Wed. Oct. 31, 2012-- Day 29:
Destination: Dewess Creek #2 (Mile 454.9) to Charleston (Mile
464.1)-- Charleston Maritime Center
Departure: 0915 hrs.
Arrival: 1145 hrs.
Distance: 9.2
SM
Winds: W at 12-24K, whitecaps
& chop on Charleston Harbor
Weather: cool & sunny, blue
skies
Happy
Hallowe'en! A cool & windy start to the day. We have piled the layers
of clothing on, even a tuque; the fact that I hair was sticking up every which
way may have had something to do with that as well ( a real bad hair day!).
We spoke with 'Kathrian' on the VHF before up anchoring; they were
leaving Charleston at 0800 hrs. so our meeting up will have to wait. CMM
was ready for us at any time & we prayed the winds do not exceed 20-25mph
otherwise the Ben Sawyer Bridge (swing- Mile 462.2) would delay opening. The
anchor came up surprisingly very easy & very clean. The winds gusted up & down as we proceeded
with fingers crossed that they were in down mode for our opening. Yes, five sailboats passed through at about
1030 hrs., 4 Canadian & 1 American.
Then we were immediately into the wide open Charleston Harbor, it’s
whitecaps, it’s 2-3 ft. chop & a west wind & current opposing us, thus
lots of saltwater spray over the deck onto the dodger. Plus 2 cargo tankers were approaching, 1 at
our beam, so not an issue & 1 at our stern.
Larry motored just outside the Mt. Pleasant Shipping Channel (ships
monitor CH. 13) with plenty of water depth allowing the tanker to pass. Not Graeme, though he said he did not see the Mt.
Pleasant Channel on his GPS; does he have updates loaded on his chip? We took the long shipping channel close to
the red marker off The Battery, then turned to starboard before making our
approach to Charleston Maritime Center.
Larry arrived first with an apparent slightly bumpy landing, but the deck
hands walked him along side his slip. At
first we headed to the wrong entrance but repeated yelling & hand jestures
corrected the error & a decent landing.
The deck hands positioned us along side the dock, perpendicular to
‘Twomorrows’; bow & stern were close so good spring lines were mandatory. Just a wee bit upset I stomped off the boat
at the first opportunity with laundry & shower gear in hand; I didn’t need
much hot water for this shower! Laundry
facilities have improved—2 free washers & dryers now. We walked to the convenient & lovely
Harris Teeter; some good specials, well stocked & excellent variety of
products. Then it was off to browse
through the Old Market & North & South Market St. before meeting the
Morrows for a good supper at Tommy Condons.
Lynn & Larry travelled from the marina & back by Pedi Taxi
($11.00 each way). The Christmas Store
had moved back into the newly renovated & finished enclosed portion of the
Market, which is now upscale but in keeping with the market flare. Also Rhett Butler store had closed as the
owner retired. We had a fresh but lovely
evening walk home. The heater provided a
comfortable environment. A clear night
sky, a huge moon with a slight flat top on it’s upper right sphere.
Thurs. Nov. 1, 2012—Day
30:
Destination: Charleston (Mile 464.1)
Winds:
W at 10-15K & gusting
Weather:
glorious sun & blue sky, H=61F & L=40F
A quiet, calm night. While Graeme hosed down the deck & the enclosure windows from the saltwater, I decided to do a dark load of laundry & shower. He also fuelled the boat & topped the water tank. Our cooking propane tank was empty this morning so it will be filled at the earliest convenience. Late morning we started our all day walk covering the territory from the Visitor Info Center (at John St. between King & Meeting) to Battery Park. Some shopping, some gawking at the historic houses, the ironwork of fences & gates, a very late lunch at Mellow Mushroom (609 King St.) & lots of walking, arriving home at 1730 hrs. The rendezvous for lunch with the Morrows had to be cancelled. Instead we had a drink together & watched the evening news. Such a desperate situation on Staten Island & New Jersey where the people are so very angry that no help has come, the pictures of very long traffic jams on roads as people travel to & from work, the metro & the gas stations where many by afternoon ran out of gasoline. On account of our late lunch, supper was light & the evening was spent emailing & blogging for me & sleeping for Graeme. A cool evening so the heater was turned on again.
Fri. Nov. 2, 2012—Day
31:
Destination: Charleston (Mile 464.1)
to Steamboat Creek (Mile 496.7) off the
Wadmalaw River
Departure: 0815 hrs. Arrival: 1300 hrs. Distance: 32.6 SM
Wind: W & the calmest winds
& water surface in days, 4-12K, then it gusted up to 20K in pm
Weather: beautiful sun & blue,
cloudless sky
Although it
only registered 8C on our thermometer (didn’t feel that cold), it was very
tranquil & a beautiful morning especially as the sun was rising over
Charleston Harbor & Inlet. We helped
the Morrows off the dock at 0800 hrs. & required assistance ourselves to
pull the boat from along the dock to along the slip the Morrows vacated. It was a rising tide that pushed us from the
Cooper River, down the Ashley River into Wappo Creek. Five boats awaited the 0900 hrs. opening of
the bascule bridge. Travel speed through
the Wappo Creek = 7.1K, 7.8K through Elliott Cut into & along the Stono
River at 7.4K; perfect! Then the tide
turned to ebb. The Stono River to
Florida is a distance of 244 miles. It
is a wending course across wide river mouths, through sounds & past coastal
inlets. The landscape is low marshy
grasslands backed by woods or hummocks of trees; sometimes the marsh has wooded
banks & sometimes even moss covered oaks.
Occasionally you pass big sand dunes & have a glimpse of the
Atlantic Ocean. At low tide, vast salt
marshes & exposed mud banks teem with bird life, great blue herons hunting
for fish & dolphins. We saw several
dolphins today very close to our boat.
The ICW leaves the Stono River at Mile 485 & enters a short land cut
leading to the headwaters of the Wadmalaw River. It was high tide through the Church Flats so
we were slowed by the current. We
anchored early today in Steamboat Creek off the Wadmalaw & North Edisto Rivers in
17 ft., allowing for 7 ft. tide; this was a new anchorage for us & also a
place to set up for the caution areas to come tomorrow on our way to Beaufort
(pronounced Bewfort) on a high tide & also to enjoy the sun & warm
temperatures while we read & blogged.
The west winds gusted up to 20K in the afternoon. We lowered the dinghy & engine into the
water, donned our foul weather gear not to get wet as we went exploring up
Steamboat Creek to & a little past the
brick octagonal steamboat house with high windows; before the Civil War
island residents waited here for steamboats that travelled between Edisto
Island & Charleston. Behind the
octagonal building we caught a glimpse of a cotton plantation house built in
1810. After our exploring we had a yummy
weiner roast dinner at ‘Twomorrows’. The
winds calmed down entirely; the water remained flat all night. Lynn said she did not sleep well that night
because she was so used to the winds howling outside, around the rigging &
all. Only clear skies with stars+++,
milky way & moon.
Destination:
Steamboat Creek (Mile 496.7) to Beaufort, Port Royal Landing Marina
(Mile 539.6)
Departure: 0805 hrs. Arrival: 1400 hrs. Distance: 42.9 SM
Winds: crazyà E, sometimes S, sometimes SE who knows, as the they were very
light & no doubt the reason for the fluctuations
Weather: sorry more sun & only
blue skies
Another amazing sunrise & sky; truly spectacular in most tranquil water, anchored in the midst of saltwater marsh grasslands! At the break of dawn we heard a few shots of duck hunters. We were just off low tide & beginning a flood tide when we left Steamboat Creek & entered the Dawho River. We had a good push (7.8K) through this section, then against current through Watts Cut & South Edisto River, a push through Fenwick Cut & Ashepoo River, a seesaw affect depending on our position to sounds & inlets from the ocean. More importantly we made it through these caution areas & those of the Ashepoo-Coosaw Cutoff #1, Rock Creek & Ashepoo-Coosaw Cutoff #2 into the wide Coosaw River all before noon & nearing maximum high tide, therefore good depths. The Coosaw River resembles a sound. It’s water surface was so flat, the wind was too light to sail + the current was pushing us faster than wind speed. Being a weekend the Lady Island Bridge opened for us on request. We landed at Port Royal Landing Marina against the current on the outside fuel dock, fuelled up, then slid back & tied securely up. The dual bridge that had been under construction on our last trip was completed, now 2 lanes in each direction. We reciprocated & had Lynn & Larry over for supper & learnt some new Northeastern Carolina words: (1) "cut on..., cut off..." which means "turn on..., turn off..."; (2) "carry me to..." which means take or drive me to... & (3) "worn slam out" which means "dead tired from work". The electric heater was "cut on & cut off" during the evening & night. The clocks were turned back one hour before hitting the sack. And again the night sky was clear.
Sun. Nov. 4, 2012—Day 33:
Destination:
Beaufort (Mile 539.6)
Winds:
S 5-8K I think until 1800 hrs.,
then …
Weather: warm & sunny, few
clouds in the afternoon, then …
We
took advantage of the marina’s special: stay 2 nights, 3rd night free. Since we have changed from DST to EST
we had an extra hour sleep. I
cycled to St. Helena Episcopal Church (1712) for their 0800 hrs. Eucharist
service. Sitting inside this church just made me feel I was in a
plantation house, so bright & cheerful & airy. Back to reality--
it was time for some housekeeping duties; Graeme hosed the deck & windows
down with fresh water while I vacuumed the floor & carpets. We made two short jaunts to town: (1)
to refill the empty propane tank at Grayton’s on Lady's Island, (2) to West
Marine in attempt to exchange the step down amperage cord, but none available
till further down the way. In
doing so, we met an interesting older gentleman, Pierre McGowan born &
raised on St. Helena Island, who knew the hunting & fishing wonders of Lake
of the Woods area in Ontario. After
much conversation he gave us & autographed a hard cover historical book he
wrote called "Tales of the Barrier Islands" after he asked if we had
a ride back to the marina. We
enjoyed a late lunch with Lynn & Larry & Larry’s brother Ric & wife
Donna at the marina’s restaurant, ‘Back Porch Grill’. They had driven from Augusta, 2 hrs.
away. The first time we met
them 2 yrs. ago was when they drove & met Lynn & Larry in
Charleston. What better to
do on a late Sunday afternoon but watch NFL football on the Morrow’s
T.V. At 1800 hrs. the
sky suddenly became ugly with dark threatening clouds, some almost looked
tornado like, thunder, rain, lightning & more thunder, then a sudden WSW
wind that blew 15-30K X 10 min. The
sky cleared, then there would be a shower of rain on & off & lightning,
liking out into the Atlantic. Some rain fell intermittently during the
night. It seems that on Tues. or Wed. we may hook up with Donna
& Jack again.
Mon.
Nov. 5, 2012--Day
34:
Destination:
Beaufort—our free day at Port Royal Landing Marina (Mile 539.6)
Winds:
NE 15-20K in the morning & ENE 8-10K by evening
Weather:
cloudy, fog at dawn but dissipated as the wind increased, then full sun,
although cool with H= 58F
Oh
no! No blue skies & sun when we woke this morning! Have no fear; within a few hours the warm sun
was upon us as soon as the increasing NE cold wind blew away the fog &
cloud. Time to change & launder the
bed linens first thing in the morning; 2 washers= $1.00 + 2 dryers= $1.25. The rest of the day was a miss mash of
disrupted activities; some emailing & blogging at different times in the
day, courtesy truck in the am for a hour to go to Publix, a ride to downtown
Beaufort for a late lunch at Luther’s, then browsing Bay St. before we called
for a ride back to the marina & a second chance at the courtesy truck to go
to Walmart late in the afternoon; good price on flares in comparison to West
Marine. We plan to move on tomorrow but just
not sure what kind of weather we will be facing. Some reports called for a storm from the west
meeting with a nor’easter & thus bringing high winds, high waves on the Beaufort
Sound that we need to cross, cloud & rain; these conditions are to be worse
in New England States on Wed. Other
reports called for less winds & less chance of rain. Our decision & destination will be made
in the morning.
Tues. Nov. 6, 2012—Day
35:
Destination:
Beaufort (Mile 539.6) to Savannah, Georgia—Turner Creek (Mile 585.5)
Departure:
0815 hrs. Arrival: 1450 hrs. Distance: 45.9 SM
Winds: N to NE 10-20K
Weather: cool 54F, cloudy, rainy
early am followed by a mixture of light cloud & sun & blue sky
Light rain
on rising. The calm NE winds of the
night increased to about 8-10K when we were leaving & low tide to boot, so we
were pushed hard on the dock. Tony &
Larry assisted us off the dock; it was easier than anticipated. Today we sailed at any opportunity we had
with jenny only especially if we were against the tide. First was passing Parris Island (site of a
huge Marine Corps Training Base) toward Beaufort Sound, a wide & deep &
rough with NW winds. This sound is the
deepest natural harbour south of the Chesapeake. In the past it accommodated phosphate cargo
ships from many countries & today, commercial ship traffic. On Skull Creek we meandered quickly with the
tide past Hilton Head, the largest barrier island on the Atlantic Coast &
best known of the South Carolina’s sea islands as a resort destination. The land in the past was used for growing Sea
Island cotton, sugar & indigo. Due
to the cloudy & threatening weather today & hoping to meet up with
Donna & Jack, we continued past Broad Creek which looks like a promising
anchorage for exploring Hilton Head maybe in the Spring. The second sailing opportunity came on
Calibogue Sound as we crossed against the current, well into the mouth of the
Cooper River. At near high tide
Daufuskie Island area, Ramshorn Creek, Walls Cut, Wright River, Fields Cut
& the confluence of Elba Island Cut with the Savannah River were not depth
issues (13-20 ft.). As we travelled the
Savannah River into St. Augustine River we left South Carolina & crossed
into the state of Georgia & were welcomed by the bridge tender of the
Causton Bluff Bridge (bascule). As we
past Thunderbolt Marina we saw ‘Makana’ & spoke with Gary on the VHF. Good depths as we entered Turner Creek,
anchoring in 17 ft. with 80 ft. of chain.
Remember we are now dealing with 6-9 ft. tides. Only 3 other boats here + a local. Lynn & Larry have anchored in Herb Creek
& will carry on tomorrow while we catch a city bus to downtown Savannah
& be a tourist. Note that Hogan’s
Marina is closed on Tuesdays from Nov. till April. A semi pink sky at sunset but a cloudy &
cold night.
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