston Maritime Center for Tuesday and Wednesday.  Given the  number of boats we've seen this trip, we wanted to be sure to have a place to stay.  Anchoring, while possible in Charleston, can be dicey, and the dinghy trip a wet one between waves and boat traffic.  Charleston has been a major reprovisioning  stop for us in the past, and the expense of a slip beats carting bags of groceries across town and out in the dinghy.