Beaufort to Charleston May 26 to 29

We left Beaufort on a leisurely cruise to Charleston.  It is about 70 miles away so we are going to stop at one of the anchorage that Jim and Gail have marked on the charts; a little more than 30 miles away.  With a good tide and wind we get there at about 1 PM.  I am thinking that we can push on as there are other spots to anchor, but decide that this is good.  There are green head flies in abundance, but we get the anchor set and relax.  About 3 PM we look out and see storms approaching as the wind has picked up.  The storms appear to be heading north and in the direction where we would have probably stopped.  Good call on not pushing on!!!  We get a couple of showers and the skies eventually clear.

The next morning we leave for Charleston.  With the exception of the last couple of miles it is uneventful.  We go down this creek and are doing close to 7 knots as the current is running close to 3 knots.  We have a draw bridge to deal with and we missed the 1 PM opening, so we are circling at the bridge dodging other boats that can get under the span.  Finally, the bridge opens and we are on our way to the Harborage at Ashley Creek marina.  We have booked a slip for a couple of nights and with little problem get into the slip.  As we approach the marina, we see the hotel that we stayed at three years ago. 

I work the rest of the afternoon and the next morning, and then we finally go downtown.  We had great time the last time we were here.  The marina provides a shuttle and we are dropped off by the farmers market, which has been remodeled.  Things have changed since we were here and there is a some construction and restoration.  We spend the day in the city and then grab some provisions and call for the shuttle.  We decide to stay an additional day and the next morning grab the shuttle for another trip downtown.  This time we go the the battery and the rainbow house section.  Wandering on the waterfront is cooler since the day is rather steamy.  Along the waterfront we have a good view of Fort Sumter, and there are several fountains with rules and regulations, along with there is no lifeguard on duty; Really!!!  We have some gellato; no ice cream, and wander off toward the shops.  We finally call for the shuttle and go back to the boat. 

We are planning to go offshore tomorrow as it looks like comfortable seas and decent winds.