13 July All change in Charleston

Arriving at the entrance to the channel into Charleston we noted there was no shipping traffic. This is our third visit to the city, once last June coming from the Bahamas and second time in cold November before returning to the Bahamas.

Catpain Polly

I'd made a reservation at the Charleston City Marina for four nights and had been pleased to secure a slip on our preferred H dock which is handy for the office and floating bath house. Today we don't have to wait for someone to vacate the slip for us, the marina is barely a third full. The megayacht dock is eerily empty and we are one of two yachts on the ten slip H dock. Less boats is a factor of the season; many left last week after July 4 to head north for cooler New England. The changes brought about by Covid-19 are the office door is locked and we talk to the staff by phone and VHF. The courtesy shuttle bus is not in use and the Tuesday and Friday night drinks and snacks are cancelled. What does still work is having an address for Defender and Amazon parcels to be delivered. There are a stack of packages awaiting us on arrival.

Enough room to swing a cat

Our four days on the dock go past in a blur. There's a new masthead light to be collected from West Marine and fitted. I abuse the washing machines, blast away with the vacuum and go crazy with the jet washer deep cleaning the heads and dislodging six months of accrued dust and dirt from the decks and cockpit. It's six months since we were last alongside with unlimited freshwater in Marina Hemingway, Havana. Buckets of seawater hauled on deck don't have the same cleaning power.

David has a long list of jobs which he works through but fitting the new tricolour is the longest and hardest one. In the end, due to unforeseen circumstances, it takes two days and four hauls up the 18m mast to complete the project, but it's worth it. We have an anchor light with a photoelectric cell for automatic on / off and a powerful tricolour.

the grand houses of Charleston

We make friends with another Amel couple, Lisa and Kevin Fox on SV Rascal, who offer a ride out to West Marine and to the supermarket giving us the chance to stock up on the heavyweight items which are running low. Polly food and litter being the two main needs. Prices in the Caymans were triple what they are in the States so there we bought only what we needed.

On the last morning we are tired, but ready to continue our journey up the coast. Next stop Hampton, Virginia.