This morning we decided we wanted to see Charleston by land. We'd tried a few days ago to make reservations for tonight at the MegaDock, and had been placed on a waiting list. The other marinas we called in Charleston were booked solid.
I convinced Ellen that Charleston by RIB was only a few mile jaunt thru protected waters, and although dubious, and still suffering from sore ribs, she finally agreed that St. Johns would be a good spot.
We tied up, took the dogs to land, and did the paperwork at the office. Then, with the two dogs sleeping peacefully in the air conditioning, we launched the RIB and headed for Charleston. From St. Johns Yacht Harbor to the Charleston City Marina, aka the Mega Dock. We hiked half a mile from the dinghy dock to the office, paid our five bucks to use the dock for the day, and walked back to the dinghy to hang our permit on it.
Then we walked into historic Charleston. We walked past a lot of quaint houses, many with blooming flowers, and fruit trees. A lot of homes had walls or fences, and the magnolias were blooming.
We talked to a local man walking a dog, to ask about a lunch recommendation, and I'll pass along his great tip. The Fleet Landing is at the old Navy docks, next to the cruise ship terminal, directly on the water. We each had a soft-shelled crab sandwich, and it was GREAT!
Though there was a waiting list to sit out on the patio, we quickly got an inside seat in the air conditioning... I mean, we enjoy waterfront dining every meal! These photos show the local history from WWI, but it took me two photos to capture their one long photo on the wall.
We walked to the nearby Battery Park, where we laughed at the sign by the fountain. Yes, the fountain, that I don't think was a foot in its deepest location.
Then we caught a trolley, and transferred to a bus to have a little shorter walk back to the dock.
On the way home, we noticed something splashing behind a boat, and then I realized there was a man swimming for all he was worth to get back to his anchored boat. I saw he'd left something in the water, and sped up to see what I suspected was a dog...
The man leapt to his boat and saw us as he was scrambling to pick up his anchor, and franticly thru a hand in the air. I sped up and came along side a little boy, probably four, floating in a life jacket. He didn't seem too scared in the water, but, wasn't real sure when I picked him up and placed him in the RIB.
We waved to his Dad, before the guy had a heart-attack, to let him know his son was ok. The little boy told us, "The line came un-tied." and "My Daddy's getting the boat." I pointed to his Dad, and told the kid we were closer.
Evidently the Dad had been letting his son float with the boat as they drifted, and the line that was attached to his life jacket came untied. The current above the bridge is so strong, I don't know how that man got back to his anchored boat, but he was sure glad we'd picked up his son who was rapidly disappearing downstream.
Let's see, that's three man overboard drills we've had this week, if you count the dog. The little boy was the easiest to pick up!
We spent the evening doing boat chores, enjoying air conditioning, and oh, yeah, writing the blog!
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