We left Charleston City Marina and enjoyed viewing The Battery, Olde Town, and Patriots Point from Charleston Harbor. During the late 1700’s to mid 1800’s, Charleston Harbor was a major US port for goods, as well as, entering immigrants. Charleston city was actually first settled in 1665 and was one of the few walled cities in North America. The Battery area of the city was built to become part of the cities fortifications and contained warehouses for the waterfront harbor.
Patriot’s Point is a maritime museum with three naval vessels and 28 aircraft. The naval vessels are the USS Yorktown(aircraft carrier), USS Laffey(destroyer), and USS Clamagore(submarine) and they are open for the public to board and tour. We took the kids there years ago and we thoroughly enjoyed learning all about the vessels.
Fort Moultrie is in the foreground of the above picture, along with the Cooper River bridge and the USS Yorktown at Patriot's Point.
We also cruised past Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter in the harbor. Fort Moultrie was first built of palmetto logs and sand and withstood the bombardment of the British Navy in June 1776, thus saving Charleston from British occupation. But the British returned in 1780 to capture Charleston. The city was evacuated in 1782. The remains of Fort Moultrie you see today are the third iteration of the fort.
Fort Sumter is a sea fort and was built on a man-made island. The idea for the fort began in 1812 to protect against British Invasion. The fort was not completed until after 1861. The Battle of Fort Sumter which started the Civil War found Union troops hold up in the fort with the Confederates bombing the fort from the Charleston ramparts. The fort was severely damaged and rebuilding took place off and on, but never actually completed. You can visit and tour Fort Sumter via ferry from the Charleston Battery.
As we left Charleston Harbor, we tucked behind the barrier islands of Sullivan and Isle of Palms to the north of Charleston and continued up the Intracoastal. These islands are now developed with homes and lots of docks. Originally these islands were summer retreats where the Charlestonians came to escape the summer heat.
As we traveled further north, the tidal marshes became quite wide and the barrier islands are part of the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge.
We anchored up Awendaw Creek right in the middle of the tidal marsh and the Wildlife Refuge.
We can see the remains of the Romain Lighthouse from our anchorage. Too far away for a good picture, sorry.
May 4 48.4nm Total 813 miles To Georgetown and Cow Pen Creek
As the wind was light, we decided to try the drone. Not the best of light, but here they are.
We headed out of Awendaw Creek back to the Intracoastal. Here the Intracoastal is a dredged canal with short sections of natural rivers. There is so much water in this area. The tidal marsh goes all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
We enjoyed the antics of the gulls and terns fishing the marsh and in our wake. Wildlife was abundant- bank swallows, storks, ibis, herons and dolphins and even a few alligators. One small alligator had to really skeedaddle to get out of our way!
We past the small town of McClellanville, SC, which was once known for its oyster canneries, but now is home to a large shrimp fleet. The view changed from wide expanses of tidal marsh to forest right up to the waterline as we traveled north. As we traveled past McClellanville, we enjoyed the forest in the Yawkey Wildlife Preserve. This preserve was developed to protect the migratory birds. In the past, the plantation owners hired bird minders to keep them from pilfering their crops. Now the bird minders have binoculars! We cruised past a floating swing bridge which allows visitors to get across the Intracoastal and do their birding on both sides of the preserve.
Leaving the forest behind, we turned to follow Winyah Bay which leads you north to the town of Georgetown. Georgetown is the third oldest city in South Carolina, once rivaling Charleston as a port city. Indigo, rice and lumber were shipped from the city. As there are historical buildings dating back as early as 1737 in the city, we opted for a walking tour.
We also visited the Georgetown Museum and the Maritime Museum in the city. Then had a delicious lunch at SoCo (fresh shrimp and crab). Then we returned to the boat and pulled anchor to go another 15 miles to anchor up the Waccamaw River.
Side Notes/ Fun facts-
1. The lumber of South Carolina was much sought after in the 1800s and was shipped to Boston and other shipbuilding cities
2. The slaves in Georgetown came from areas that grew rice in Africa and the tools and methods they used to cultivate rice were incorporated into the processes of Georgetown rice plantations.
Leaving Georgetown, we headed up the Waccamaw River and behind Pawley’s Island. I Googled the home of my late Uncle Reese and Aunt Sis. As we cruised past we shared fond memories of quirky Christmas presents, Fourth of July picnics, and Uncle Reese’s lab and his magic tricks.
As we traveled north up the Waccamaw River, there was a marked change in the scenery. Gone are the tidal marsh flats. They are replaced by the wild grasses and even wild rice as the vegetation and cypress forests line the waterway. Further inland are pine and oak trees. Was beautiful traveling down the river and being surrounded by trees.
We anchored off Richmond Island in Cow House Creek amid the cypress swamp. Bill tried the drone again and then cooked part of dinner on the grill!
Note Cow House Creek was less water by two feet than the chart showed.