a few numbers

12        The temperature (˚F) when I plan to leave

my home headed for Charleston

Yes, cold.  It is the third batch of cold air coming down to the south.  My truck and SPARTINA will both be packed the day before.  I just need to hook up the trailer to the truck and be on my way, with the heater going full blast for at least the first few minutes.

16        The number of Sounds along the ICW 

from James Island, South Carolina to 

Jacksonville, Florida

I dug back into my logbooks to find my list of Sounds that I should sail on the way south.  Some of the Sounds are broad expanses of water.  Others, such as Buttermilk Sound and Manhead Sound, are bends in the river.  They are all beautiful in their own way. 

49         The temperature (˚F) when I hope to

 rig and launch SPARTINA

On launch day the cold weather, which is forecast to reach as far south as Georgia, should be sliding back north.  It will be cold overnight (I'll be in a hotel near the ramp), but it will be comfortable by the time I rig and launch. The forecast shows temperatures from the 40s all the way up to 70 as I head south.

I've completed the trip from Charleston to Palatka three times.  I have done it in as few as 13 days, and as many as 20 days.  These times include days sailing and non-sailing days where I visit places like  Beaufort, SC, a favorite town, and Hilton Head where I see friend Webb Chiles.  I think the distance is something like 320 miles, but can't find that right now in my log. 

I can't wait to get back on the water.