Georgetown SC and it's Clock

April 23, 2022

It was another smooth, sunny travel day from Awendaw to Georgetown SC. We've been blessed with great travel weather and are very thankful. We plan to anchor in Georgetown this evening. There are a few mooring balls in the anchorage, but they are all reserved for the university. We hoped there would be a spot near the back of the anchorage we could squeeze into. There is a mill at the end of the canal that isn't so picturesque, but for one night, the view will do.

As we near the anchorage, we cruise along a canal which is the Georgetown waterfront and it is lined with pubs, seafood markets and gift shops to our starboard side and mostly sailboats tied to the mooring balls on our port side. There is enough room at the end of the canal that we toss out the anchor and set. The local pubs are busy and the spectators are out in full force. It's times like this, when there are many onlookers, things usually go wrong. Fortunately, we set the anchor with ease and everything goes smoothly. The kids get busy with getting the dinghy off the bow. We want to head into town to walk around but also to get some fresh seafood. We'd like to prepare our first surf and turf dinner tonight and there is an award winning seafood shop in town.

The kids manage the crane like pros and lower the dinghy into the water while the spectators watch from the nearby pubs. The six of us load up and head to the town dinghy dock and take a leisurely stroll through the charming town. We stop off at the shrimp and seafood market to pick up what we'd like for dinner. The kids also talk us into getting them some ice cream as we wander back to the dock. Brooklyn's ankle is still tender, so she's limping a little, and Gord's fingers are far from perfect.

We received a tip from Moonlight Dance, who was here a couple of nights ago, that Rollin' Local is a great restaurant and worth the stop. We decide to go there for dinner, but Gord was still intent on getting good steaks for our surf and turf meal which we will now plan for another night. Jaxon and I go back to the boat to get the shrimp on ice while Gord and Brooklyn make the 3 kilometer round trip trek to the butcher shop. When they return, they have exciting news about an alligator floating by the pier. We've been told there are two large ones that swim around in this canal, but the one they saw was certainly an offspring.

At 5:45pm, we head back into town for dinner. We are seated outside at the Rollin' Local which was great because it's a beautiful evening and we enjoyed people watching while we waited. The menu was extensive and looked incredible and our server was fun and engaging. We were looking forward to our evening out, however, disappointment was soon upon us. I had originally typed out the details of our evening, but there is no need to go on about the failure of this restaurant to give us a positive experience. Fortunately, there was a museum across the street where the kids played on a giant anchor outside while we passed the time waiting for our meals. In the end, after over 2 hours at this establishment, it was necessary to speak to the manager. As our discussion ended and we were getting ready to leave, the kids shoved some leftover chicken in their pockets in hopes of seeing the alligator at the pier on our way back to the dinghy.

Finally able to be on our way, we walked past the table beside us. One of the ladies commented on how our kids reminded them of their own children years ago. We stopped and chatted with the happy group. These two couples were visiting from Charlotte and often weekend here in Georgetown. We started talking about our adventure and they were utterly thrilled and excited for us. They had so many questions that we stayed and chatted for over 1/2 an hour. It was such a great way to end what had turned out to be a disappointing evening at the restaurant. They asked us for the link to the blog, which we shared with them, and said our goodbyes. They were such a fun group of people and really turned our night around. If one of you happen to be reading this, we remember you, and thank you and hope your 4:00am fishing excursion was amazing.

As luck would have it, the alligator was still at the pier when we arrived. Brooklyn starting feeding it some chicken and the onlookers laughed and remarked at the reptile. We actually spotted two small alligators floating in the water, which was most exciting. Because of our delay at Rollin' Local, it was much later than we expected or wanted to be returning to the boat. We quickly prepared things for the morning, and put ourselves to bed.

In the morning, Georgetown is peaceful. The music and nightlife had been replaced by the

silence of the early morning except for the hourly haunting chimes of the town clock. The waterfront and anchorage look beautiful in the morning light and even the mill casts a rather pleasing reflection of itself this time of day. We pull up anchor and quietly maneuver down the waterfront canal as one of the larger alligators stealthy glides past the bow of our boat. Next stop - Osprey Marina.

Voyage Log

Travel from Awendaw to Georgetown here.