Charleston, like many of the old towns lining the east coast, is full of history and "Charlestonians, while known for their hospitality, are also protective of their ancestry. We decided to walk the town as its pretty much all flat here in the "low-country" and along the way visited a couple of museums where I got a history lesson in the American Civil War. We found a great fudge shop and shopped in a really old brick market in aptly named Market Street. Pierre nearly had me convinced it was an old slave trading market until I saw the plaque on the entrance that it was actually built as a meat, fish and vegetable market. But who knows, the east coast does have a shadowy past, not to mention infamous pirates like Blackbeard who terrorised these waters in the 1800's.

When fronts come through here, they really come through. As the wind built to 40 knots with gusts to 50, we sought shelter at the Mustard Seed for dinner with Walter and Erin, friends of Kim and Pierre whom they met at the yard in Annapolis. Back at the marina it was time for double dock lines as the night turned nasty. Lucky we decided to tie up after the 1st night at anchor in Charleston harbour.

No stop in town is complete without a mandatory visit to West Marine so, after they successfully relieved me of more "boat bucks", we re-provisioned to leave in the morning for the next overnight leg to Cumberland Island, Georgia. Florida, here we come!