Day trip to Georgetown, SC

We FINALLY have a window where the wind isn’t out of the northeast coming up! Joy! But with a day to burn we decided to check out Georgetown, SC. The Skipper had been there in college, but this was our first boat visit.

First—the entrance. It’s skinny! We went in on a +0.5’ tide, dropping to -0.5’. So our boat’s spec draft is 6.25’ but as a fully-loaded liveaboard we plan like we are 6.5’ draft because, well, the waterline sure looks a few inches higher than it should! Following the USACE survey tracks we hugged the marina to starboard and watched the fathometer...7.4, 7.2, 6.8, 6.4...GAH!!!!! The bottom is soft and mucky and while we didn’t ground, I have no doubt we glided right over the bottom before getting into the “deep” 8’s. Goodness, it was stressful! But anchoring near the steel mill was easy and knowing that we would be leaving with 2 more feet of water under the keel made me happy. Be forewarned—there is a paper mill nearby so depending on the wind direction you could get a “Fernandina experience.”

All of the museums are closed on Sunday (the day we were in town), but we headed in to check it out and of course find ice cream on a hot afternoon. First impression was honestly not that great. Dinghies at the free dock were tied fore and aft and locked so it was tough to wedge in. Once ashore we found the trash cans along the harbor walk to be totally overflowing—all of them. Then a quick stop at the public restroom almost had me running back to the boat—no TP, no soap, trash everywhere in the women’s, but surprisingly the men’s was much better (and I used it while the boys guarded outside!). I told myself that maybe Saturday was a big party day and the town just hadn’t cleaned up yet and we pressed on. 

Lots of little waterfront parks, including this one with a nice view of our boat!

While several businesses were closed we found a great ice cream place and the winner of Georgetown—Purr & Pour Cafe. This is literally a place where you can get a drink and play with CATS! There is a modest fee, but it’s well worth it as the proprietors are in the business of socializing these cats and finding them homes. With over 145 adoptions under their belts, it seems to be working! The kids spent an hour playing with the cats and will be looking for this type of place everywhere we go.

Purr & Pour

The Skipper and I ditched the kids for a date/route-planning night at Root. We liked the vibe, the cocktail selection, and the fresh, flavorful dishes. And we had a nice view of our boat!

Root

I’d give this one an “okay.” I would like to return to check out the Rice Museum if convenient on one of our trips and see the town when more businesses are open, but I can’t say that I would divert to return. Many cruisers love it here and love one of the vibrant local bars...it just didn’t really grab us.

The steel mill and commercial fleet.