On December 30th we arrived at Charleston City marina. We timed it well to arrive at slack tide – the current here can be very strong and the difference between low and hight tight is up to 5ft. The marina is super nice with friendly staff, good facilities and lot’s of beautiful boats.
The next day we celebrated New Years Eve – like all other Germans – with a party grill (Raclette) and watching “Dinner for One” on top of our boat.
On New Years day we explored Charleston, we needed some exercise after that dinner and walked 7 miles round the city. We started at our marina walked south to the battery and then went on the other side back up and returned to the marina via the historical downtown area.
The following weekend we spoiled ourselves with a night at the Embassy Suites in the historical district. This was a nice break with a proper bathtub and a big bed. Luna probably had a big party that night alone on the boat.
This marina is amazing, especially since we have an outside docking. Usually that is not convenient as the wake hits your boat the most, but on the other side we can see dolphins passing our boat nearly every day multiple times. Jolanda enjoys working on her desk and looking out to spot the dolphins. These are just a few pictures she took from our boat.
One weekend we had friends coming over from New Jersey, they wanted to escape the cold temperatures and booked an AirBnB for a week. This place even had a heated pool, so of course we invited ourself’s. Thanks so much Lycel and Rich for the invite.
One of our resolutions for this year is to dance more – and learn it properly. So Jolanda contacted a SALSA school and asked for private lessons outside. The lady was very happy to do that and we are taking lessons every Thursday at lunchtime at the Hamilton Park close by.
Of course there are times where we have to fix the boat, some tasks are easy and quick, others can be very frustrating. We had a diver to change the propeller (since there is a small dent from the collision with the sand bar). You might remember our challenges with the holding tank… I figured out that the ventilation line to the holding tank (this is where the toilet goes) got blocked so pressure was building up in the tank and eventually everything went into the bilge (inside the boat). First mission was to clean up and then to run a new hose. In the picture below you can see the “temporary solution”. We will get a proper vent installed.
We also met a very nice couple here at the marina. They were already on their way south when they had a problem with the gearbox and now need to wait until the engine is fixed. Of course there are worse places you can get stranded. They introduced us to the Charleston Sailing club and also gave us good tips and showed us their amazing 42 foot trawler. In return we invited them to a dinner on our boat.
The last weekend we celebrated the same way as the first – spending a free stay in a hotel close by. This time we went to Mount Pleasant which is the beach part of Charleston and we even did a run in the morning where we passed over the bridge which we crossed a month earlier with our boat on the way to Charleston.
This weekend we are planning to sail to Savannah to stay a month there and visit our friend Rick who is also an amazing online and in person trainer (https://www.mrcalisthenics.com/home) and since we enjoyed our stay so much here in Charleston we are planning to return in March on our way back to New Jersey for another month.
Love the updates and photos!
Thanks so much, funny we just watched your update yesterday evening. We are a bit behind but catching up. Loved the episode with the Lobster catch. You guys rock!! All the best and stay safe
So jealous…you are in an amazing city. Check out restaurants Blossom, Magnolia and Leon’s for Oysters (that’s an Uber ride, but worth it). Loved Savannah as well, very different. Great art.at the Telfair Galleries, a very party/festive city. Get out to Bonaventure Cemetery (sounds strange, but incredible). Darn…we need a Zoom!! We have some friends coming, not sure for how long, but let’s talk more specifically about your schedule and figure it out. Would love tos share some favorites with two of our favorites!!
Hi Rob, You are so right Savannah is very festive and out door oriented city – so much easier for us to do things, except we have like 10 days of rain forecast now… so great time for a zoom call if you will find some time. Let us know.