By Rich

The trip from Cat Island to Charleston is a relatively easy single day run. I encountered plenty of shoaling as I left Cat Island but enjoyed extremely scenic views while navigating between them.

The current switched from foul to fair a few times during this transit, and I found myself exposed to fairly strong winds later in the trip. Fortunately, there were tailwinds that gave me a strong push toward my destination.

Charleston is an extremely busy shipping port that reminded me a bit of cruising through New York City. I stayed at the Patriot’s Point marina, which was nice with great service. A word to the wise about docking in Charleston: the currents run very strong through the harbor so be prepared to wait out a slack tide before docking or departing. As I did in Beaufort, I left the dock at slack tide the afternoon before I departed Charleston and anchored out in the ocean just outside the channel. That allowed me to depart at dawn the next morning without worrying about the tide.

One other Charleston note: there is a ton to do and see here, so it’s worth staying a day or two to make some land excursions. I needed to fly home for a week after arriving so I didn’t have a chance to enjoy the city, but I plan to on my next stop there.