We set sail from the sleepy hamlet in ideal conditions. The weather was a little cooler with a slight breeze.

The further north we sailed we entered rain squalls and gusting winds. In Winyah Bay we rocked with the white caps. But these too, passed.

And speaking of passing, we passed not one, but two alligators swimming in the ICW. No jumping in and cooling off for me!

We arrived at Georgetown at 12.30pm with the clock tower bell chiming. Our marina is perfectly placed for the historic downtown. Our first excursion was to the Rice Museum. Who knew the great plantations of Georgetown, Charleston and Savannah had rice, not cotton, as the money-making crop? We had an entertaining guide who brought the 1700-1900 eras alive. So much depended on the slaves who were brought across from West Africa. These slaves had skills in rice crop cultivation, in building dykes and flood barriers, and worked in unbearable conditions. 90% of the populations of Georgetown, Charleston and Savannah were slaves. They enabled their masters to become very rich. Four out of every five of the richest men in America were from the Carolinas in the early 19th Century.

And before the development of the rice crops, before the Revolution, the harvesting of indigo made a few white men incredibly rich, incredibly quickly. The Winyah Indigo Society had so much money, they developed a charter for philanthropy to give back to the community. It is still in existence today.

Our second excursion for the day was a trolley ride about the town. We have decided having seen so many picture-perfect, film-ready streets and houses, we are suitably informed about southern housing architecture.

Enough sightseeing for one day! We enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the harbourside boardwalk to our floating home (checking for beady little eyes along the way).

Such is Life!