02/26/2011 - Shem Creek Trip

(Tide listing for Charleston, SC)

Low Tide: 8:55 AM EST (0.56 ft)

High Tide: 3:02 PM EST (4.34 ft)
Sunrise: 6:51 AM

Sunset: 6:14 PM
Water Temp: 57F

Charleston Harbor Entrance Currents







Saturday Feb 26, 2011 - Shem Creek Trip

This trip started out at the boat ramp at Nature Adventures Outfitters on Shem Creek and extends into the Charleston harbor before returning to the starting point for takeout. The great things about using Nature Adventures Outfitters is they have a carpeted kayak ramp to prevent damage to your boats, they allow paid customers to use their bathroom facilities, and they allow you use of their water hose to clean off your boats at the end of your trip. We though that this trip would be heavily influenced by the prevailing tides, but it didn't significantly impact our paddling. Ok, I must confess that I didn't complete this blog until months after the paddle, so don't expect the level of detail to which you have become accustomed to seeing on Lowcountry SC Kayaking. The photos, however, are the actual pics from the trip!



We put in our boats at the Nature Adventures Outfitters ramp on Shem Creek. For a small fee ($3 / boat) and a signed waiver of liability they graciously allowed us to use their carpeted boat ramp, bathroom facilities, and water hose to wash off our boats after the trip! They rent kayaks there for Shem Creek paddlers, so if you need boats for this trip or just want to sign up to use the facilities as we did contact them at (843) 568-3222 or visit them online at www.kayakcharlestonsc.com. They are located next door to Mt Pleasant Seafood and Lowcountry Scuba. We have done business with all 3 and each are our favorites in the area for their type of business.





The launch went well and we paddled out toward the Charleston harbor with Bryce in the sit-inside kayak. Deanna and I were on the the sit-on-tops. The warm sun felt great as we paddled through the shrimp and fishing vessels that were docked along Shem Creek. The wind was not much of a factor that day. We reached the Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary alone and beached our kayaks on the sandy beach to stretch our legs. This was the last weekend of the spring season in which humans are allowed on the little island. It is a nesting area for many birds in the area and they were soon to arrive.






After we stretched a bit on the sand we were joined by 2 couples, each including a sailor deployed at the local Navy base. The tide was coming in we had to run and catch the other's kayaks as they hadn't pulled them up above the tide line like we did. We took the time to enjoy a tasty sandwich that Deanna had put together for us and rehydrated a bit before mounting up again and continuing on our journey. The islands served as a breaker for most of the waves coming in from the harbor.






We went on down to another small sandy bank and stopped to search for fossils. We did find a nice Snaggletooth Shark tooth that Bryce took back to Kansas after mounting it into a nice necklace. On the way back to Shem Creek we noticed Bryce's kayak riding a bit low in the water. As we approached for a closer look we could see that when he really put out on the paddle, the back of his boat was taking on water through the drain hole. We stopped again on the beach where we had lunch and drained Bryce's kayak.






We took many pictures along the way on our trip. Deanna even brought along the nice DSLR camera. The birds were great sports with many Pelicans on every possible perch on our way back up Shem Creek. The dolphins came out and swam around us a bit. It was a great day out on the water!









It was an excellent day on the water at Shem Creek and we contemplated paddling around toward Patriots Point where the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier is at port. We were stopped by the setting sun and headed back up Shem Creek.








We passed our takeout point, Red's Ice House, and paddled under the bridge. There we took a number of photos of the resting pelicans in the fading sunlight. We used the water hose provided by Nature Adventures Outfitters to clean up our equipment, packed it up in Bryce's truck, and headed home. This was an excellent paddle, but it also meant the end of our Spring 2011 paddles with Bryce as he had to go back to Kansas. We look forward to his next visit!