Day 12: Charleston to Georgetown

The name "Carolina" is derived from "Carolus," the Latin form of the name Charles. The original charter for the area, granted in 1629 to Sir Robert Heath, included the name "Carolina" or "Carolana" in honour of King Charles I. It should be noted that the French explorer Jean Ribault also used the name Carolina in the 1560s when attempting to colonise Florida, establishing Charlesfort in what is now South Carolina. However, the British colonists eventually established settlements in the area, retaining the name in honour of King Charles I, and later acknowledging his son, Charles II.

Back when the locals were still fighting the British colonists and the British were fighting the Spanish who had colonised Florida, South Carolina was the southern limit of the civilised America of the day.

It's interesting that, having wanted for so long, to see the end of British Rule, the Carolinians then retained the nomenclature that had been originally given in honour of His Majesty. I guess that in the Carolinas they don't hold grudges.

8 hrs. We continue our voyage up the coastal Low country that we've been negotiating since leaving St Marys a week ago. Low country indeed! For all of this time, the average elevation of the land we motor through is between 0 and 1 ft asl. Pockets of land rise a bit above this, and people have been quick to build on them and stretch looooong walkways out to jetties and boat lifts. No serious rec boater on the ICW keeps their boat moored in the water..

Once again, the length of our 'day' will be largely dictated by tidal requirements at various portions of the journey. Today, we'd scheduled an 0800 departure to secure a good tide condition on some lengthy shallow sections, but we awake to our first foggy morning on this trip, so we have a leisurely breakfast while we cool our heels. And the tide ebbs...

We head out of Charleston, into the Cooper River estuary, then past Fort Sumter and directly into the ICW. From time to time, pods of dolphins follow us; perhaps we're stirring up the fish.

We have some lengthy portions today that require captain Preston's close attention. At times we have just 7 ft under the boat... and we draw 5! At one point, a barge tow (except they don't 'tow', they shove from behind) has grounded to one side of the channel. It's captain has a conversation with Preston and tells us he'll do his best to keep to the side of the channel for us. When we pass, his engines are Full Ahead and his thrashing prop wash is churning up black mud.

For much of the trip, Preston is sitting on the edge of his seat, as they say. My old Canadian mate, Milt Deno would have said, "I was sitting so lightly in the seat, you could have cut washers off my ass." Later, when we're sitting around the cockpit table in the Georgetown marina having pork spare ribs (grilled on the bbq by captain Preston), I observe that Preston does indeed appear to be an inch or two shorter.

He promises us tomorrow will be different (easier navigation) and more scenic than was today's extended marshy vista.

At one point, while Graeme is steering, Preston--down in the wheelhouse--looks out and sees what he thinks is a log and we're heading for it. He's about to warn Graeme to change course when he realises it's an alligator... the first one he's ever seen in the ICW. The reptile passes behind us and we watch it swimming for the far bank.Leggi altro