Long day

Well, we departed Southport, NC at 0420 in the dark and arrived in the dark at Charleston, SC at 1945 and tied to the City Marina dock. We were forced to go out into the Atlantic due to the closure of the Ben Sawyer Bridge over the ICW, just prior to Charleston Harbor. It was a long day , but exactly as Chris Parker, weather forecaster extraordinar said it would be, light wind and easy seas. We indicated 8.3 knots over the ground most of the way. Our buddie boat, Madam called me at 0630 to report glassy seas, and I informed them I was twenty miles ahead and looking at the lights of the high rises at Myrtle Beach in the distance. The day started out clear and the enclosure made us peal out of our coats, yea; however we had Mr Heater going and our coats back on as we entered the Charleston channel. I called the Charleston Pilots as we neared the jetty's which extend out into the ocean about 2 to 3 miles to see what big ships would be moving in or out of the channel that we would have to share. He had three departures, and we steered clear of two of them as we entered the channel. Didn't see the third one. The seas were picking up with the increased wind, but the jetty's smooth things out. I gave Nanc lessons on how to work the E-120 and handle the boat in building seas in case ... We observed some unusual light as we motored in. A red, a green and a red higher up, flashing, with a white light??? I told Nanc I had no idea what it was, even though I have my Coast Guard Captain's license and am suppose to know everything. Turned out it was a helo flying behind a small boat and lowering a guy down to the deck while underway in the dark. I did that in the English Channel in 84' with the Belgian AF during the daylight. Unbelievable. Good Night. Speedy