Day 178: Charleston, South Carolina

Monday, 3 July 2017
O/N @ the Union Pier — Charleston Cruise Terminal

Stats @ Ship’s Time 9:50p (EDT) … UTC 1:50a (4 July)
Temp: 79.3F (26.3C) … 91% Humidity
Position: 32.46.90N / 79.55.41W

Every exit is an entry somewhere else.
~ Tom Stoppard ~

If you’re hoping to read an exciting — or even just an interesting — post about our day, you are going to be disappointed.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you ;-)

When we woke up this morning at 6:30a, the veranda was wet from overnight rains, but the sun came out soon after.  Alas, it didn’t stay out for long.  By the time we met up with our party at Baristas to go into breakfast, the sky was overcast … and soon it was raining … with occasional thunder.

For a change of pace, we had breakfast with friends in the Grand Dining Room.  Then we all went our own way.  Insignia was en route to Charleston, South Carolina, but we would have most of the day at sea before our scheduled arrival this afternoon.

It was still raining when I headed to the Deck 5 promenade where I could enjoy fresh air without getting wet.  Wasn’t meant to be.  The doors were cordoned off with a prominently displayed sign indicating high wind was the culprit.  I really didn’t want to sit indoors, so I headed to the pool deck instead.  The love-loungers — my name for the double-wide chaise lounges — were all taken.  So, I settled for one of the chairs under the deck 10 overhang by the pool until I spotted one couple leaving.  Excellent.

Sure am glad I made the move when I did.  Around 10:30a, the heavens opened up in a downpour that would have soaked my poolside chaise lounge within minutes.  The heavy rain continued in waves for about an hour, with thunder growling ominously in the distance.  I sat unaffected by the inclement weather.

Then — quite suddenly — the rain was over and the sun was out … bringing with it an unpleasant mugginess.  I stayed where I was and continued to read, polish blog posts, and catch up on the journal … letting the occasional breeze wafting across the deck cool me off.

The rain comes down in sheets, veiling the far end of the deck.

Our respite from the rain was brief, however.  No more than ½-hour later it was pouring again as Insignia cut straight through the heart of another storm … with thunder booming closer this time …  and a couple of lightning cracks very, very close to the ship.  I didn’t care … and, in fact, I liked the coolness that came with the change in weather.

A picture won’t do justice to the torrential rain storm.

Captain B’s noon announcement said it was 78F (26C) with 35-knot winds … no wonder the rain was swirling about so much.  He said that he expected the weather to get better in the afternoon and the rain to be gone by the time we came alongside in Charleston.  His prediction for improved weather was not long in coming true.  By 2:00p, all was dry and, while not brilliant, the sun was out … once again steaming things up.

As scheduled, Insignia slowed down to pick up the pilot around 4:00p.  We still had an hour or so to go, however, before we could call out “land ahoy.”  Seeing the familiar landmarks of Fort Sumter and USS Yorktown made the sail-in even more fun.  Even though the light was harsh and the heat-haze wasn’t optimum for photography, I clicked off a few shots to mark our return to the US.  I was glad to see Carnival Ecstasy leaving port as we were coming in … it would not have been fun to share Charleston with another ship on this busy holiday long weekend.  By 5:30p, Insignia’s lines were being thrown out to the dock workers standing by to tie us up at the cruise terminal.

Fort Sumter is the traditionally accepted place where the American Civil War began in 1861.

Castle Pinckney on Shutes Folly Island was built by the US government in 1810.
It was briefly used as a prisoner-of-war camp and artillery position during
the American Civil War.  Looks like it is a preferred roosting spot for birds now.

USS Yorktown (CV-10) was named in honor of another aircraft by the
same name that was sunk during the Battle of Midway in June 1942.

This being our first port of call in the US after our brief sojourn to Bermuda, we had to go through immigration before we could go forth and wander around the city.  The good news — no immigration formalities in Miami … but we will have to go through customs there.

The face-to-face meetings were to be conducted in the terminal.  The schedule delivered to the cabin last night stated that deck 6 passengers would be called at 6:30p to meet with the officials.  CD Ray had said we could go earlier if we had plans that called for early disembarkation.  We didn’t.  In fact, we were going to wait for the final call, but things didn’t quite work out that way.  With the immigration line for foreign nationals moving slowly, O started calling US passport holders ahead of the schedule.  So, we joined our friends from deck 4 and off we all went.

The formalities — little more than matching faces to passports — were quickly accomplished.  Time to get some dinner.  None of us wanted a fancy meal.  So we headed to a Greek restaurant called Taziki, which had good reviews online.  The food was decent, but the gyros were nothing like the real thing … comparing them to Turkish döner.

After dinner, we followed King Street all the way to the waterfront, stopping periodically to take photos of some of the architectural features that caught our eye along the way.  Once at the White Point Gardens, we got on East Bay Street and headed into town along the waterfront and Rainbow Row.  This was all familiar grounds for Mui and me, so we didn’t mind that the deepening dusk veiled the attractions from sight.

Scenes from our stroll along the back streets of Charleston.

I can’t say that the walk back to the ship was all that pleasant.  The temp wasn’t that high, but the 91% humidity took its toll.  So much so that we all agreed to cancel tomorrow’s lunch reservation.  Going out during the hottest time of the day — and on 4th of July to boot — just didn’t seem that smart.  Whether we go off at all for an early morning wander remains TBD.

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