11/9
We were on the outside of the fuel dock and the wind had Nemo pinned to the inside. Not to mention the tide was running pretty good too. Carl and another boater helped to hold Nemo's lines so Don could turn around in a tight spot to get out of the marina. It was 7:15 a.m. when we untied from the dock. It was cloudy and cooler but fortunately, no rain. The Wacamaw River was pretty even in dreary weather. We pulled into Osprey marina, just past Myrtle Beach, at 4:50 p.m. It was a long day!
11/10
We all enjoyed complimentary coffee and donuts this morning before leaving Osprey. We left at 8:45 a.m. It rained over night and was cloudy this morning. The sun finally made an appearance after noon. The winds were light and cool. The flat lands, marsh grasses and trees dripping with Spanish moss are beautiful through here. We anchored between Georgetown and Charleston on the South Santee River. It is getting colder so we ran the generator to heat up the electric blanket. The forecast doesn't look good, so we plan to be in a marina in Charleston for a few days.
11/11
It was 39* at 6:30 a.m. and 51* inside the boat. We weighed anchor at 7:15 a.m. and fell in behind Nemo exiting our anchorage. There is a lot of traffic on the ICW already. Everyone has the same plan to get through the shallow spots on high tide. After discovering that our first two choices of marinas are already full, I finally got a reservation at Charleston Harbor marina. This was a day for bird watching. We saw a pair of bald eagles, docks with Pelicans, seagulls and cormorants lined up. There were also dolphins swimming around us. We made great time averaging 7+ knots motoring with the tides. We even made it to the Ben Sawyer bridge an hour earlier than our ETA. We were outside of the marina at 2p.m. They were very busy and asked us to wait outside for our slip assignment. We waited an hour! The only consolation was that it was nearly slack tide by the time we entered the marina basin. Judy and Don have experience with this marina and typical for Charleston, the current rips through here. Nemo tied up first and then we came in. We had to go inside a long finger pier and slide in front of a large motor yacht. Carl did an excellent job putting the boat in, but I'm not sure how we'll ever get out! We all walked the long docks, past the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier, a warship and a submarine that are open to the public for tours. It was Veterans Day and patriotic music was playing over the loud speakers. We finally reached the office and bath house. We couldn't be any farther away! It has been a long day. Don and Judy came over for cocktails and appetizers that we all declared was dinner. We may be here for a few days waiting out some weather.