Underway again with favorable winds and tides. Most of the day we enjoyed a 1-2 kt tidal push and although the winds were 20 kts or so, they were on our stern. However, the skies were cloudy all day so it seemed kind of damp and cold but it was still good to be underway. We surfed down Winyah Bay at 8+ kts and crawled between the North and South Santee Rivers at a little more than 3kts. Such is life on the waterway with a small engine and a slow boat.
Along the way we passed acres of abandoned rice fields and indigo plantations from a century or so ago. The rice fields still wave in the breeze and in sunlight were a beautiful golden color whenever the sun peeked through. We motored by some of our favorite anchorages in the Cape Romain National Wildlife refuge as they were quite exposed and the winds tonight are predicted to be 20kts or so. Still, I did get to do a little birdwatching as we passed by and was treated to large flocks of Oystercatchers and a Bald Eagle sitting on a piling by water's edge. One large group of shore birds, too far away to identify, turned the white shell bank to gray.
We finally stopped just short of Charleston at an anchorage that was rated good for wind, though without a tree or high bank in sight, we're not really sure we understand the rating. At least there is very little fetch so there shouldn't be any issues with waves.
Dad and Murph left just at dusk in search of a shell bank in all of the surrounding marsh. After a successful trip, they returned and Jim fixed a great steak dinner in honor of my birthday. Gosh, those events seem to come awfully quick these days!