More time in Charleston

Hi Everybody! How are you doing?

I am sitting here on Namaste at the Maritime Center dock in the middle of a very dense fog drinking my morning coffee. The fog is real although at my age it could be in my head.

(I just had another birthday and am preoccupied with age.) We decided to spend more time in Charleston so that we can complete planned projects and fully provision the boat before we head to Miami.

With those things done all we need is good weather in Miami to send us over to the Bahamas.

The Charleston Maritime Center’s Marina has a very active presence in the community. It is the home of the schooner The Spirit of South Carolina. The Spirit is a 148’ replica of the schooner used in the mid 1800’s as a harbor pilot ship. It was built here on the grounds of the center over a 2-year period with private donations. It’s mission is educational and we have seen many groups of excited students from local schools board her while we have been here. There are 10 full time crew that live on board. They offer 15 different classes to students. During two seasons of the year they offer the day trips we have witnessed and the other two seasons they take students on extended voyages. They will be leaving with a group of 20 students for the Dominican Republic later this month. The crewmembers are kind, enthusiastic and generous sailors and teachers. We have enjoyed getting to know them. Docked forward of The Spirit is The Virginia. The Virginia was completed in 1916 and used as a pilot ship in the Hampton Roads area before it was privately purchased. The Virginia now has an educational mission as well.
Last Saturday we watched from the aft deck of Namaste as more than 40 boats lit up with Christmas lights paraded down the Cooper River toward the Battery and the Ashley River. The boats were bedecked with palm trees, flamingos, traditional Christmas trees and crew wrapped in lights dancing on the decks. The lights were reflected on the surface of the water adding to the spectacle of color. There was a live band playing on The Spirit for the evening. My favorite part of the parade was the flotilla of small boats that paddled by the marina. There were rowboats, canoes and kayaks dressed in twinkling lights like fairy boats. Very sweet and the folks on board were full of holiday spirit.

I love the visual sights in the city of Charleston. I have walked many of the streets between East Bay and King to the east and west and Calhoun and the Battery to the north and south. The historic architecture boasts examples of colonial and antebellum homes with regal Georgian gables and Greek revival columns. The gardens filled with jasmine, magnolias, tea olives, camellias, azaleas and roses are surrounded with ornate wrought iron fences and gates. It is a photographers paradise.

These lovely homes and streets have inspired many artists and their work is displayed in over 50 small galleries in the area. There are modern, abstract, realistic, impressionist, folk and Gullah artworks to be pondered and admired. I have especially enjoyed the vast and open spaces created in paintings of the low country.

We have enjoyed many evenings with Betsy and Chappell, dining at their home, on Namaste and in some of the great local restaurants. Like at home in Charlottesville, we are within walking distance of everything.

Chris has been installing the generator that we will use when at anchor to supply our electricity. This new system will allow us to economize on fuel and will give our 50 horsepower yanmar engine a longer life. While installing the generator, which required both complicated plumbing and electrical work, he found a frozen pipe fitting near our main seacock. In order to complete the last twist and turn of plumbing we are going to have Namaste hauled out of the water on Monday morning for about an hour while he fits the last pipe.

Change continues to be a theme upon the water. I am especially tuned into the idea of process at present. As an art teacher I constantly reminded my students that they could not always know or control the outcome of an artwork and they would benefit from being present for the process. It continues to be one of my great lessons as well. The threat of stormy weather, strong currents, unexpected setbacks in projects can create anxiety for me. I have to bring a great deal of conscious awareness to being present and trusting that all is well. I am learning to breathe and shift my focus to all the beauty and goodness that surrounds us each and every day here on the water. If that were the only thing I truly learned as a result of this experience I will be a better person for it.

We are so excited to have Chappell joining us on Namaste for the next month or so as we head to the Bahamas. He adds experience as a sailor and a great amount of enthusiasm to the events that lie ahead. He has equipped Namaste with all kinds of fishing gear. We now have two kinds of spears that are legal in the Bahamas and a fly and rod reel. He is exploring and acquiring the various kinds of bait we will need to catch everything from mahi mahi to bone fish. Chris and I are both glad he is able to join us. Isaac has a new position in Facilities Management at UVA and will be able to join us for 10 days or so around the holiday. We are looking forward to having Betsy join us for 10 days or so in January. What a treat it is to have our family join us on this journey. Lucky us!

Have a great holiday and I will write again soon.

Peace and Love