Marshes to Osprey Marina.

We had fuel on our minds when we set out this morning. Exactly where to stop was the issue. We had three choices, and it was a matter of where was the most convenient.
It wasn't to be a Long Day, as it were, but we thought we might also tie up to a dock for the night, if the price was right.

First, however, I have to share the bounty I picked this morning:) 12 little darlings:) and they taste lovely..

We left the marsh anchorage around 8.30am and made our way along more slim channels. This yacht parked up overnight in one of the anchorages we were glad we hadn't chosen. There was not a lot of wiggle room in there. It looks like he is sitting on the marsh reeds, doesn't it?

Yes, the green really is that green...and the purple reeds are just another layer to the marshes, which I find endlessly fascinating.

Not a lot to see until we come to signs of civilization. These are usually prefaced by fishermen in small boats, and then we see more of them, and then we see things like this Ferry, which only crosses the canal/river...that's all...side to side!

Sorry, not a lot of pictures today, as we are on anchor and our Verizon Jetpack is expensive, so I cant use all the bandwidth in one foul swoop!

We came out into  Winyah Bay, and decided to let the moths out of the engines...you can see we are doing 13.2 knots! We know she goes faster, but didn't want to push it too much.

We were pushing a fair amount of water around on the bow! YEs, it really is that brown...it is a river and lots of trees around to keep the Tanins there. There is also lots of industry further up river, so who knows what that contributes!?

Here is one of them..a Steel Mill...not sure if it is still working, but the Paper Mills sure is...we got a whiff of the dead cabbage smell waaaaayyy down river of it. The water was VERY choppy when we first entered the Bay, but it has calmed down a fair amount in this photo. A very wide Bay...go look for it on Google Earth!

So we went along our merry way...(hard to do this without showing you all the pics, but these will have to do!)...marshes giving way to swamp. I LOVE swamp almost as much as marshes...I think:)

This fence was one of many along this stretch which we think indicated that this was private property.

We don't mind people having fun, but the guy on the wakeboard kept falling off too close to our boat...often in front of us...and we had to take sudden action to avoid him. It got old real fast!..and seemed to go on forever. Kept us awake! :)

Well, this is typical Cyprus Swamp. Gorgeous and green. LOVE trees. You don't realize how much you miss trees until they aren't there...like in the swamp! Those are water lilies in the water!

We came around the corner and saw a 'Lodge' (I have the photo but it was that or the boat!), and opposite was this lovely boat...She was about 75ft, at a guess. Hard to tell from here.

We followed this little boat for a while, and then passed him when we had lots of water to do so. We were one of several larger boats going north this day. You can see how lush all the vegetation is.

..and the REAL swamp with Swamp Cyprus growing in the water. So pretty. What a gorgeous day it was too.

The sign in the middle of the channel announced our chosen Fuel stop. Diesel here, at Osprey Marina was $3.53.9 per gallon. The best price available that day.  We looked down this little channel and wondered where the heck the fuel dock was going to be...I made Waz call ahead and ask which side to put the fenders. Didn't really need them as the dock had fenders!  It was a bit of a squeeze, but our expert captain handled everything like hot knife through butter...eeeaaaasssyyy!:)

We thought we had died and gone to heaven in this marina. By far the best yet!! They bent over backwards to help us, including giving us a goody bag full of food, and other necessities for our one night stay. There was also food available for the taking, inside the office/store...we didn't use that, but we did shout ourselves an ice-cream, as it was now 3pm and we hadn't had time for lunch.
We put 351 Gallons in this time. Good to top her up when we can!

 

We hadn't decided to spend the night here before filling up...we had to wait out in the channel to get into the marina, as another trawler was finishing fuelling, and we couldn't all fit in there at once. Boats zoomed (literally) past us on the inside and out, while we sat in the middle of the channel. Thank goodness there wasn't a breath of wind, that day (Saturday). The current didn't even move us much, at this stage.

We were surprised to find that they charged just $1 per foot for a dock, per night. There was a vacancy for us, so we took it. It gives the hot water a chance to heat properly, being on shore power...Vs when we put the Genset on for an hour or two, when at anchor.
This is the most serene place on earth, as you can see...just glorious! Warm, windless and green.
Waz had to back the boat from the left side of this picture, where the fuel dock is, into this slot between two poles, alongside the dock finger. What a pro! easy peasy!
We filled up with water, fuel and washed the baby down. It always feels so good to have a clean boat. I got quite wet in the process, but it is always one of those fun things to do...and I dried in no time at all.:)

We had an early dinner of Game Hen...I had cooked two of them, and cut them down the middle, giving us two instant evening meals on the road. I had also made a huge cole slaw, again, and we enjoyed that with it.
A few bugs came out at night, but the barn swallows worked hard to keep them in check. Turtles were in the water everywhere...such funny little things!

We turned in at the usual time, having covered all the upstairs furniture, because the forecast indicated rain..possible thunderstorms over night and next day:(