On thru South Carolina

Friday, Nov 6th- Bright sun and a cool north breeze carried us 24 miles down the Cape Fear River to the historic village of Southport NC where we tied up to the free town dock. Have decided our 3 house batteries are failing us so I biked to Walmart and hauled replacements back via taxi. As I was unloading them a neighbor came out of his house and offered his pickup. Said he felt bad we had to take a cab. Took him up on his offer to return old batteries and do some shopping. It is amazing how often we experience this type of hospitality.

Sat- After a morning walk along the waterfront and downtown we are off to Calabash SC. where we spent a quiet night at anchor.

Sun-On thru Myrtle Beach on what I consider the least attractive section of the trip. The waterway is cut thru a rocky stretch with high banks. without anywhere to stop to visit the town except a few high priced marinas. After motoring 50 miles we anchored off a sandy beach up Thoroughfare Creek where we were invited along with another couple aboard Sanctuary to a potluck supper aboard the 45 foot catamaran Just Imagine. Both couples have called their boats home for a few years and it was a wonderful evening sharing stories.

Mon and Tues.- As we head down the beautiful Waccama River our plan was to stop in Georgetown for a day or two but with hurricane Ida heading our way we decided to press on south. The Ben Sawyer bridge above Charleston won't open in winds over 35 mph and we wanted to get thru before the winds built. Anchored in Weems Creek after a 63 mile day then arrived in Charleston by lunchtime where we plan to wait out the weather. Biked for groceries and some sightseeing most of the afternoon.

Wed- Even though Ida has been downgraded to a tropical storm it still brought rain by the bucketful all day. By evening the winds built and are expected to stay at gale force for a couple of days. This anchorage is definitely not my favorite as the tidal currents run fast and it is a long dingy ride across the Ashley River to town. We were stuck here in May for 5 days with the same kind of weather and if Charleston wasn't such a beautiful city I would hesitate to recommend anchoring here.