Ramblings From The Helm

Ditch Watch:

• Humbless Abodes: some were like fairy tale castle, others were tree houses, and a few look like they were designed to home the cartel.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Day Dolphins/ NIGHT SHARKS: We were mermaids! I swooned over our playful finned friends that teased and pleased us along sections of the ICW. However, come dusk, the ICW would bring another breed - the ever feared razor tooth night shark! It was most terrifying when the dreaded fin would emerge meters away from our easily digestible wood dinghy.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Time to Reflect: Calm mornings on the ditch

 Do you see the moose?

Osda Unsel: Our arch nemesis. This black and white 30 footer with dream catcher painted on the bow has been frog hopping us ever since December in Oriental. They couldn't help but blast past us time and time again along the ICW (always accompanied with a game of gestures). More times then not we would end up catching up with the Osda at the next hot spot anchorage - whether on a town dock, or an isolated mangrove. We just couldn't shake the Osda. Since the Beast liked to take her time, our mornings began as soon as a dim hue washed along the horizon defining sky and water. Meanwhile, Osda was tucked safely into the sheets of their bed until midday when they once again over took us with ease.

Charleston: well equipped with a stunning waterfront, lively energy and lots of cafes and pubs to dip into. The city was a pleasure and highlight. The downtown area was populated with students attending the local college. We camouflaged well with the crowd - minus the missing Greek letters on our shirts. We had the pleasure of running into a small herd of frat boys perusing around the grocery store with a shopping cart of cheap beer and disposable cups. It was like a scene from a movie when they high fived as they racked up a hefty bill at the cash register. I personally would have preferred a chest pump.

Once in Charleston all was swell, but getting to the land was another story. It was an epic battle against a massive flooding tide if you dared to leave anytime other then slack (we had a few close calls). Through selective ignorance we docked our dinghy at the marina that had a 500 foot cruiser dock blocking any access to land. They called it the MEGADOCK and well, it was. After a few days, paranoia set in and we decided to do the right thing and use the free town 'dock'. After a 20 minute maze through the marina and mega docks we saw what was a few planks of wood. It was pretty shady, only accessible at high tide and fashioned a rotting derelict dinghy - which I can only imagine was abandoned by the previous owners for the effort and precise timing required to get free. We ended up portaging Luna at least 100feet to get her to float again.

Here is a great view of the rather obnoxious MEGA dock. 

If you follow the red dotted line you can relive the paddle

that was required to get to land. 

While meandering around town we decided to check out the museum which was famed for being 'The First in all of America!!' In a dim lit musty building it was as if we were attending a grade 9 science fair project hay day. There were life sized Buffalo next to Egyptian sphinxes next to stuffed birds in glass cages. This all lead up to the famous 8ft fall polar bear of South Carolina! We were both confused at it's relevance as it stood towering over us on it's two hind legs,jaws wide and claws sharp (Please refer to the right photograph). After the polar bear we were introduced to the arms and weapons section. The real highlight was the kids section where you could learn about brutal pirates like Blackbeard (who would light his beard of fire for increased scare factor) and play interactive games including dress up.

Sorry to report that the camera battery died the last day when I was hoping to snap a few. For a city that is complimented on its architecture, historical downtown and water front park it was unfortunate timing. This single tree is the view we had while eating our lunch (pesto pasta leftovers) in the college park. This is the only photo I managed to capture before the camera opted for hibernation. To give a little life to my ramblings I have borrowed the other photos from the internet.

Goodbye Charleston.

Over and Out,
Em&N