Monday, December 6, 2010

Day-Five: Wacca Wache to Charleston

Another wonderful sunrise and brisk day in the ditch! When I think of a ditch, I generally think of muddy water or a gravel trough alongside an old country road. So naturally I thought that the ICW was going to have somewhat unpleasant scenery. I mean who really wants to travel via a ditch? However, I have found it incredibly wonderful. The landscape changes frequently. For instance, this morning we left the Waccamaw River which had an eery barren and backwoods feeling...then this afternoon we passed several towns and homes along the channel that were distinctly South Carolina...later the water became a warm blue and on either side of the ditch were canals, bays, and sounds tucked away behind long sea grass blowing in the winter breeze. Besides the cold spell we seem caught in, we spotted many palms standing tall along the channel banks. Dolphin sightings are getting more frequent. I think laughing dolphin-like squeaks of joy sound from me with each sighting...Today they were feeding right in front of our bow. It was so exciting that I did my happy dance!


The last ten to fifteen miles to Charleston were a little nerving. Our whole run down seemed to perfectly coincide with the leaving tide making for some really shallow spots along the ditch. At one point our depth sounder read 2.6 ft! Wow! I'm not sure I would ever want to run the ICW at night. Glad we are doing it during the day...and that I have a solid captain. I watched others scream on by...maybe that is why so many end up grounded.


Charleston is a neat historic city. Lots of young people and lots of beautiful boats! I bet it is wonderful in the summer months.

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