DAYS 266-269 : Charleston SC to South Santee River Anchorage - Georgetown SC Anchorage

Charleston to South Santee River MM 420 ANCHORAGE: 7.9 mph; 49.8 miles; 6:18 hours

South Santee River MM 420 Anchorage to Georgetown SC ANCHORAGE: 6.9 mph; 18.3 miles; 2:40 hours

NOTE: There are strong currents after Charleston. Whenever possible, best to ride the tide.

NOTE: Charleston MM 469 to Georgetown MM 403 is about a 60 mile run with a few no wake zones; be sure to check your fuel. You have some choices. 

• You could anchor at McClellanvile (Leland Oil Marina) MM 431 or South Santee River MM 420 before heading to Georgetown MM 403. 

• If you are a fast boat, you could head straight to Georgetown. Some Loopers hop from Charleston to McClellanville to Georgetown. It’s all ‘boater preference’.

MM 420 South Santee River ANCHORAGE

This anchorage is right off the ICW and has a reputation for holding steady with a quick current - I agree; so, we added the snubber line. Another Looper tucked a little further in from the ICW with a ton of space. Great Sunset!

On the Way to MM 420

The weather apps were not kidding about a cold front! It was 29 degrees this morning! It was a cold travel day and I’m wearing every stitch of clothing! 

The dolphin didn’t mind the weather - they were with us all day. Watching them never gets old.

MM 403 Georgetown ANCHORAGE

We stayed a few days tying to the day dock (there are two day docks) to explored the town then dropping anchor before sunset. There is a sign that says, No Overnight Docking, and another announcing the over-night fine will be $1,092.50 (pretty specific). 

Half the town is closed on Mondays but that was ok; we are waiting out some upcoming weather. 

This has been a favorite spot! We went to the Indigo Merchant for a few odds and ends and the Thomas Cafe a couple of times for lunch or dinner - delicious country cooking! There are lots of cute shops, antique places, and art galleries in the Historic Georgetown area. If you get the chance, stop by the Indigo Bakery for coffee and the Sweeties Homemade Ice Cream & Sweets for chocolates and ice cream.

GREAT BIRTHDAY! Georgetown SC March 15, 2022

Started with sleeping in, then coffee and a treat from the Indigo Bakery (spinach/feta croissant is so delicious!). Went to the Rice Museum and will go back tomorrow when the tour guide is feeling better.

People are funny when they misjudge others: Found a nail salon and asked for an appointment - was told nothing was open. I explained I was traveling by boat, and before I could ask about an appointment for the next day, Little Miss told me I should try Walmart - huh. Well then … there ya go … judgy.

Bought and read The Indigo Girl. The story takes place in Georgetown SC about a young girl placed in charge of her family’s plantations and charged with keeping everything running and profitable while her father leaves for Antigua to fight a war and become governor. She finds that her father has mortgaged the plantations and finds growing indigo might possibly save the family from financial ruin. Her mother thwarts her indigo efforts and schemes to marry her daughter off, the girl’s ideology is too progressive so the town shuns her a bit. She successfully grows and processes indigo that rivals the indigo dyes made in France - beating the game. It is an exceptional story, fictional history, and an easy read. I think I want to grow indigo simply to grow it. The process of making indigo is too tricky.

Rice Museum

The gift shop is full of local art and Gullah flare (the artists are not of Gullah descent - I asked). I like the Gullah flare folk-art of applying several mediums in a single piece. The museum itself is $7/person and might be worth your time. We feel it is important to support community museums.

Miss Ruby, Mrs Ruby Middleton Forsythe

I learned about Mrs Ruby Forsythe (1905-1992); a school teacher with 60 years of experience, four honorary doctorates, in South Carolina and my newest educational hero. She taught elementary to African-American children on Pawleys Island during the Jim Crow era.

Her teaching focus was discipline, respect, social responsibility, and the basics: reading, mathematics, spelling and geography. I wonder if science was left out because the children ‘lived science’ every day: growing cycle, botany, and oceanic cycles. She would never allow them to say, “I can’t” they had to say, “I’ll try”, believing as much as nurturing each child as well as teaching the basics.

Then I read something she said and it stopped me cold. I have two sayings: (1) children are like a garden, you need tend the soil so the flower can grow; (2) children are like a river, they need boundaries like a river needs its banks - or else they both will swamp. Ruby says, “(I) like the idea of sowing the best seed into whatever soil we come in contact with; watch it grow and the reproduction of the product sent forth.” I love that!

Martime Museum

Something has happened to the museum and there are big KEEP OUT signs posted. Whatever they are fixing, it might take a while. At least look into going, the window displays are spectacular.

Shell Exploration tours are available from the docks. They have a kiosk in town with all the information you need.

Gullah Museum gullahmuseumsc.com 

The museum is “opened when it’s opened,” so kind of hit or miss. What I found most interesting where the two people behind the founding of the museum. 

Vermelle and Andrew Rodrigues met in college and traveled the United States advocating for the Gullah Geechee people. Vermelle, Bunny, was raised in Georgetown SC and a noted storyteller and artist. Her quilting work, the Michelle Obama Story Quilt, can be found in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History. Bunny passed away in 2015 leaving a legacy with those she touched.

Andrew’s accomplishments are just as extraordinary. He went to college on an athletic scholarship to become a chemist and historian. He first worked for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; then, he left his government position to attain a law degree from Suffolk University in Boston. When he retired, he and Bunny moved back to Georgetown SC. Not allowing his mind to idle, he has conducted extensive research in the cultivation of rice and indigo from the Gullah perspective.