Great Loop 2022: Days 2 through 4: Shore Days in Charleston SC

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We prep the boat for our journey — and encounter some rough seas without even leaving the dock!

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Although I didn’t sleep well that first night, I had an enjoyable night’s sleep. You might be wondering what the heck I mean by that. Just this: every time I woke up, I found myself in a gently rocking bed and could hear the sound of tiny waves lapping against the dock. It was pleasant to be awake in a warm, comfortable bed, listening to the sounds of nature right outside my little windows.

Dawn on Wednesday morning at Cooper River Marina.

Wednesday: Shopping and Rough Seas

Our first order of business that first day was to replenish the pantries. Just about everything on board was old or stale — the boat had been in dry dock for nine months! — including the coffee. So we headed out to a Publix supermarket, where we filled our cart with enough food for an Atlantic crossing. Or at least that was the joke. Capt John likes to err on the side of too much food instead of not enough. While it was true we’d be spending the night at Marinas most nights, it was equally true that marinas weren’t always close to grocery shopping.

And here’s another difference between this crew experience and my last one: Capt John liked to prepare and eat meals on the boat instead of eating out all the time. That was fine with me. Not only would it save some money and possibly result in healthier meals, but it would spare us the frustration of arriving at a marina hungry with no restaurants nearby and no food on board.

We used two carts to get the groceries from the parking lot down the every long pier to the boat. And then struggled a bit to get the groceries put away. All this was, of course, after I’d made and drunk some coffee.

While we were doing all this, the wind came up. Soon it was howling from the south (our stern), blowing up whitecaps in the marina. Although the marina did have a breakwater, it protected the long term slips and not the transient slips where we were parked. As the boat tossed about, I started feeling a little queasy. I took a dramamine and put on my sea bands, feeling a little like an idiot. After all, what kind of boater gets seasick while still docked at the marina?

The answer came a while later when I walked up to the bathrooms, partially as an excuse to get on solid ground. After doing my business, I poked my head into the “Captain’s Lounge” to find a woman and two boys seated at the table there.

“You know it’s bad when you live on a boat and get seasick,” the woman told me.

Her family lived on a very large catamaran parked near us. I looked out the window. Her boat was barely moving. Carver 36, however, was bobbing around like a cork.

So I didn’t feel so dumb being sick.

I eventually went back to the boat and sat outside in the elevated cockpit, which is completely surrounded by panels of clear vinyl and canvas, keeping me out of the wind. It may have been raining, but if it was, the rain was hitting the ground in the next county. Capt John was down inside and after about 20 minutes, I sat on the steps chatting with him. I did okay for a while but then got very queasy. Honestly, within a few minutes I was looking for a place to puke up the nothing I’d eaten all day.

The challenge, I figured, as I headed up toward the building and land that didn’t move under my feet, was finding a spot where I could puke without the wind getting it all over me or the dock. But my stomach settled down once I got up to the lounge. The family was gone by then and I had the place to myself.

When I went back to the boat about a half hour later, the wind had subsided and the water was calmer. Capt John made himself a can of stew; I had a toasted English muffin with butter. It was basically the only thing I’d eat all day.

Thursday: Cleaning and a Day Trip

I felt back to normal in the morning — even though I’d had a night of weird dreams — and even made us a frittata with eggs, potatoes, onions, and bacon. After doing the dishes, we headed out to the cockpit to try to clean the absolutely filthy furniture back there.

The boat had apparently been in dry dock in a place prone to rain and dust and I suspect the cockpit hadn’t been fully closed off. The white parts of the vinyl cushions required a weak bleach-based cleaner to get them even close to white and everything had to be dried off with a rag after wiping down with sponges or the dirt turned to streaks.

As for drying, that didn’t really happen. It rained on and off all day long. Nothing was going to dry.

That’s about when I discovered the leak in the closed vent in my cabin. Or maybe I should say the first leak. There turned out to be a total of four. Two of them were on the bed — thankfully not where I sleep — so I had to set up towels with plastic bags under them to catch the drops. One was through the vent over the sink in my cabin and I just let it drip. The other dripped in a corner. Capt John said he needed to replace the hatches and I’m thinking that any time might be a good time. But when it stopped raining (the next day), it became a non-issue. The next time it rains, I’m going to cover the hatches on the outside.

Anyway, we cleaned cushions until about 10 AM, then went to clean ourselves up in the showers at the main building. They were new and in good condition and plenty clean, possibly because so few people were around to use them. It felt good to be in clean clothes after dealing with so much dirt.

We hiked back down the long pier to the car and climbed in. John had a lunch date with a friend and would drop me off at Charleston City Market, which was a mostly indoor craft venue. I kept imagining something like the LA Farmers Market, so when I stepped inside, I was a bit disappointed. It was very touristy. Emerging on the far end, I learned why: a cruise ship was parked about a block away. (Yes, people are doing cruises in cruise ships again.) I did, however, do the typical touristy thing: I bought a Charleston t-shirt before leaving the market. (So sue me.)

The cruise ship was parked right behind this magnificent building.

I stopped for lunch at Amen Street Fish & Raw Bar. It was a good choice. I had an excellent lunch of raw oysters, a beet salad with seared scallops, and key lime pie. The service was crazy polite and good. The atmosphere was nice. It was a bit pricey, but I’m starting to think that everything is a bit pricey now.

  
My three course meal at Amen Street Fish & Raw Bar.

From there, I set off in search of a bookstore. I was looking for another good watercolor reference book to help feed my need for knowledge on a new hobby. It was raining on and off, but I had a rain jacket on. I went to Buxton Books first and discovered a very tiny bookstore that apparently specializes in — well, I’m not sure. Local books? Local authors? Honestly, I think I have more books in my personal library at home. I was backtracking on King Street to find another bookstore and actually got within two blocks of it when Capt John called, ready to pick me up. I told him where I was and he arrived about 15 minutes later. My book shopping would have to wait.

We did a few errands on the way back, stopping at a FedEx Store, CVS, terrible convenience store, and tiny discount supermarket. It was still raining and still windy when we got back, but the marina’s water was relatively calm so seasickness would not be an issue.

We both wound up at the table to get some work done. John is working while we travel so he has various laptop things to do. I wrote up the blog post for Day 1 of the trip.

We had dinner late — a crockpot concoction with chicken, salsa, corn, and black beans that John had set up before we left. It was quite tasty.

John retreated to his cabin not long after dinner. I settled down with my new watercolor paints and attempted to paint a tree. It did not go well. To finish the night on a high note, I did another practice color mixing chart. At least that came out good.

Friday: More Cleaning and Pre-Departure Errands

More weird dreams on Thursday night. What was that all about?

I didn’t roll out of bed until after 7 AM. When I realized how late it was, I threw on my clothes and came out to the galley. I’d left my watercolors out overnight to dry and didn’t want to leave a mess on the table for John. But he was still asleep. He didn’t get up until almost 8 AM and I admit I was jealous.

I had coffee and cereal with berries for breakfast. John had hard boiled eggs and toast. Then it was time to finish the cleaning upstairs.

Now we were working on the command bridge where there were six bench cushions in dire need of cleaning. I unsnapped them and took them off the boat where I attacked them with a scrubby sponge, cleaning solution, and a hose. It was a gorgeous day and the sun made quick work of drying them. Meanwhile, John attacked various surfaces with rags and a vacuum. We had it all put together again in time for lunch.

Over a lunch of sandwiches, we talked about our plan. John had been waiting for a vinyl guy to replace some of the striping on the boat. The guy was giving him the runaround, making excuses to put it off. John didn’t want to wait; this guy was holding up the trip. So he decided to just pick up the vinyl and bring it with us. Perhaps someone else could use it to replace the old vinyl while we were on our way.

With that decided, our chore for the day was to pick up the vinyl and a few things at a Home Depot and then drop off the car in a long term storage place. We went to work, getting things done in just a few hours and catching an Uber back to the boat. We even made time to get some Dairy Queen. (Apparently John and I share this guilty pleasure.)

Back at the marina, I decided to make use of the washer and dryer to do some laundry, including all the rags we’d dirtied while cleaning the cushions. I grabbed a shower, too. I’d hoped to get to work on this blog post, but simply didn’t feel like it. (Sorry!)

Is it me or does this building look kind of weird? I thought it might be good to study this, too.

Here’s John’s boat again, in daylight.

Another crockpot meal by John: pulled pork. I cannot begin to tell you how much leftover food we have in the fridge already.

I retreated to my cabin not long after dinner. I spent some time reading before falling asleep. I was really looking forward to starting the traveling part of the trip.