After spending two nights in wonderful Beaufort, SC, we had planned on a one-night stay in Charleston, followed by a speed run up the ICW. But, plans change. We arrived in Charleston's City marina, following the rising tide through the problematically shallow Coosaw/Ashepoo Cut (where do they get these names?)
Weather forecast has thunderstorms tonight and more severe weather tomorrow, so we opted to stay for two nights. We'll do another weather check tomorrow morning. If the weather guessers change their forecast, we'll sally forth northward.
A word about Beaufort - a most magnificant town; friendly, laid-back, reasonably priced and such a pleasure to visit. On the first night, we ate at Paninis. Kathy had shrimp and grits and I had boulliabiase; reasonably priced and absolutely fabulous ... better than any meal we had in Florida! So good, in fact, that we ate there last night too. Ever heard of bacon-wrapped shrimp? That was our appetizer both nights. It's unbelieveably delicious.
Lack of ICW maintenance still dictates that you follow a rising tide, whether northward or southward. If we delay too long for bad weather, we'll lose the advantage of daylight high-tide cruising.
Get-home-itis is a dangerous disease, but I do want to be home before Easter. Kathy is more cautious and wants a safe voyage, regardless of the arrival time in our homeport marina. Don't want to be stupid, so we are committed to getting home safely.
Finally, diesel fuel prices are approaching ridiculous levels. We took 125 gallons at $3.46 in Beaufort. The following morning, the price was reset to $4.29 (before the 7% tax was added.) Heading south, we found that Beaufort had the highest fuel prices ... they still do. Charleston's price (tax included) is $3.77. Cruising in paradise ain't cheap any more!!
Ebb Tide II underway
