Week 5: Oct. 31- Nov. 6, 2012 (Day 29-35)

Week 5:

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.

Sweet Chariot in Steamboat Creek

Sat. Nov. 3, 2012—Day 32:

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. 

Port Royal Landing Marina in romantic Beaufort, S.C.

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, 3^rd 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.