We spent 4 days traveling from Wilmington, SC to Charleston, SC, a total of only 165 nautical miles. This was the most leisurely pace that we had ever traveled. Our typical mode has been rush, rush, rush. We finished each day with plenty of time to do yoga together and prepare a nice dinner. Although the days were short the route was intense so Scott appreciated the yoga afterward. We had water as shallow as 6.5′ (our draft, the lowest point of the boat, is 5.5′) at McClellanville, SC. This portion of the ICW was narrow, winding and at times the markings were tricky, especially at the entrance to the Cape Fear River.
Charleston was quite high on my list of cities to visit because I had heard so much about the “food scene.” I was excited to spend 6 nights at Charleston City Marina so we could try as many restaurants as possible. Four of the top 25 restaurants in the US, according to Tripadvisor, are in Charleston. We did find some favorite foods: biscuits at Callie’s Hot Little Biscuits, bouilliabaisse at 82 Queen, shrimp and grits at Stars, hush puppies at PawPaw’s and the cookies at King Street Cookies. We also experienced an unusual meal at R Kitchen where there are only 22 customers per seating and the chef serves a 5-course meal of their choosing.
In addition to a multitude of great restaurants, Charleston is a beautiful city with many gorgeous homes. On our 2+ hour Gullah bus Tour we learned about the types of residential architecture and the lovely iron gates forged by Phillip Simmons. We also learned about the Gullah culture, African Americans in the low-country whose ancestors were brought as slaves. We heard the Gullah Geechee language, a blend of English and the African languages the slaves brought, and sampled the benne cookies made from sesame seeds which were brought from Africa. We learned so much about the city of Charleston and the history of slaves that came there during the 17th century.
Our boat angels, Steve and Sandy, joined us in Charleston to accompany us to their home in Vero Beach, FL. They have owned 3 Kadey-Krogens and have been fabulous mentors to us over the past year! Also, Neal and Margretta on C’est La Vie arrived in Charleston so we are ready to “Buddy Boat” to warm and sunny Florida. I’m ready for shorts and flipflops!
Scott and Melissa's "Unforgettable" Adventures 
I enjoyed the blog post and your fabulous photos. I did a Road Scholar trip to Charleston a few years ago and also enjoyed the food and the history. I read a nonfiction book about the island educational system (or lack thereof) called The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy. He is a very famous SC writer but this is his story of when he was teaching there and taking a boat out to his school every day and his challenges. There is a movie too but I can’t think of the name. Anyway, I am guessing you have time to read on your journey so that is a recommendation. Thanks for keeping us in the loop.
LikeLike