Wake in the early morning hours. Calm. Where are the gusts that were forecast into the low 30s? Up at 7:15. No gusts, in fact peaceful and quiet. Cool and grey, a hot chocolate with breakfast.
9:30 light rain. Not much at all. A few gusts, nothing close to what had been forecast. I read, fall asleep. Wake as the sun breaks through the overcast. Think about sailing at noon.
After an early lunch I decide I am quite content where I am. Decide to take the day off, relax and catch up on my rest. Read, nap. Some gusts in the early afternoon. Light rain around 4:00. A peaceful day on Rock Creek.
Peaceful, quiet night. Chilly morning, wx app says low 40s. No wind. Under power 7:10.
Motoring into the flood tide. Wearing a couple layers of thermals, drysuit and gloves. Lightest of breezes, but on the nose. 7:40 passing green marker "51" shows that we have crossed the head of the tide, the current is in our favor. 7:50 main, jib and mizzen up, motor sailing. 8:30 wind fills in at green "69."
Look to the stern to see a barge and tug coming down Wadmalaw Sound. Plenty of water here so move outside the channel to let them pass. Tug now gone, my company is a dolphin with light grey skin. 9:15 motor sailing, less wind and the tide has swung around to a flood tide. More dolphins, including a large, dark skinned dolphin with a torn dorsal fin. Buffleheads too, didn't expect to see these birds so far south.
9:55 sailing, 2.8 then 1.8, rounding a point above the Toogoodoo Marshes. Motor sailing. Dawho River entrance markers in sight at 10:50. Getting warmer and stripping off the dry suit. Looking around there is another another boat in sight. For the moment, I have the river to myself. 11:15 passing White Point into the Dawho River.
11:30 wind fills in at red "118," sailing 2.9 up the river. Noon, river bends into the wind, under power. 12:50 under the bridge, main and jib down. Under power with Little Edisto Island to port. 12:50 North Creek bends to starboard, now on narrow and shallow Watts Cut. A barge and tug coming up from the stern, I see the captain motion towards me. I call him at the vhf. He says they have to make a turn ahead of me and will stay behind me. I tell him I would prefer to hold my position, let him go ahead and turn into the bank. Once he has pushed his barge up the shore, I slip behind him.
1:05 out the cut onto the South Edisto River and find the afternoon breeze. Full sail. Making 4.5 and then settle into a steady 4.2. Making a series of long, easy tacks down river, still working against the flood tide but with all this wind it doesn't matter.
Rounding the point at Alligator Creek making 4.5 and just wonderful sailing. Follow the bend in the river, keeping the tidal flats to port, easy and fun sailing. A couple more tacks and slide through Fenwich Island Cut. Anchor down 4:15.
Getting ready to set up the boom tent for the evening, I check the weather. Surprised to see a forecast for gusts in the 30s tomorrow morning. I am exposed where I am. Quickly rig to sail and checking the charts for a better anchorage. I pick out what looks to be a nice creek. But in the rush I misread the chart, start heading south on the Ashpoo River. Realizing my mistake, I shake my head, come about, pass my first anchorage, head up the Ashpoo and take the cut to Rock Creek. The last stretch sailing into the setting sun. I am frustrated with myself, don't like to be sailing this late in the day and I should have taken more time to read the charts. Live and learn. Anchor down 5:30 Rock Creek just above the cut to the Coosaw River.
Down at the ramp a little after 9:00. Take my time rigging and loading SPARTINA while a Coast Guard crew inspects a couple of "party" style pontoon charter boats nearby. I wonder how the CG feels about giving the "ok" to boats that have no other purpose than to let people drink on the water. The boats and inspectors are gone by the time SPARTINA is ready to launch.
I launch earlier in the tide cycle than normal. Usually I launch as slack tide approaches, I need the slack tide to get through Elliott Cut. This time I make the mistake of launching at full running tide. I cast off and back out of the slip so I can tie up on the outside of the docks where I won't block the ramps. As I back out the tide carries me quickly to the southwest. The tide is running perpendicular to the docks. Each time I approach to tie up, we are blown down current. I find that I can't throttle back the outboard and reach the lines in time to get on the dock.
After a few attempts, I decide to see if I can use the dock at the restaurant across the river. Maybe I can pay for a nice lunch and they will let me tie up there while dropping off my truck/trailer at Pete's house. Arriving at the dock, which is parallel to the running tide, I see the restaurant is closed. And I also see "no trespassing" signs and security cameras. Not a place I would want to leave the boat for an hour or so.
Motoring back to the ramp, I see a fisherman coming in on the skiff. I put a line up on the foredeck near the port shroud. He grabs it, ties it to a cleat. I thank him. SPARTINA tied up securely, I drive to friend Pete's house and leave the truck trailer there. Catching a LYFT, I head back to the ramp.
Cast off 1:05. 1:20 anchor at the mouth of Wappoo Creek to wait for the slack tide. Anchor up 1:30, through the cut and on the Stono River 1:45. Full sail at 1:50, and it feels so good.
Making 2.8 with wind on the stern. Clear skies and getting warmer. Soon making 4.1 as the wind fills in.
2:20 jibe, wind now over the port quarter. Making 3.9 rounding a bend in the river. And I recall the odd feeling I get each time I begin the sail, something strange about beginning the sail south by sailing west.
Making 4.6 following the channel as it meanders back and forth across the river. I know from past sails that the water is pretty thin outside the channel.
2:45 jibe, wind over starboard quarter, making 4.8 to the west-northwest and figure at that speed the tide must be helping. 3:25 jibe at red marker "28," wind over the port quarter. 3:40 turn into the Oxbow, a little bend in the river that surrounds a marsh. Tacking back and forth, I compare the gps chart with the Navionics chart to make sure I'll have plenty of water at low tide. Anchor down at 3:55.
Above is the track from the winter sail. A good and, at times, challenging sail. Twenty days on the water. I would describe the first week as good sailing and a little chilly. Second week was excellent sailing and more comfortable temperatures. The third week included the coldest and strongest winds. Gusts to 35 and early morning temperatures down to 31 degrees.
Above is a favorite stretch, south from just above Isle of Hope through the Florida Passage (though not yet close to Florida) and then across St. Catherines Sound to a nice anchorage on Walburg Creek.
And here is a good challenging day sailing on Altamaha Sound (upper portion of the image) against the ebb tide and west wind so lots of tacking. And then south on Buttermilk Sound (lower left of image) with, yes, some more tacking but less running tide (don't recall the details offhand, will have to look at my notes).
Hope to post the daily logs beginning in a few days.
Update: The small craft warning has been extended through the day and the wind persists. Since there are no “outs” - places where I could seek shelter between here and Cumberland Island - I will stay anchored here on Jekyll Creek, relax, read and catch up on the log book.
Waiting out the wind on Jekyll Creek. At the marina I was in a western facing dock and would have been pounded by the wind, so moved across the creek and anchored last night.
Wonderful sailing through the marshes yesterday morning on the Mackay River. Timed my crossing of St. Simon Sound poorly, tacking into a strong west wind while fighting a strong ebb current. Found myself losing ground and was slowly backing towards the ocean. Quickly surrendered and started up the outboard to power to Jekyll Island. Lesson learned on ebb tides and west winds.
