Living large

 Hi everyone,

White Seal was anchored out in remote parts of the Lowcountry the last 2 nights but now she is tied up at a marina! Highly unusual for Charlie to cough up money for dockspace but Charleston is an exception. The anchorage here is marginal, though it is packed with boats. It features very strong currents, a bottom littered with anchor snagging debris, and the opportunity for a suicidal row across the harbor to get ashore. No thanks. My friend Emily has done it but she admits it was crazy.

It was lovely coming in here. As soon as I exited the "ditch" I hoisted the main and sailed slowly up the harbor, fighting the tide. The autopilot steered while I secured dockspace by phone. It was a close call. The municipal marina was completely booked. 20,000 feet of dock space and they didn't have 36 feet for yours truly. And the place did look packed. In fact, there were 3 megayachts who couldn't get space and were forced to anchor out with the low budget crowd. Poor them. I lucked out and got a slip that was just my size at the Ashley Marina next door. It was a bit nerve wracking docking the boat with a really strong ebb pushing me towards the bridge, literally 10 feet away as I eased in at an angle. Fortunately there was an excellent dock attendant waiting. Probably could have done it alone but failure would have ended the voyage.

My friend Ron Rost comes tomorrow for about a week. We will stay here tomorrow night, and may stay a third if he wants a good look at Charleston. From what I have seen on past trips, the magic of the city is to be found south of Broad Street. No magic in the rest of the city. Absolutely choked with traffic and pedestrians are reduced to the status of a lower life form. Assuming they survive at all. Being next to the bridge means constant noise and there is the additional pleasant sound of helicopters landing at the hosputal next door. Probably delivering run over pedestrians to the ER. Sorry, bad humor. Quite a difference from the last few quiet nights.

Another interesting note. Listening to the weather they had issued a flood warning. What the heck, I thought. Hasn't rained in weeks. Turned out it was for the exceptionally high tides, and was causing flooding in many areas with low lying streets and roads. I had seen this in Belhaven, wondering where all the water was coming from. Waterfront property owners, beware!

Best, Charlie