2021: Ocean travel to anchorage near Charleston, SC inlet

 28 April 2021

Depart: Port Royal Sound SC anchorage 9:00

Arrive: Dewees Creek anchorage (just north of Charleston, SC) 6:00

Distance: 74.5 nm

Conditions: Calm seas, Cool Breeze - basically perfect

We had a light, continuous rocking in our chosen anchorage last night. When we woke in the morning, we found we had a sailboat for company. 

Looking back at the sailboat
where we anchored last night

After minimal washdown of the anchor, we left the anchorage at 9:00  and then fought our way out into the ocean against the incoming tide. Finally, at 10:20, we reached a point where we could turn north! The ocean was very calm today with gentle swells. After we got going in a northerly direction, we stopped fighting the current and picked up speed. 

For a long while, we had nothing of interest to look at, but then I noticed that we had company nearby. As we traveled today, we passed multiple turtles, stingrays, dolphins, and jellyfish. It felt like a day at the aquarium - only better! None of the sea creatures posed for pictures, and as we passed them by at about 10 mph, they dove under water. We did the best we could with the cameras.

We passed a few turtles.

We passed many schools / "fevers" of stingrays. Sometime we would see one by itself. Other times we would see large bunches of them. The largest group I saw had almost 20 swimming together. It must be migration season, but everyone seemed to be going south except us!

Cow-nose Stingrays in the Atlantic Ocean
off South Carolina

The jellyfish that swam by were the same variety as the ones we saw yesterday. 

Today, we had the ocean mostly to ourselves with the exception of the sea life. However, as we approached the inlet into Charleston, South Carolina, we came upon lots of boats. In the distance we could see numerous fishing trawlers at work as well as a Coast Guard Cutter heading in to port.

Colorful fishing trawlers ...

At 4:00 we made our turn onto the inlet that would bring us in to Charleston, South Carolina. We passed a few work boats on the channel.

Dredging the channel

Tug working hard

Two people were up in the air having fun parasailing. The line from the boat was so long, we could not get a picture that had both the parasail and the boat in it.

(the boat in this picture is not the one with the line
to the parasail)

The view coming in ...

Lighthouse?

Homes along the inlet

Having no plans to stop in Charleston on this trip, we turned onto the ICW and continued north for about an hour until we reached our chosen anchorage for the night. Along the way, Clark noticed something that he has not seen before.

A sailboat up on a lift ...

and then something that we manage to get a picture of every time we come through here!

Of course, we would have no idea we were in South Carolina if we didn't pass a golf course along the way!

"Now, where did that ball go?!"

Golf course on the ICW in SC

I was down below cooking dinner while I had "free" electricity generated by the engine. Clark spied some other items of interest along the water's edge.

Looks like fun!

Note the boy sitting on the cement.

Since I had cooked along the way, we sat down to a chicken & shrimp stir fry for dinner shortly after we got settled at the anchorage. Because of the tide change and the depth of the water in Dewees Creek, we put out over 225 feet of anchor line. The tide change is 6 feet here. 

Once again we were blessed with a beautiful sunset.