Author: klondiketravels

After our exciting night last night, we got going early. Today we were going to travel almost fifty miles. We left by 7am and arrived around 3pm. When we were pulling out of Wrightsville Beach, we had to wait for a draw bridge which only opens on the hour and half hour. As we were getting close to the bridge I noticed a couple of other boats waiting. One was Positive Vibration which is the boat that anchored with us in Thoroughfare Creek, and the other I had never seen before called Serendipity. I called to them on the radio and let them know I was going to be going through the bridge with them. Serendipity told me to go second as they travel at a slower pace. We all circled around until the bridge opened and then proceeded on our way. The rest of the trip was uneventful, with Serendipity stopping about half way to anchor at a spot we wanted to stop at, but it is surrounded by a military base, so there was no shore access for Frank. We continued on to our destination.

On the way to Swansboro, I called and made a reservation at the town dock. The forecast was for some higher winds, and after yesterday’s experience, I wanted to be tied securely to a dock if the winds were going to pick up. Positive Vibration has beat us there and was tied up when we arrived. They assisted us with the lines as we were fighting a strong current while pulling in. This was the first time I actually got to meet them and introduce ourselves. I thanked them for the assistance, secured the boat and adjusted bumpers before settling in to relax. We took Frank for a walk around town and ran across some Muscovy Ducks and some chicks- these are strange looking ducks!

Swansboro is known as “the “Friendly City by the Sea,” is a quaint, historic town located on the North Carolina Coast boarding both the IntraCoastal Waterway and the White Oak River. With water, water, water all around (and the Atlantic Ocean mere minutes away,) it’s safe to assume that water sports are the number one activity in the area…and there are plenty to pick from!” We returned to the boat to relax and figure out our dinner options. Almost all of the small town was still closed due to the virus, but there were a couple of restaurants open for take out. We decided to try The Boro Restaurant and got some shrimp and grits which had a watermelon salsa. OMG. It was so good!

Day 2- The weather was rainy and windy, so we just hung out in the boat. The rain eventually stopped and we walked to Clyde Phillips Seafood Market and picked up some fresh seafood: Shrimp, crab and dip. It was very windy all day, so we walked around a bit and retreated back to the boat. We had to run the generator to make dinner as the docks did not have power, but we had a great meal. I spoke to the couple on Positive Vibration and they were planning on leaving tomorrow too. Our next planned stop is Beaufort, NC…

We awoke to rain and wind. It was early, so we looked at the forecast and it looked like it would pass by quickly, but it had strong wind. I was watching out the window as a big gust came up and started blowing the anchored sailboat across the harbor. I watched them quickly get the boat started and push back against the wind. They did quite well recovering, and they dropped the anchor again once the wind had slowed down. Since it had stopped raining now, we decided it was time to get ready to depart. I asked Lauren’s opinion about what we should do due to the fact that she is always right and she said we should leave. I don’t know where I would be without her probably floating around lost. After walking Frank and getting prepared, we left the dock around 10:45am.

The trip took us a little over four hours. We came to the anchorage and saw there were several boats already anchored. We circled around a bit, then found a spot we felt comfortably far enough from the other boats and with enough depth for us. We dropped anchor and let out enough line so we could swing, but not get too close to the others. After making sure all was secure, we took Frank for a walk around town. We walked around the beach, and through parts of town close to the docks. We made our way back to the boat and had a Zoom meeting with some friends. I was getting hungry and since it was Cinco de Mayo, I ordered some food from the local Mexican restaurant called Tower 7 Baja Mexican Grill. I went and picked it up and we feasted!

Day 2- We had nice weather in the afternoon, allowing us to spend some time biking around. Before we left though, we noticed the boat that was behind us had now swung fairly close to us now that the wind had shifted. We were maybe thirty feet from them, but we were a hundred and fifty feet away yesterday. Hmmm… we waited to see if they noticed or were going to move? The rules for anchoring are this: first one anchored decides how much scope to put out. Everyone else should do roughly the same, or make sure you are out of the ‘swing zone’ so you don’t collide. Third rule is if you do not like it- move. Since they were there first, I had no expectations of them moving. I felt we were far enough away we wouldn’t collide, so that was fine. I didn’t want to move and didn’t see any weather issues, so we decided to take the bikes to shore. We rode all over the small town and hung out on the beach a bit. We brought the bikes back to the boat and relaxed. I was able to talk to the neighboring boat and he told me he had a hundred and fifty feet of line out. We had about seventy five feet out, which is why he was close when we all shifted. He said he brought twenty five feet of line in to give us some room. We thought all would be good for the night… We were looking at the weather and planning our next destination. It was looking like it would be an okay travel day to get to Swansboro, North Carolina as the forecast for tonight and tomorrow was fair. We made dinner and I was sitting on the back deck, just finishing eating when I noticed the wind start to pick up. No sooner had I set my bowl down when the wind really started blowing hard- very hard. I was standing there looking around and the wind just kept getting stronger and stronger. Now I was getting worried and started around to go toward the front to check on our anchor gear when Lauren popped her head out the door and asked “are we dragging?!”. The wind was now howling and not letting up; the boats were all swinging about and as soon as I looked back I could see we were indeed dragging toward the docks. The wind was now close to thirty miles an hour and gusting even harder! Holy shit- where did this come from?! The only thing I could do at this moment was to run up and try to let out more anchor line. I let out about twenty feet and ran back to Lauren. “We need to start the engine NOW and go!” I exclaimed. I ran down and turned on the breakers, came back up and turned the key- the engine roared to life and I looked out the door to see us moving closer to the docks again. F@CK! I threw the boat into gear and just tried to drive forward, ripping the window covers down so I could see. We were now moving forward against the wind, but the anchor and line were still down in the water! I had Lauren take over the helm while I went to the bow, battling against the wind to get the lines ready for retrieval. Lauren expertly was keeping the boat somewhat stationary while working the windlass. I was guiding the line in and trying to direct her in the direction of the anchor, all the while making sure we were not going to hit any other boats. Now we had the anchor up but the wind was still howling and it was now completely dark. I took over the helm and asked Lauren to go upstairs to get the upper helm ready- I have much better vision from up there, 360 degrees instead of the lower helm where I only have 180 degrees. While she runs upstairs, I am trying to drive us out of the anchorage, trying to stay clear of the other boats and their anchor lines. I realize that I had not turned on any lights or even the radio, so I reach over and turn those on. As the radio comes on I can hear other boats chattering about them dragging too and needing help, some are calling out to Marina’s to try to get a dock and the coast guard is interjecting in at points.. At this point my only worry is to get us away from other boats which would be a safer place. Lauren has come back down and let’s me know we’re ready to move upstairs. She takes the lower helm while I dash upstairs and take over from there. Lauren quickly joins me up there and we cautiously make our way out of the anchorage. Whew! That was all-consuming! The wind is still blustery and the water is turbulent, but we are clear of collisions. Lauren now is looking at the weather forecast and it is showing twenty plus mile an hour winds for the next couple of hours! This all came out of nowhere. We are now driving blind, only our GPS chart to guide us as it is so dark and the noise from the wind and waves are intense. We find a spot and drop our anchor agin, this time letting out almost two hundred feet of line. We keep the engine running during this just to make sure. The anchor has caught hold and we are now sitting there, adrenaline pumping, looking at each other still in awe of how fast that all happened. “What a team!” I exclaimed as we sit there. It truly was a team effort to get everything together and moving before any of the worst possible scenarios could happen. We continued to look at the forecast and kept the engine at idle for at least an hour. Finally, I walked over and killed the engine. At this point we were not moving and the wind was staying steady, then dropping little by little. Now the adrenaline was wearing off and I was getting tired. I knew Lauren was going to stay up for a while, keeping an eye out, just to make sure. I retired, still saying “what a team!”. I fell off to sleep while Lauren stayed up for a bit longer on the anchor watch…

Today is our wedding anniversary! We left our anchorage and we are headed north on the ICW towards Southport. We had met some people while we were in Melbourne, Florida who gave us a few pages of suggested stops and highlights from Virginia to Florida; They also happen to be ‘Harbor Hosts’- they are available to cruisers for local information and any assistance. I contacted them as we were making our way and let them know when we would be arriving. Robert told me we could dock at a local restaurant which has docks as the city docks were currently closed. He had spoken to the owner and got permission for us! Once we were close I called him again and he said he would meet us at the dock to assist with lines. We pulled in and got tied up, then Robert gave us the run down of the town. We made sure everything was secure and took the bikes for a ride around town. Since it was our anniversary, I was on the search for some champagne. We stopped at a couple of wine shops but they were all closed. We eventually found a convenience store which had a small selection of sparkling wine, so I was able to at least procure that. We made it back o the boat and made a nice dinner to enjoy as the sun was setting with our wine. As we sat on the back deck of the boat, we watched a sailboat come in and anchor in the harbor. We were expecting some rain and wind overnight, so I made sure we were well secured again and we retired for the evening.

Tomorrow we plan on going to Wrightsville Beach, which is about a twenty three mile trip.

Our intention today was to stop at Barefoot Landing Entertainment Complex, which has a bunch of restaurants and shopping, and has free day docks. As we came to the complex we saw everything was still closed, so we decided to continue on. It was a nice day for a boat ride. A couple of hours later we were close to our destination, but decided we would go out the inlet to maybe swim in the ocean. We started to make our way towards the ocean and the depths we’re getting very shallow and the waves were picking up. I decided to abandon that plan and turned around to go find our anchorage. We turned up Calabash Creek and were greeted with the sight of several sunken boats, half submerged and a couple of boats high and dry on shore. Yikes! Around these were a few small boats with people fishing and hanging out. We found a spot just out of the channel and dropped anchor. We ended up being somewhat close to a small boat- close enough I could talk to them- and asked if they wanted me to move? They were pleasant and said we were fine, they weren’t staying too much longer. Once we were settled in I had my anchor beer while making sure we were securely anchored.

The rest of the day was uneventful. We took Frank to a ‘beach’ which was actually a huge pile of shells. It wasn’t the best for him to walk on, but he made it work. Lauren and I took turns walking him, as one of us had to stay with the dinghy to make sure it didn’t come ashore and get a hole or slice from the shells. During dinner we looked at our next stop which will be in Southport, North Carolina.

Our trip to Osprey Marina was a little over fifteen miles. The marina is known for its cheap fuel and dock rates. We departed after my swim and made our way to the marina. We had called for the reservation the day before and they were pretty full but had made room for us. As we were on the way the dock master called me and said we should come to the fuel dock and he would show me the dock. Apparently it is going to be a bit difficult to get in the slip. Great. We continued north on the ICW and finally got close. As we were getting closer I could hear another boat on the radio talking to the marina about their reservation and also getting fuel. Apparently the marina only has one fuel dock and it was currently occupied, so they had to wait out in the ICW until they called him in. As we got closer, I too called into the marina and was told to wait as well. No problem- we would just hang out here and wait until it was out turn. We waited about forty five minutes until they finally called us in. We maneuvered to the fuel dock and tied off. I told them we needed a pump out too, since we were there. I went about filling the fuel tanks and pumped a little over three hundred gallons- at least it was only $1.39/ gallon! The marina is also known for its low cost on docking- the first three night were $1.00 per foot, then it was .26 Cents a foot for each additional night. So it cost us $37/ night for three night and $9 for the fourth night. What a bargain! After I was finished pumping the fuel and settling up, the dock master showed me the dock we were going to. It was third in from the end, and the wind was really howling. He wanted to make sure we could fit and manage getting in the tight spot without hitting anything. I told him I would do my best and we should be okay with a dock hand assisting us. At this point there was nothing else to do but give it a try. The wind as I said was howling around twenty mile per hour with occasional gusts of up to twenty five/ thirty. This was going to be interesting. We fired up the engine and prepared to leave the fuel dock. There wasn’t a lot of room and we had to try to back out of the spot. As we were backing up the wind stared pushing the boat, but not in the direction I wanted. Shit. I was going back and forth between forward and reverse, throttle, then more, then less, trying to get the boat to turn, but it wouldn’t turn in the direction I wanted due to the wind. We were now clear of the dock but getting close to a boat tied to the side dock. I continued the maneuvering and we stayed clear of all boats tied off to the docks. Eventually we were facing the long entry way in and out of the marina and decided to just go on out and turn around in the ICW and come back in to get to the dock. We made our way out to turn around and there was a tow boat with boat in tow waiting to come in. I radioed to him my intentions and he replied but his radio wasn’t working right. I heard a garbled jumble but couldn’t understand him? Did he need to come in now? I called to him on the radio again to let him know I could not understand him and he gestured for me to turn around and go in. In the mean time the marina had called the tow boat and also told him they could not understand him either, so at least I know it wasn’t just me! We turned around and made our way back into the marina and toward the assigned slip. As we came down the fairway I could see there was someone waiting on the dock to assist us. I came in a slow as I could, adjusting with the wind and executed a clean turn into the dock, allowing Lauren to toss a line to the waiting hand and getting us in the spot without hitting the boat next to us. Once we got secured it was time to breathe a sigh of relief!

Now that we were in the marina we could relax. The next few days were spent hanging out, walking Frank by the goat farm that was next to the marina, and going into town on the bikes. The ride to town was not fun, as it was along a country road with no sidewalks or bike lanes. We made it to a hardware store where I was finally able to get the part I needed to fix our sink. No more holding a bucket under the drain and emptying a gallon at a time! Lauren did some laundry and we got the boat cleaned up a bit. We stayed away from people as best we could, even having groceries delivered to the marina. Otherwise we stayed on the boat and I watched our neighbor boat fish. He caught some large catfish, about twenty pounds or more! One night he was not attending his pole and a fish took the pole from the boat and into the water while he tried diving to save it! He luckily did not fall off the boat, but the fish won as he was never able to find the pole. The next day he had a new fishing pole…

Our next destination will be another anchorage at Calabash Creek, about thirty miles away…

We woke up somewhat early and departed our mooring. We wanted to get going with a high tide and didn’t even take Frank to shore because we weren’t going too far today- only about twelve miles. Once we were clear of the creek we continued up the Waccamaw River, which is the ICW route to our destination. We came upon the turn off and worked our way back to the anchorage. I noted the water depth was between ten to eighteen feet all the way back, which made me feel good about it. As we came to the last bend, we could see the large sand dune/ beach and started looking for a spot to drop the anchor. We dropped anchor and let out quite a bit of scope due to the current that was running through. We ended up being about fifty feet from the beach and yet we still had about fifteen feet of water under us. There was a couple of small pontoon boats beached with people walking around. Once I was sure we weren’t moving I took Frank for a quick trip to land but avoided the people. I walked up the large dune and saw we were in the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge. There were trail running in both directions, and it looked like we had a lot to explore later! We returned to the boat and I told Lauren about our scouting mission. We wanted to stay away from people, so we decided to have lunch and see if the boats left. Eventually we went to shore and went for a hike. Frank probably enjoyed this anchorage the most because he could run free without a leash as there was no one around. There was plenty of forest and trails we hiked through, even finding an old, what looked abandoned cemetery in the middle of the forest. There were trail signs so we wouldn’t get lost and informing us of local wildlife. We knew we had to stay another night…

Day 2- we were the only boat there on our first night. The sounds of wildlife came alive at night and it was awesome. The morning was nice- we were so close to shore I just rowed in instead of starting the dinghy engine. Frank got to run free and we explored some more. We noticed there was a rope swing from a cliff by us, which I checked out the first day and was thinking of doing today. Another trawler pulled in in the afternoon and anchored past us up river. At least they stayed pretty far away so we didn’t feel crowded. A few other pontoon boats came and went throughout the day and we relaxed on the boat. Frank got a few walks in and we explored more trails, looking for the wild pigs and other wildlife the signs told us about. As much as we enjoyed this anchorage, we figured we should continue moving northward, and the forecast for the next couple of days was not looking good. High winds and some rain was expected. We called a well known marina which a lot of Loopers stop at due to the cheap fuel prices and docks. We made a reservation for a few days so we could be safe during the storms.

The following morning I took Frank to shore for a nice long walk before we left. I realized I had not actually jumped from the rope swing, so I decided I was going to do it now before we leave. Our neighbor trawler had left earlier in the morning and so we were alone. I stripped down, grabbed the line and swung out to the water while Frank was probably wondering “what the hell is he doing!?”… Lauren may or may not have video… After we made it back to the boat, we readied for departure and pulled anchor. The wind was starting to really pick up, but we didn’t notice it until we were back on the ICW…

So we left McClellanville and headed to Georgetown South Carolina. Georgetown is the third oldest city in South Carolina, and the second largest port of South Carolina. We knew there was a free dock available in the river, but also knew we could not stay there overnight. We figured we would tie up there for the day and move and drop anchor close by like we did in Beaufort. We entered the river and it splits into two channels, with an island in between. The town is to the right, and an old steel mill is to the left, but they come together at the end of the island. As we entered, we could see there were many boats anchored about, some looking like they haven’t moved in a while. We found the free dock and pulled in and tied off. Once we were secure, Lauren took Frank for a walk around town to do some exploring and let him stretch his legs. She came back and we were hanging out, deciding what to eat for lunch. She mentioned a restaurant she had passed called Big Tuna, which we looked up online and decided to get some take out. We had lunch, then we unloaded the bikes and were ready to explore the town. “Georgetowns entire downtown is a National Historic District, where visitors can stroll along the live oakshaded streets and adjacent neighborhoods, admiring the city homes of former plantation owners. There are 63 downtown homes on the National Historic Register. The town and its residents welcome transients with a wealth of services, including good restaurants and interesting shopping…” there is also a Rice Museum, which was closed, as well as every other museum including the Maritime Museum. The rice museum sounded interesting for sure: “By 1840 the Georgetown District (later County) produced nearly one-half of the total rice crop of the United States.  The decade of the 1850’s was the most profitable decade for the rice planters. The Rice Museum chronicles the development of this most important American industry and its impact on not only South Carolina, but internationally as well.” Oh well- I guess we’ll have to come back some day… we continued on the bikes and had a fantastic cruise around the town and neighborhoods. We eventually made it back to the boat and figured it was time to find a spot to anchor. I mentioned there were several boats anchored, so it wasn’t going to be easy to find a good spot. I had looked at the charts and saw an anchorage up the other side of the island, so we departed and went around to the other side. We were making way when I noticed the depth finder dropping rapidly. I throttled back and soon we came to a complete stop. We were grounded. Again. I say ‘again’, it was the first time today but not lately it seems. Anyway- here we are, aground and not moving. I have now shifted to reverse and am trying to get us un-stuck. Dusk is now upon us and we don’t have too much time to find a good place to anchor. I finally get us free for our stuck position and we decide we will go back to the side we just came from and maybe approach that way. As we are coming back around, I hear the radio come to life and someone call out to us- “trawler looking for an anchorage- you can use the empty mooring ball you just passed “ I respond to him and clarify they are talking to us and where this mooring ball was. The guy on the radio said he saw us go past and assumed we were looking for an anchorage. I’m not sure if he owned the mooring ball or the marina it was across from, but I was very thankful for the offer and told him so. Lauren and I briefly discussed it, but we were running out of light and options. I wasn’t too sure of the depth around it and Lauren wasn’t too sure of the ball being secure, but in the end we tied off to it. Dinner was made and we watched to make sure we weren’t going to swing into the two boats tied together on a single mooring ball next to us. The guy on the radio had assured me we would be fine, so we ate and researched our next stop. We decided we would stop at an anchorage not too far down the river called Thoroughfare Creek. It looked like a well protected anchorage with plenty of depth. I looked at the satellite view and could also see what looked like a large beach, so it should be a good place to land a dinghy for Frank too…

We left Price Creek around 10am and headed to McClellanville. McClellanville is a small fishing town in rural Charleston County, South Carolina. The population was 499 at the 2010 census. Today’s trip was only about eighteen miles and we were heading to a marina of sorts. It is not a marina in the sense of several boat slips, but it was a dock for shrimp boats, it sold fuel, and had a couple of boats tied to the dock. Our reason for stopping here was the history and it’s reputation for seafood. The first store in this town opened soon after the Civil War, and the village became the social and economic center for a wide area that produced timber, rice, cotton, naval stores, and seafoods. Incorporated in 1926, McClellanville became, and remains, best known for its shrimping fleet and seafood industries. Once we got close, I called and was directed where to dock along the only long dock they have.

Once we were secured, we took the bikes for a tour of the village. We saw an oak tree that is claimed to be one thousand years old, we biked to T. W. Graham and Company a popular and locally famous restaurant. They were open for carry out only and on our first pass it was quite busy. We came back and it still had a few people outside waiting, so we decided to place an order. We had a couple of beers while waiting for our food, then took our order back to the boat to eat our lunch. After eating, we got on the bikes again and stopped at a Livingston’s Bulls Bay Seafood shop and bought pickled shrimp, crab dip, and some raw shrimp to make dinner later. We dropped our purchases off at the boat and continued on our tour of the town. By dinner time, we got back and went about preparing the shrimp so we could have shrimp and rice with old bay and butter. Delicious!

Tomorrow we plan on going about twenty five miles to Georgetown, which is half-way between Myrtle Beach and Charleston…

So after a few days of short hops, we took a longer one today. We went a little over fifty miles to make it to Charleston. The rain and storms had been on and off, and more rain was coming. We wound our way up the ICW and finally made it to the Ashley River, which is on the west side of Charleston, and northwest of Fort Sumter. We came up the river and past a couple of anchorages. The first anchorages we passed looked kind of exposed to us, so we kept going past them. We passed under the James Island Expressway Bridge and saw more boats anchored. The anchorage between the US 17 (Ashley River) Bridges and the James Island Bridge. There were several boats here, and we circled through trying to find a spot with enough room for us to let out a good amount of scope (anchor line) so we could swing with the wind and current and not be close to other boats. We finally found a spot at the back end of the anchorage, fairly close to the Ashley River Bridge. Once we dropped anchor and let out the line, we were probably about a hundred feet from the bridge. This was kind of close, but we had confidence in our anchor and felt we were secure. Obviously if the anchor would drag, we wouldn’t have too much time before we hit the bridge, but that is part of the ‘what-if?’… We did our routine of making sure we were secure, then finally took Frank to shore. The wind had picked up and was causing pretty good size waves in the anchorage. We saw there was a park next to The Citadel with a dock, so we headed over there in the dinghy. Once we were close, we noticed signs and barriers blocking off the dock. Due to the virus, it was closed. Ughh. We turned the dinghy around and headed toward the marinas that were across from the anchorage. Unfortunately, once we were turned around, we were now running straight into the waves, which were splashing overboard and getting us soaked. We were trying to get ot the municipal marina, but the waves were too big, so we ducked in to a private marina across from where we anchored. I pulled up to the gas dock and saw there was an employee coming over to us. I asked if we could walk the dog quickly and he said yes. We walked out to the parking lot, but then I turned around and retreated back to the dinghy to wait so we all didn’t get locked out if they closed the gates. Lauren and Frank returned after a short walk and we departed back to Klondike for the evening.

Day 2- The rain had started overnight and didn’t let up. We spent the day on the boat, staying dry and hanging out. We couldn’t really get to shore, so the day was uneventful. We watched the boat swing with the wind, and reverse with the current which was stronger than the wind. The anchor was holding well whichever way we turned, so we were happy with our overall situation, even though we couldn’t get out and explore. We have been here before and everything is closed, so it wasn’t too bad. We decided tomorrow we will carry on to our next destination: Price Creek, which is only a little more than twenty miles away, but has potential to be a very nice anchorage…

Again we were only going about twenty miles today. Since we are not in a hurry to get anywhere, these short hops are just fine with us…

*** Our trip home is one of three options, of which all are currently closed to navigation and/or delayed in opening- if they open at all, due to the virus. Our first option of routes will take us though New York Harbor and along the Hudson River to Waterford, New York, where we will continue north through the Champlain Canal into Lake Champlain and on to the Saint Lawrence Seaway eventually arriving in Lake Ontario. Traveling through this area is scenic and filled with early American history, but goes through Canada, which the border is currently closed. Our second option route will take us up the Hudson River again to Waterford, New York, but this time we will turn west through the 363-mile Erie Canal across New York State to Buffalo, New York, on Lake Erie.  Although traveling the full length of the historical waterway is scenic and educational, the route has two problems: There are bridges on the western half of the canal charted as low as 15’ and we will exit the canal in Lake Erie, not Lake Ontario. The third option follows the Erie Canal about halfway across New York State into the Oswego Canal that leads directly to Lake Ontario. The Erie Canal is currently closed. It usually opens May 15th, after they do routine maintenance in the spring. Due to the virus, the routine maintenance has been stopped, and the canal will not open until that is complete- and as of today (5/2/20) the maintenance still has not been started…***

Back to our story: Beaufort was on Lauren’s list as a place to stop. “Beaufort is a city on Port Royal Island, one of South Carolina’s coastal Sea Islands. It’s known for its antebellum mansions, especially in the downtown historic district. A notable example is the John Mark Verdier House Museum, an early-1800s Federal-style mansion, with period furniture and exhibits on area history”. We looked and saw they have a free day dock, right next to an anchorage. We made our way to the free dock and tied up there, paying no attention to the ‘dock closed’ sign. Once we were secure, we hung out on the boat for a little bit to make sure no one was going to give us a hard time for being there. We did see a police car cruise through the parking lot, but he didn’t pay us any attention, so it was time to get the bikes off and go for a ride. Once I had the bikes on land, we hopped on them and I realized my chain was now having issues. Damn. We called a local bike shop and he said he was open and would be happy to look at it right away if we could bring it to him. I realized that if I kept peddling, the chain was okay, but when I stopped pedaling, the chain would drop and get tangled. We decided to try to ride to the bike shop, and we made it there in about ten minutes. I showed the bike technician the issue and he said “Oh- your flywheel isn’t spinning- He then grabbed a can of WD-40 and gave it a spray- “Wait a couple of minutes then we’ll try it.” Lauren and I waited off to the side, and after a couple of minutes he picked up the bike, hopped on and rode around the parking lot. It worked! WD-40 does fix anything that is supposed to move! That was easy enough! He told us “no charge”- we thanked him and off we went to explore the town. We rode around the downtown area and the surrounding streets, marveling at the historic mansions and amazing scenery. We found a store that was open for take out- Lowcountry Produce Market and Cafe. Since it was lunch time, we decided to order some carryout and eat in a park overlooking the water. We shared a crab cake sandwich and shrimp and grits. The shrimp and grits were the best we’ve had. Yummy. After lunch we rode around a bit more then went back to the boat. We took Frank for a walk, then hung out on the boat for a bit. Soon it was getting close to sunset, and we had to move to the anchorage. We started up the boat, moved out by some other boats that were anchored and/or moored, and dropped the anchor. We made sure it was set well then had dinner and figured out our next stop.