Leaving Charleston was a bit of an adventure. We were on the long "Mega" dock with the current coming down on our stern, pushing us away from the exit, and the wind on the beam, pushing us onto the dock. We tried a trick we had read about but had never tried in real life to get out. We used lines and strategically located fenders to swing the stern of the boat out from the dock. From this point, we could just back out into the channel, turn around and depart gracefully as if we knew what we were doing. Fortunately the books were right and everything went just as predicted. We, however, were not as calm as we appeared. Of course, the boat that decided to leave at the same time and came barreling past us, just as we were committed to our course of action, did not help.

From Charleston, we made a bit of a push, covering about 290 miles over the next 7 days. We stayed in several lovely anchorages along the way. There were lots of spots with interesting names to stop at as long as the winds were right. One was named Skull Creek and I would like to know the story behind that name. Along the way, Safina managed to catch a crab in their new crab trap and we had a demonstration on how to prepare a crab for cooking. Only male crabs can be kept for eating. Female crabs must be thrown back so we now know how to tell the difference between a male and female crab. No-see-ums inundated us in Buckhead Creek, Georgia. We had to go below and put in the no-see-um screens as soon as we arrived. No-see-ums are extremely tiny and leave a mosquito-like bite. We watched them walk through normal screens. No-see-um screens have an extremely fine mesh that keeps out the no-see-ums and unfortunately, much of the air.

In Delaroche Creek, Georgia, the creek is surrounded by tall grass on mud flats. We watched two dolphins playing (?) at low tide. They would slide up onto a gently sloping, exposed mud bank, frolic a bit and then slide back into the water. We were not sure if this was normal behaviour but it sure looked like fun, especially with a partner.

We got to see shrimp boats in action. They are a world unto themselves. The guidebooks warn that they move erratically and get out the way for no one. We can confirm that and add that they are usually playing very loud music and do not listen to the VHF. They do have a living to make so you just keep an eye on them and stay clear.

We got to do ranges. In each area that we have traveled, there have been new challenges to master. In Georgia along the ICW, there are numerous ranges to follow. A range consists of two separate marks that, when you have them aligned, you are on the right course. Sometimes the range marks are in front of you and sometimes behind you. You do not want to get too far off the range as the water gets skinny, sometimes very quickly. When the range was behind us, Karen would watch and point where I was drifting. Often there were also currents running that could put you off course. If you are not familiar with using range marks for navigation before Georgia, you will be an expert when you leave.

On the weekend, we made it to Florida and stopped in St. Augustine on Sunday night. It already felt warmer. In fact, the average temperature increases by a few degrees for every 50 miles south - or so the story goes. We had a quick tour of St. Augustine with Safina and Imagine and then dinner at a restaurant that we went to 22 years ago. On our first trip to Florida with our boys, we stopped in St. Augustine and had dinner at a restaurant on a pier where you could drop bread through openings beside the table to feed the fish. The restaurant was just as we remembered it and the waitress said the same cook was still there. It was a great memory and St. Augustine was a great place to visit - more on that later.