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…
As far as we know, people were skylarking at sea before they were larking on land.