Day Trip to McClellanville

Awendaw Creek   

We had a near-perfect night at anchor in Awendaw Creek. Crossroads swung 180-degrees with an overnight change in tidal current, but I didn't notice a thing. The cool temperature and gentle breeze passing through the ports made for great sleeping. I had high expectations for a grand South Carolina Low Country sunrise and made my way to the pilothouse at first light. Initially, muted colors and thick clouds left me disappointed. As time passed, the drama intensified. Gulls and pelicans swooped high and low as the sun lifted above the clouds. A full 15 minutes after the official rise, the orange was still intense and the sun glitter was bright.

I spent the morning cooking and baking with much of the fresh food I purchased in Charleston. Afterwards, washing the dishes occupied even more time. Once everything was done and put away, I got my shower and then we put the dinghy in the water. Our outing for the day was a 5-mile run up the ICW to McClellanville for lunch with Paradigm Shift. The small town known for its shrimping fleet and seafood industries is located a short distance up Jeremy Creek. A tall fire tower overlooks many private docks that line much of the creek. The fishing fleet could be spotted in the distance. We tied up at the Leland Oil dock and walked into town via Oak Street. Glenda and I admired the architecture of St. James Santee Episcopal Chapel of Ease. Further down the road was the massive Deerhead Oak. Estimated to be over 1,000 years old, it is a symbol of strength and community for McClellanville (population 560 as reported in the 2020 census). In 1989 the town was devastated by the full brunt of Hurricane Hugo which passed over the village as a Category 4 storm.  

It seemed that all vehicle and pedestrian traffic was headed to T.W. Graham & Co. for lunch. What a great find this seafood restaurant turned out to be. All of our entrees were delicious and very reasonably priced. The owner and staff were super friendly and the pups even got to dine with us. We definitely put this on our "Come Back To" list. Returning to the dock, we passed under more spectacular live oak trees covered with Spanish moss. It was a beautiful day and warm in the sun. We enjoyed the long joyride as we travelled close to twice the normal speed of Crossroads. Evening snuck up on us once more, and before we knew it the sun was setting on another great day.