We started the morning by taking the marina shuttle over to the ferry to Ft Sumter where the first shots that signaled the start of the Civil War were fired. The National Park Service maintains four forts in Charleston Harbor (3 on land plus Ft Sumter). It was a nice way to spend the morning with an hour at the fort and a half hour ferry ride on either end.
The fort was designed to withstand bombardment from the sea side. So, it did not fare well when the Confederates bombarded it from land. The walls were quickly reduced to ruble, the barracks caught on fire and the munitions bunkers were in danger of exploding. So, the Union forces surrendered, and they were graciously transported to New York by boat. The remainder of the war was far less friendly... The taller dark portion in the middle represents later modifications to the seaward side along with adding modern rifled canons to protect the port during the Spanish-American War. 
Here I am standing next to one of the large Civil War canons. Wow!
The Admiral and I are posing next to one of the canons mounted on its carriage. It could be rotated about 90 degrees and changed in elevation. The reconstruction of the original part of the fort seemed very realistic. 
On the way back to Charleston, we got a nice view of the waterfront. You can also see something of the architectural control at least in terms of building height. There are also over 20 church steeples that can be seen. There are a lot of old churches (more than 400). This started with a ruling in early Colonial times that 7 or more people could start their own church. We were back at the dock just before Noon, and you know what that means -LUNCH. Then it was time to take the shuttle back to the marina. The marina was all abuzz that 5 more large yachts (90 to 130 feet) were due to arrive today.
In the middle of the afternoon we walked less than a mile to a bus stop to go to the movies! We saw "The Family" with Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer who uproot their children and export their mobster ways to Normandy while in witness protection. Lots of of killing (mainly bad guys) but really quite funny. Thanks to expert planning by the Admiral, we only had 10 minute waits for the bus on either end. Well, it was a busy but fun day!
Tomorrow? Well, we do plan to watch the Aggies BTHO Alabama.
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