Fortunately, we were spared the devastation of Superstorm Sandy  because it veered  northeast and offshore of us in Oriental, NC, then  turned northwest again to lash the coast of New Jersey and New York.  We only experienced 50 mph winds and lots of rain.  There was minimal storm surge.  Windspell suffered no damage.  While waiting out Sandy, we took full advantage of our lovely surroundings.  Donna was in her glory at the fitness centre daily jogging the miles away on the treadmill as the rain slashed down outside.  Walt enjoyed the elliptical followed by the steam shower.  We met lots of other cruisers who shared their experiences along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).  We spent the next day undoing all of the preparations we had taken in anticipation of Sandy.  

After being stationary for six days we were glad to continue our southbound voyage which has taken us through Wrightsville Beach, Myrtle Beach, and now we are in Georgetown.  We anchored one evening near Calabash, NC where we had dined 28 years ago when we had done this trip on our previous sailboat.  We had a typical southern dinner of hush puppies with fried shrimp mounded on our plates.  We were delighted to see that nothing had changed in this small fishing town whereas  there has been extensive waterfront development along the ICW with homes and condominiums.  

We are now in the deep south.  We all  know of the vast plantations and the wealth of their owners in this area.  And what did their wealth come from?  Cotton?  No.  Tobacco?  No.  They made their wealth in growing rice and  indigo in this area!  It is unbelievable that they cleared/burned the swamps of cypress trees, drained the swamps, built dykes and planted rice using African slaves.  Of a population of 20,000 people in this area back then, 90 percent were slaves!  Further back from the waterways they grew indigo.  The blue dye was sent to Britain for their naval uniforms.  Many of the plantation owners also had homes in Georgetown.  Strolling the streets of Georgetown you can see the Georgian architecture of their homes, and the streets are lined with Live Oak trees several hundred years old.  

We are now bound for Charleston!

This was the low point during Tropical Storm Sandy...the lowest we have seen our barometer!

Resort River Dunes diningr oom...where we dined during Superstorm Sandy

River Dunes lounge where I beat Walter at Scrabble!

River Dunes pool and fitness centre

Shrimp fleet at Calabash, NC

Cypress swamp along Waccamaw River near Georgetown, SC

diorama showing how the slaves cleared the swamps to  prepare for rice fields

 diorama showing rice fields around Georgetown, South Carolina in early 1800s

Georgetown streets lined with Live Oak trees