Discrestion Was the Better Part Of Valor

SHIP'S LOG:

According to the tide tables, slack at Elliot's Cut would be at 1:14pm. That meant I had to wait around all morning before making the 3 mile trip to the spot. I took the opportunity to visit fort Sumter. If you haven't been there, you owe it to yourself to go. It is one of those places where you really feel history. You can almost touch it it is so real.

After the visit and a short trip to the market, I got back to ABISHAG and ready her for the days activities. I left the dock about 12:20 and had to waste time getting to the Wappoo Creek Bascule Bridge because I wanted to go through at the 1PM opening so that I would hit Elliot's Cut right on the nose. I quizzed the bridge tender about it and she professed to have no knowledge there even was such a place. As I approached, I realized that I had built it into a great big bogeyman. I mean, how bad could it bee. I went along a straight stretch before making the turn to the cut. As I approached the turn, a 35 foot trawler came the opposite way, made the turn toward me and kept slipping sideways. this was not a good sign. I slowed down to make sure it would be slack water when I got there.

Chuck's description was right on. All cut stone on one side and all rocks on the other, 100 feet wide and maybe 500 yards long. And of course filled with guys in boats fishing. It was slack tide when I entered but I could really see the flushing action Chuck spoke of. Even at slack water, it was costing me a knot to a knot & a half in speed. It was, like he said, trying to sail uphill. I got through without any problems but it was easy to see that if it had been other than slack water, it would have been dangerous to say the least in a boat this size.

The rat of the day was a bit of a push for it took me a while to get through the Cut and I wanted to get to one of the three places I had selected as anchorages: Church Creek, Toogoodoo Creak and Tom's Creek. Having to go up the Sorno River slowed things even more but I was able to make 20 miles and dropped my hook in Church Creek. It wasn't a long day but it was interesting. The weather was beautiful and in the 70's. The Houses along the Cut we really lovely and I would have taken pictures but I was busy at the time. But just a few miles outside of Charleston, it was back into the boondocks again. The marshes showed up again and what houses there were were spread far apart and a long way off the ICW. The water depth is also troubling as it is getting farther and farther away from what the charts read. Thank goodness for depth sounders.

One little interesting sidelight: I got a call from the Charleston City Marina where I stayed last night. Evidently I left without returning the electronic key for the showers and bathroom. They want it back in a week or they will charge me $15 to keep it. If I can find it, it goes into the mail in Beaufort!