(Tide listing for Charleston, SC)Low Tide: 1:52 PM EST (-1.0 ft)
High Tide: 7:31 AM EST (6.0 ft)
Sunrise: 7:18 AM
Sunrise: 7:18 AM
Sunset: 5:51 PM
Water Temp: 53F
Water Temp: 53F
Friday Feb 18, 2011 - Ft. Sumter Trip - Ft. Johnson to Ft. Sumter
This trip, in the Charleston harbor, is heavily influenced by the prevailing tides and winds. Our pre-trip planning showed low tide and 1:52PM and we planned to take advantage of the outgoing tide on our trip out to Ft. Sumter with the incoming tide pushing us back to the takeout spot when we leave. Bryce accompanied us on this trip and was instrumental in the site selection for the journey. He wanted a salt water experience and to check out Ft. Sumter. We could not have picked a more beautiful day for the trip. The temperatures hovered above 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The water temperature was a brisk 53 degrees, but it didn't seem quite that cool if you didn't take a swim in it.
Our initial plan was to put the kayaks in at Milton peter Demetre Park (formerly Sunrise Park) and paddle around Ft. Johnson to Ft. Sumter. However, upon arrival at the park we saw that the wind was picking up a bit. Another man pulled up to launch his kayak here and suggested that we might all be better off if we launched from Ft Johnson itself. The other kayaker, John, led us back to Ft. Johnson and showed us where he usually launches from at Ft. Johnson. After rigging the kayaks and hauling them the 40 yards or so to the water's edge we parked our vehicles in the paved parking lot nearby. It was to be a full moon that night and the tide was very low. At the launch site we waded out into the low tidal waters with out boats to launch at 12:05pm. The shallow waters made the launch a little slow, but soon we were on our way to Ft. Sumter. John took a right turn and went to check out a nearby tidal creek.
We almost immediately came upon a sand bar and had to paddle around it. Deanna took the sit-inside and left the rest of us on the sit-on-tops. The warm sun felt great as we paddled across the harbor and to Ft. Sumter. The wind wasn't took bad on the way to Ft. Sumter, but the wave action did crash over the side of the sit-on tops a few times. As we approached Ft. Sumter, Bryce noticed that the flag flying above the fort was not sporting all 50 stars. We also noticed that the other flagpoles, usually flying the state and confederate flags, were empty. We had to wonder if the fort would be closed for the President's Day holiday. We beached the boats at Ft Sumter at low tide and pulled them up the beach about 20 yards to avoid the high tide floating our boats away. The trip from Ft Johnson to Ft Sumter had taken us just 30 minutes.
At Ft. Sumter, the tourist boats had not yet arrived and we had the place to ourselves. A nice young lady from the Park Service said it would be at least 20 minutes before the first boat would arrive. Everyone had a camera along and we went crazy taking photos and looking around before the place would be crawling with strangers. Deanna even brought her good Sony DSLR camera for the event. The Park Service people said the flag flying over Ft. Sumter is an exact replica of the flag flying there in 1861 when Maj. Anderson was defending the fort. The flag will be flying there alone until March 1, 2011 when it will be rejoined by the other flags.
After spending a few hours at Ft. Sumter and watching the boats change out the tourists twice, we headed back for the kayaks and took a little time for snacks and beverages. Then, we dragged the kayaks back into the water, which by this time was only about 10 yards away. The trip back was a little tougher with the wind whipping up a bit. We stopped along the way at a beach on the James Island side of the harbor and left our boats on the sandy beach. The tide was rising much faster in this shallow beach and it quickly send us running back for our now floating boats. We dragged them up the shore a bit and tied them to a hitching post before resuming our beach combing. This proved to be a good idea as they were soon afloat again.
We then headed back across the last remaining tidal creek opening before our landing spot. The rising tide pushing water into the tidal creek made this part of the journey especially challenging. With a lot of work we arrived back at the launching spot at about 5:30pm. We loaded up the boats with the help of our new kayak wheels. These low pressure tires made the walk up the beach a breeze and I highly recommend them for anyone who has to portage great distances with your kayak. Everyone was a bit exhausted, but after a celebratory beer on the shore we wrapped it up before heading to Folly Beach for dinner.
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