Our anchorage in Awendaw Creek is only a short 28nm North of today’s destination in Charleston. We have the Isle of Palm’s bridge to pass under that must be timed for a mid to low tide so we delay our departure until 11:00 am. We clear the bridge with no problem and as we get closer to Charleston, we encounter the heavy traffic of weekend boaters. Our last bridge today is the Ben Sawyer Memorial swing bridge which, on weekends, opens only on the hour. We arrived at the bridge at 3:20 pm, right at low tide in a very narrow channel with the wind on our port beam. It was a real challenge to maintain our position in line and not be driven onto the shallow banks while waiting the 40 minutes for the bridge to open. While we waited, we were briefly entertained by a Northern Mocking Bird that delighted itself in mimicking the beeping sound of our AIS alarm which went off each time another boat drifted too close to our boat. Once through this last bridge, we entered Charleston’s large harbor and began our search for a marina. After several phone calls, we reserved a slip for two nights at the Charleston Harbor Marina and Resort which sits on the East side of the Cooper River next to the Patriot Point Naval and Maritime Museum. On Sunday morning, Rick and I took an Uber into town for Brunch at Poogan’s Porch, an 1888 Victorian townhouse serving traditional Southern cooking. After studying the menu, my curiosity finally got the best of me, I had to try the Fried Chicken & Waffles. I was surprised, despite my initial skepticism, it was actually quite good. After Brunch, the two of us wondered through the historic streets of lovely Charleston. Cody arrived at the boat on Sunday evening to join us as crew.
