Sunday, March 17, 2024

day ten - a couple of Red Stripes


Wake to a clear, cool morning.  As I tuck away the sleeping gear I feel the tide changing.  SPARTINA swings with the fresh current.  Not a breath of wind.


7:15 under power.  Weather app says it is 50 degrees but feels colder.  7:40 at Red marker 40 the sun breaks through and I enjoy the warmth.  Turn into the Skidaway River to see a large power boat coming down the channel.  On the bow is a woman waving and I instantly know it is Kelli.  We had met very briefly in Island of Hope last year, and she later sent me a beautiful photograph of SPARTINA.  We had texted about meeting in IOH this year but she had texted me a few days earlier she had to leave to deliver a boat.  So instead here we are waving across the water.  How nice.


I make Isle of Hope at 8:25.  Motoring at idle speed we make our way down the Skidaway to the Moon River.  Still no wind.  Motoring out of the channel I drop anchor and take a nap, hoping for wind when I wake.  10:25 light winds and under sail, sliding sideways in the current.  Motorsailing.  The Vernon River at 11:20, try sailing again but can't make way against the flood tide.  Motorsailing.


1:00 through the cut behind Raccoon Key.  Wind fills in and finally sailing!  See a tug and a barge come through the cut behind me, radio the captain that I will hold my course on the red side as he goes by us.


Making 2.3, then better wind at 1:50 and do 3.9.  Blue skies and white puffy clouds, wonderful sailing as I listen to some music over a blue tooth speaker.


2:00 enter the deceptively named Florida Passage, Florida still being a long ways away.  2:15 working against the tide and making 3.1.


2:35 off Redbird Creek, confused water as tides collide.  The head of the tide must be at Redbird Creek as the tide is now with us and making over 6 knots.


I call Kilkenny Marina to see how late they are open so I can top off the fuel can.  He tells me 5:30.  The entrance to Kilkenny Creek is just across the channel.  Drop main and jib and motor to the marina.  Docked 5:05, top off fuel.  As I got to pay I notice a couple of Red Stripe beers in the cooler.  Back to SPARTINA and motor down the creek, turning to starboard at Lincoln Creek.  Anchor down at 5:30.  Dinner and a couple of Red Stripes to celebrate my birthday.


 31.17 NM

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

day nine - crossing the line


Walk down in darkness to the docks at Skull Creek.  Sunrise at 6:45.  Cold, 43 degrees, wearing multiple layers.  Webb comes down to help cast off.  We laugh about too much wind yesterday, too little today.  


Webb tosses the bow line into SPARTINA, grabs a few photos while I raise sail.  Clear skies, making 3.5 with a north wind and a helping tide.


Buffleheads and dolphins along the way.  Less wind and making 2.5 knots towards the bridge.  Easy sailing and the sun feels good.  8:30 on Calibogue Sound.  9:30 wing and wing against the flood tide, making just over a knot.  Motorsailing as we slip behind a shoal that runs along a beach that leads towards Haig Point on the northeast point of Daufuskie Island.  10:10 can see a red marker ahead.  Round the marshy point to starboard and on the Cooper River with Daufuskie Island to port.  The flood tide that was against us is now a helping tide, making 4.1. 10:40 making 4.6 and can look over the marsh to the WSW and see the bridge in Savannah.  


11:15 cross a tide line at Green 27, jibe.  11:35 passing the New River, an anchorage in past years.  There's a wind shadow from the trees along shore on Daufuskie Island, drift out of the shadow and make 4.9 against the tide.  


12:55 jibe at Green 47 to the Savannah River.  Motor sailing across the shipping channel with an opposing tide.  No ships in sight.  1:40 across the river and cross a tide line on St. Augustine Creek.  2:00 making 2.5 against the tide. 


3:00 turn to port on to the Wilmington River.  A large power boat coming up the river slows down to reduce their wake.  I tip my hat in thanks, they toot their horn and wave.  


3:30 a crab post float shows the tide is now with us.  4:00 tacking through Thunderbolt.


Begin looking for an anchorage.  Isle of Hope too far.  See a closer spot inside the Herb River.  Anchor down between two larger sailboats 4:25.



26.21 NM
 

Monday, March 11, 2024

days six and seven - waiting out the weather

day six



The timing for Hilton Head is good.  A windy, rainy day.  At Webb's condo I catch up on my logbook and do laundry.  When the rain stops I run down to SPARTINA to check on her, very pleased to find just a cup or so of water leaked under the tent.  


So the plan is to leave the following day.  With strong winds forecast for the morning I tell Webb I will leave about noon.  

day seven

I run down to SPARTINA, pull off the tent and sail covers and get everything loaded.  And the wind continues to blow.  I wait and I watch.  It is not too bad on Skull Creek, but just to the south the water bends to the southwest and I will be heading directly into the wind and chop.  And the tide will be against me.  Frustrating.  


Back up at the condo I stand on the deck and watch the trees and Spanish moss swaying in the wind.  After a while I tell Webb if I leave in the afternoon it will be a spray-filled sail against the tide, a rough sail and I won't get very far.  I ask him if he would mind if I stay one more night, leave early the next morning.  He says he doesn't mind at all.  Webb tells me he tends not to offer advice, but waiting one more night is exactly what he would be doing.  I head back down to SPARTINA and put the boom tent in place.


So instead of sailing on rough waters it is a pleasant walk with Webb to Hudson's Sea Food House on the Docks for a late afternoon dinner.  An excellent meal with local shrimp.


Back at the condo we sit on the deck and have drinks.  The afternoon light is pleasant and I ask Webb if I could take a few photos of him.  He kindly agrees.


I tell Webb I'll cast off tomorrow at first light.

Saturday, March 9, 2024

day five - Superbowl Sunday


Peaceful, calm night on Mackey Creek.  I could hear and feel a hard tide running in the early morning hours.  Sail off anchor 7:15 in a light southerly wind.


The breeze and an ebb tide carry us gently down the creek.  


8:10 leave the creek and enter the Chechesee River.  8:45 making 4.3 towards Skull Creek entrance and wind on the beam.


Reach the entrance markers at 8:50, south wind and full ebb tide and there is no way I'm going to sail against that.  Round up and bring down the main and jib.  Give a quick call to Skull Creek marina and let them know I'll be there soon.  Under power against the tide.


9:30 docked Skull Creek Marina.  I'm jotting down notes in my log when I hear a voice say "Hello, sailor!"  It is Webb coming down from his condo.  We shake hands and talk a bit.  I tell him I've got about an hour's worth of work to button up SPARTINA and I'll meet him back up at the condo.


I get the trash off the boat, tuck away gear and put on the sail covers and boom tent.  Rain forecast for tomorrow.  As I head up to the condo I pass Webb's circumnavigator GANNET just down the dock from SPARTINA.


It's Superbowl Sunday.  I settle into the guest room at Webb's place, get a quick shower and then we hop on bikes for a ride to the grocery store. 

Evening we sit on the deck and enjoy drinks, a martini for Webb and wine for me.  It's an enjoyable conversation where we catch up on the past year.

Not too long before kickoff, Webb heads inside to fix a frozen pizza.  It's ready just as the game begins.  Pizza for the first half, a dessert of ice cream and brownies for the second half.  An excellent meal for an excellent game. 

5.28 NM
 

 

a day sail


After a rainy week the weather finally cleared and I was able to get SPARTINA back on the Elizabeth River.  It turned out to be a perfect afternoon for a day sail.   Rainy and windy the next couple of days, hopefully sailing weather beginning Tuesday.

Thursday, March 7, 2024

day four - with and against the tides


We start the day going nowhere fast.  There's a very strong flood tide running.  Will wait until the slack tide gets closer at 9:00.


I walk a few blocks to a bagel shop.  It is so tucked away in a corner building I miss on the first time around, find on the second pass up the street.


I order a blueberry muffin, asking that it be warmed up.  I expect them to microwave it but instead they slice it in two, put some butter on it and sear it on a griddle.  An excellent way to start the day as I enjoy the muffin down by the waterfront.  


Cast off at 9:10, sails up at 9:20 under blue skies. Masses of floating spartina drift out on the river.  I make the mistake of following the path of a local power boat.  They cut to the east of the marked channel.  Heading that way I glance out Navionics to see that I am sailing over a marsh that is hidden by the high tide.  I turn back west to the marked channel.  9:50 heading downriver at 2.6.  A light overcast comes in and it feels a little chilly, I slip on my foul weather bibs.  Wind comes and goes, the ebb tide is helping us as we work our way south on the Beaufort River.  11:00 off Port Royal.  11:15 hints of warm breeze.  Doing 2.5 thanks to the tide.  Suddenly the southwest wind fills in, making 5.0 knots.  I feel the centerboard touch bottom, check the gps and it shows I should have 17 feet of water.  Some shoaling maybe?  


Soon lighter wind and I wonder how I will sail against the ebb tide once I round Parris Island Spit.  To find out I round up and attempt to sail against the tide, barely making a knot.  Better wait on the tide a bit.  Navionics shows an anchorage behind a marked shoal just northeast of Parris Island Spit.  I sail over there and drop the anchor in about 10 feet of water, the shoal blocking the tide so much that SPARTINA sits right over the anchor.  That's fine.  Lunch and a short nap waiting out the tide.


1:30 full sail, making 4.4 with wind and the ebb tide.  Making 4.8 rounding the spit with choppy water as the tides from both side of the spit collide.  I use the crab pot floats as my depth finders, staying just outside the line of markers.  2:00 the centerboard touches bottom, I raise both the cb and the rudder blade to skip across the shallows.  The cb touches again just before we slide off into the deeper water on Port Royal Sound.  


The ebb tide is still running, making 1.8 against the current.  2:15 making just 1.2, SPARTINA in pointed to the northwest but the gps track shows us sliding southwest across the sound towards Hilton Head.  That's fine, the tide will eventually turn.  


It is just a beautiful afternoon, I've got hours of daylight left to sail and I'm escorted by a school of dolphins.


Entering the Chechessee River at 3:45, the tide has change and is now in my favor.  I head for a creek north of Mackay Creek.  Navionics shows depths of four to eight feet at the entrance to the creek, gps show two to three feet.  I soon find out that gps depths are accurate.  Sailing back out of the shallows I turn toward the entrance marker for Mackay Creek.  It is a beautiful winding creek with plenty of depth and plenty of room to anchor outside of the marked channel.  Anchor down at 5:20.


19.48 NM

 

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

day three - where's the wind


Wake to a glassy calm morning.  Light overcast.  For once, not too cold.


Two tide changes overnight and the anchor line is caught up in a mass of loose spartina.  That's what happens when anchoring in a marsh.


No wind.  Under power at 7:30.  8:05 passing Red 186 entering the Coosaw River I am surprised to see a strong flood tide still running.   It will help us on our way.


Calm, peaceful morning.  Dolphis and buffleheads.  9:05 sun peeking through the overcast and getting warmer.  


All that wind the morning I launched in Charleston and now light winds for a couple of days.  Where's the wind.  Plenty of current having launched closer to the new moon.


Give a wave and a shouted thank you to a large power boat that slows down to reduce wake as we are in the entrance channel to Brickyard Creek.  10:45 wind!  Sails up in the creek!  11:00 crossed the head of the tide, now have an ebb tide that is helping us down Brickyard Creek.  


Making a tide-aided 5.9 with some better wind at 11:30 to round Pigeon Point.  There's an interesting seem in the clouds above.  Noon doing 3.5 as we pass under the bridge and approach the Beaufort waterfront.  Round up to drop the main and the jib, the strong ebb tide carrying us past the marina.  


Power into the fuel dock to top off the can.  There's a brief debate with two young women at the deckhouse over SPARTINA's length when I ask for a slip.  They question is whether or not the boomkin is considered part of the boat's length.   They find my reservation from the previous year and that seems to answer their questions.   $58 for a slip for the night.  Time to clean up the boat, get rid of some trash and resupply water.  Friend Sam takes time from a busy day at the law office to drop by and say hello.  At the marina store I see they are selling single cans of beer.  How nice.  Dinner at Hearth Wood Fired Pizza. 


 17.95 NM

Monday, March 4, 2024

day two - six layers


Cold, cold, cold.  The app says 40 degrees.  It takes some convincing to climb out of the warm sleeping bag.  I start layering on gear.  I'm already wearing my base layer polyester long sleeve t-shirt and pants plus mid-weight merino wool shirt and pants plus my wool socks.  I add a pullover that is 30-some percent merino wool, shirt and pants, rag wool sweater and.....the drysuit.  Feeling a bit like the Michelin man, I decide that might be enough to keep me warm.  Soon on slipping my lined waterproof gloves.

Not a breath of wind, under power 7:20.  By 8:00 I am motoring against the tide, dolphins swimming along the marsh grass to starboard.  At Red 64 a hint of wind.  


At 9:15 at the top of Wadmalaw Sound, I see the tide is now with us.  9:25 sails up, motorsailing.  10:05 swirling waters where the sound curves to the west and then back south, more wind and finally sailing. 
 

More dolphins off Toogoodoo Marsh.  Blue skies and getting a little warmer, or maybe just a little bit less cold.  


Red 100 shows a strong ebb tide.  Turning into the Dawho River the ebb is now against us.  Round up, bring down the main and jib, motoring agains the tide.  11:50 pass under the bridge and strip off the drysuit.  Swirling, confused waters where Fishing Creek pours into the Dawho.  As soon as we reach calm waters on the far side of Fishing Creek the ebb tide is with us, we've just crossed the head of the tide.  


Light winds and motoring sailing at idle speed the gps shows 5.9 kts, most of that coming from the rushing ebb.  The wind comes and goes all afternoon but the tide stays with us.  Sailing, motor sailing, sailing again.  With light winds make 2.7 as this clouds move it.  Fenwick cut at 2:00, the ebb briefly against us, then suddenly slack tide and the water is glassy and calm at the Ashpoo River Cutoff.


On Rock Creek can feel the tide again, 5.0 as the water carries us northwest with marshy Hutchinson Island to starboard.  Anchor down 3:15.  



31.73 NM