MV SERENDIPTY Larry and Erin

October 23 enroute Charleston SC

Today was a day that we have been anticipating with some trepidation and excitement. On one hand we are going to arrive in Larry’s home town and reconnect with other men from his Citadel Company yet on the other hand there are large stretches of VERY shallow water. Even though the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) has dredged in the spring the silting has filled back in the channels on the route to our destination. Our two days in  McClleanville, SC were worthwhile but it was time to say good-bye to the shrimping fleet and the welcome of Leland Oil Company.

 Erin wanted to wait for good daylight before leaving as the shallows were one thing but to become stuck in the dark was a bit unnerving, to say the least. 

First Light at McClellanville October 23

I was confident that we would be underway safely and not go aground. For the last two weeks we have been watching others who are ahead of us encountering very shallow depth just south of McClleanville as well as around the Isle of Palms as we would near Charleston. The ACE hired a dredge company to re-dredge the areas south of where we have been for the last two days and they were still working the channel.  

 That meant not only did we have to deal with the shallow water but also the dredge taking up half the channel. It was making Erin nervous.

We prepared the night before by rigging all the lines to be loosened from the boat because we knew we would not have line handlers when we departed. Plans were ready and we settled down for a quiet evening.

Erin got me up at 5:30 (Yawn!) so we could be ready…..(did I say Yawn?) First light would not be till at least 7:18 a.m. so why were we up this early? Nonetheless, we recovered the power cord, got the generator on-line and had coffee. Finally there was enough light for Erin and we were underway. Depths in the McClleanville channel were 6 ft till the mouth of their creek. There is was 4 ft but we coasted slowly over it and reentered the ICW. Immediately in front of us was the dredge Little Princess but they were not yet dredging for the day. The captain (or mate) answered the VHF radio and advised us that if we stayed close to him as we passed we would find the deep water. He also told us the other dredge was about a mile further and we would not have any problem with him either. We passed close but still only in 5 feet of water. (We draw 4 ft 6 in) for the first time encounter he strong currents that are characteristic on the area.

Once past this restriction the trip took us thru wider deeper waters and past sand bars and salt marshes. It was deeper but tricky as passing the inlets from the ocean the currents would offer some influence with the outgoing tide. Often the boat would swerve off- course and I would have to over correct to stay on track. In fact at one inlet there was a trawler aground that missed the turn and got stuck and before he could get off the tide went down far enough he could not get off and had to stay heeled-over till the next high tide.

After an uneventful passage behind Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island and passing under the Ben Sawyer Bridge we entered Charleston harbor.

It was nostalgic and a warm feeling came over me in the warm breeze and bright sunlight. I had a moment of fleeting childhood memories as I passed the end of Sullivan’s Island and remembered many fishing trips there with buddies I grew-up with. The city skyline came into view and I spent several moments savoring the beautiful Arthur Ravenel Jr. Memorial Cooper River Bridge. Every time I see it I have many memories of crossing the Cooper River on each of the three huge bridges that crossed the wide river. If you have never driven them you could not understand the passage of time and evolution to the magnificent towering bridge it is now.

The trip across the harbor was also a cascade of memories of my hometown. Ft Moultrie on the north side of the entrance, Ft Sumter to the east, Ft Johnson on the south and Castle Pinckney to the west. 

All these embattlements played a role in the American Revolution and mostly in the War of Northern Aggression! (Ahem!) The City skyline is as it always has been; except for church spires lies low about 3 miles away.  One of the names that natives of the city use to refer to Charleston is, “The Holy City” which has historical significance in the founding of the city which was known for its religious tolerance. The tall steeples of St Phillips and St Michaels are reminders of that history.

We passed thru the widest part and joined the channel up the Ashley River, one of the two large rivers that make the City of Charleston a penninsula. Actually, to us Charlestonians, it is the Ashley and the Cooper Rivers that come together in Charleston Harbor to form the Atlantic Ocean. (Really!)

Larry made a phone call to a Citadel Classmate who had made arrangements for us to use an empty slip near his at the Ashley Marina which was close to downtown Charleston. The currents in both the rivers can run as much as three knots and during the rainy season has been known to reach 7 knots. As can be seen from the Chart Plotter the current can add 3 to 4 knots to our speed of 7 knots when we are traveling with the current.

It was really a “trip!” Not so much fun getting into the slip however as it made life tough when we had to back into the slip. That would put the current on the beam and that set the boat sideways and our first attempt failed. We made it in safely on the second attempt and after securing lines we were greeted by our friend Joe Nuttall. Joe’s boat was one slip away.

We settled into the routine of hooking-up power fresh water and putting out the boarding ladder. We had not planned any activity the rest of the day so it would be the first of 9 nights in the marina and would be the longest stop-over other than the time in Key West. Next on the agenda would be The Citadel Homecoming weekend, dinner with classmates, football game, tailgate party and doing a little sightseeing. It was a very good day and celebrated with a beautiful sunset across the Ashley.