Jan. 1, 2005

We got to the Limehouse Bridge in time to put into a favorable tide current heading southwest. Mirror smooth water, few other boats, our pace was pretty swift and I was holding up pretty well.

Neat working sailboat we met along our way

Typical very long pier

At about 15 miles we needed to turn right off the West Edisto River to go upstream to the ramp at the Washington Bridge to Edisto Island.  This put me rowing against a strong tidal current for the last five miles. 

Not being able to contact any of the nice Habitat folks who usually have helped me get back to our car, I had agreed with a Keith, who advertised a ride service, to call him about an hour before getting there and he would meet us. He had agreed to do it for “about $30.00”! At the rate I was progressing against the tide I wasn’t sure when to call him but finally decided to do so about two miles from the bridge. He did not seem as willing as he had the night before. Then he questioned which bridge. Finally I got it across that it was on the road to Edisto Island, Rte 174.  I don’t think he had ever been outside of the city of Charleston.

The current got stronger and our land speed according to the Garmin GPS was practically zero when I rowed as hard as I could. Progress was very slow and we tried different sides of the river to see if it would be better. No difference.  I was working up a real sweat and my hands were wet. This always seems to accelerate the development of blisters that I was supposed to be avoiding by taking it easy. The bridge was in site but the ramp was around a corner and we could not see if there was anyone there waiting. Finally we struggled around the bend and saw the ramp a few long hundred yards ahead. The current hardly allowed us to land but we finally struggled ashore. I was exhausted and several blisters had snuck into view on my left hand.  We had been over 20 miles that felt like 30 and I think if I measured water surface distance, would have been. I had beaten my opponent, the tide, and felt some sense of pride. I should have felt shame for being so stupid to in this situation at all.

But there was no sign of Keith.  I called him again and found that he had some excuse about “having to go get the car” and would be here in about 20 minutes.  Meanwhile we started to witness a couple with a large powerboat trying to land and get their boat on a trailer with the strong current pushing them up against the dock.  I tried to help by holding it off while the husband drove it forward onto the trailer. Finally they got it on the trailer but when they started to drive up the steep ramp the tires spun against the pavement because the trailer had slipped off the ramp on the downstream side. We both tried jumping into the back of the truck to give more traction. No use. The put the boat back in the water and just at that point Keith arrived and I left Heather with them to struggle with it.

Keith had apparently gone to get his Lincoln Town Car thinking that I wanted a ride to a fancy party somewhere. Sweaty and hot I climbed into the back seat of the limo.  I fell asleep within minutes and woke up as we came to the parking area where I saw the car.

As we came to a stop Keith, a large and powerful guy one did not disagree with in a lonely off road setting, turned and politely said “That’ll be $55.00.”  I looked in my wallet to see two 20s.  “Uh oh” I said. “What’s that?” He said. Then one of the new 20s I’d taken from an ATM machine in the morning magically separated into two. I handed him the three 20s. I got out feeling abused. I think he sat there a minute waiting for a tip!

I was in my car with the doors locked before I could even have finished that thought.

It had become dark while I’d been asleep in back of the Town Car.  Now I worried about Heather being alone at the landing.  I called her cell phone and was much relieved to hear her say that the couple with the boat  were still there and would wait until I returned because the husband had said this was no place to have her sitting alone.  Planning mistake number two for the day.  I resolved that we should never allow ourselves to land so late in the day again.  When I returned I found that they had struck up a nice friendship, they had written her a check for Habitat and we departed with them interested in following our progress down the coast.  We drove back toward Charleston to find the cheapest hotel we could find. The idea we’d had of camping in the car was not a consideration.