Charleston - Finally

With good weather we decided to go outside from the St. Marys River to Charleston. We actually made our decision during breakfast so we quickly did the calculations on arrival time and got underway as soon as we were cleaned up. We first returned to Fernandina Beach to top off our diesel fuel and then we were off on an outgoing tide. The day was beautiful as forecast with winds a little on the light side so we motored sailed. There was little traffic, just a few other northern bound boats that had also left from St. Marys or St. Augustine, bound for Port Royal or Charleston. At one point we saw a large object in the water about one boat length off our port side. I was so relieved we had not hit it and then tried to figure out what it was. It was just at and below the surface. Just at that moment it raised it's head and I realized I was looking at a very large leatherback turtle. Leatherbacks are huge turtles with adults weighing 700 to 2,000 pounds and measuring 4 to 8 feet in length. By morning the wind was even lighter and the swell increased and was directly on the starboard beam making for a very uncomfortable ride. There is a long entrance channel into Charleston Harbor which then passes Fort Sumter. Right then and there you know you are in a place with so much historical significance. We had called Charleston City Marina on the Ashley River for reservations before we left so we just needed our slip assignment when we arrived at about noon. We both were exhausted from lack of sleep, but we got the boat cleaned up and the laundry done so we could enjoy the weekend in historic Charleston. The marina provides van service to the downtown areas so Saturday morning we were off beginning with a stop at the Old Market. There is so much to see and do. After spending a little time in the market we took a horse drawn tour of the East Battery area,. After returning to the Old Market, we spent some more time there before setting out on our own walking tour. We visited the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon and then the Edmonston-Alston Home. This home has 90% of the original furnishings and is still in the family which lives on the third floor. The homes in Charleston have very short front facades, modeled after the homes in London which were taxed on the frontage. This is very deceiving because they are very deep and the sides usually have beautiful piazzas. At the Edmonston-Alston Home, which is on the East Battery, the owners stood on their piazza as we did while touring, and watched the beginning of the Civil War when Confederate artillery opened fire on the Federal fort in Charleston Harbor at 4:30 am on April 12, 1861. There is so much to take in here, it will take a few more visits.