Sailboats Fair and Fine # 39 : Read oldest posts first

Well we had anchored at Charleston on the 7^th and it was now the 18th.of Nov. It's been a Long stay. My business Partner Bob Grow was in town doing consulting work. He showed us around town, took us to dinner and then grocery shopping at least once. We did all the touristy stuff around town visiting museums, and the slave market, the customs house and walked the docks on the Cooper river. We wondered along the Battery and looked at the old homes along it.

One thing I really enjoyed was a model sailboat race on a small lake in town. Sailing them looked to be great fun except that those guys take the whole thing dead serious. I doubt that I could get that wrapped up in it.

We rode the little wooden bodied trolley all over town. This tourist thing is something we have never done much of so we really had a good time as it was kind of new for us. My Parents came from the deep south and they always had a fondness for the southern cities and I guess some of rubbed off on me. I found the place fascinating.

We had done a lot of walking since leaving the York River and now were able to walk a couple miles going and then coming with an armload of groceries with out any problem. We were both felling pretty good about that.

On our last morning there I walked into town in rain and fog and got our mail. When I got back Georgene was ready to go but we were fogged in. We lounged around drinking coffee and reading our mail. Georgene had sent off a lot of letters as we traveled so she had a stack of responses full of questions about our travels. That would keep her busy over the next week or so answering them.

Finally about 1:30 P.M. the fog lifted just a little so we weighed our anchors and headed out. We motored compass courses from buoy to buoy. The temperature was getting up around 70 degrees now and the fog and clouds were patchy. After a time We hoisted the foresail and picked up a knot in an almost nonexistent breeze. After about 20 miles we rounded a marker and headed into Church creek. As we finished up our anchoring which took a couple tries to find bottom firm enough to hold us so we were in very shallow water but secure. The fog began settling in again as the temperature dropped some. After sun set low flying scuddy clouds came through. There was a bright moon coming through the clouds and a dog barked over on the shore, we could hear people talking.

A few other boats came in, in the fog and anchored. We could see their anchor lights but not them.

There were some trees along the south shore and a couple times when the moon came out from behind a cloud we could see them all spooky and forlorn looking draped in silvery Spanish moss. I had the old Kerosene anchor light but I also had a an electric light as well so I put it up to to see how much farther the battery light could be seen beyond the kero light. I got in the dingy and rowed off to look. To my surprise the yellow kero lantern could be seen farther than the expensive battery light. The kerosene light had a very good Fresno lens. The electric light had one that was simulated out of plastic. After that I felt much better riding to anchor at lest in the fog with my old standby kerosene light.