The past week has been a slog. The weather has been brutal, the wind has been relentless and to top it off we both have a cold. Somehow, despite that, we have still managed to get from Charleston through Georgia almost to Florida, covering 230 nautical miles, all of them in the ICW. Just to make things a little harder, this section of the ICW has not been maintained with regular dredging (apparently due to lack of funds) and there are lots of areas that have filled in where there is not enough water for us to get through at low tide. This adds an extra challenge to route planning, as the skipper has to research these areas (thank goodness for an app called Active Captain that allows people to report shoaled areas and give some instruction as to where the deepest water might be) and then try to plan the day and anchorages around the tides as well as the weather.
We left Charleston last Saturday morning as planned, after Dave finished the preliminary work on the holding tank and helped Leeloo set up their auto pilot. This meant that after we left the marina, Dave went over to Leeloo in our dinghy to help them and I drove Romana around Charleston harbour avoiding large ships and small boats while Leeloo drove in circles and other patterns to set up the auto helm. By 11:15 they were all set up and we were on our way. We motored through the South Carolinian Low Country and anchored for the night in Tom Point Creek about a mile and half up to get into the shelter of some trees in anticipation of a windy night.
When we went to set the anchor we found out that we had no reverse and Dave had to go into the engine room and put it in reverse by hand. Yet another thing to fix! Our friends on Leeloo had kindly invited us over for supper that night, so it was a real treat not to have to cook as we were both feeling pretty lousy with our colds. As forecast, it was a windy night, but we were in a pretty snug spot so, other than not getting a great sleep, we were okay.
The next morning Dave adjusted the transmission again so we could leave and we set off in big winds and frigid temperatures. It was below zero deg C with the wind chill and once again we were both bundled up like the Michelin man to keep warm. We had to be extra vigilant with navigation in lots of narrow cuts and areas where shoaling had been reported so it was a very tiring day. We got into Beaufort, SC and anchored relatively early at 3 p.m. but then Dave spent the next two and a half hours taking the tranmission cable out again and doing some adjustments on it so that reverse would work consistently.
On Monday we set off early to get through the bridge at Beaufort before it was closed for rush hour traffic. It was freezing again (literally 0 deg C in the cockpit) and really windy. We crossed the border into Georgia just after noon and got past Savannah where we overtook a big tug and barge dredging train when they slowed down to let us pass, which was very nice of them. The wind kept building and it was blowing 25-30 knots when we negotiated a narrow cut called Hell's Gate, which was a real nail biter. We made it through and pushed on until close to dark when we finally anchored in another small creek called Redbird Creek. We were exhausted.
Tuesday morning we got up and it was already 14 deg C in the cockpit - it was like a sauna, with really high humidity. We left in good spirits because we weren't cold but the wind started blowing hard and early and soon it started to rain. The current and wind were both against us which really slowed us down, but it also meant that we were able to hunker down under the dodger to stay dry. Visibility was not good but Dave showed me a 'trick' he figured out to see better - where you press your nose up against the dodger to get your face as close as possible so you can see beyond the rain on the dodger. Everything on the boat was damp - there was condensation running down the walls in the heads and the wind picked up even more. We had a couple of leaks below due to the driving wind and rain but finally the rain stopped about mid afternoon which was a relief.
We had pushed really hard to get through some shallow areas with good tide and get to an anchorage with decent protection and it was right at sunset that we got to Wally's Leg, just north of Brunswick, Georgia. Just before we went to bed I found another leak over our bunk which had soaked through the duvet, so I made an improvised gutter to catch the drips, as it had started to rain again. Luckily it wasn't too cold that night, so we didn't need the duvet, which allowed me to hang it up to dry out overnight.
Wednesday seemed like the most brutal day so far. We woke up to lots of wind but at least the current was with us when we started out. We had left a little later in the morning as we were planning a short day to get through Jekyll Creek with some tide and then spend the afternoon on Jekyll Island as a reward for the big push we were on. Unfortunately we got to Jekyll Creek a little earlier than anticipated and with 2.5 feet of tide we were still seeing depths between 5.5 and 6 feet much of the way through. We have no idea how we kept moving since we need 6 feet, but Dave was on the helm while I watched the instruments and charts to make sure we were still making progress. When we got through the creek we were very relieved but the wind was blowing really hard when we anchored, and our buddy boat, Leeloo, had some problems setting their anchor and they dragged the first time. Dave got the dinghy out and tried to row over to help out, but the wind was so strong he could hardly row, and when a big shrimp boat came along I was worried that he wouldn't be able to get out of the way.
Leeloo got anchored and Dave was able to row back to Romana and we had some lunch. Our plan to spend the afternoon on Jekyll Island didn't work out as the wind continued to blow and I was not comfortable with getting the motor onto the dinghy, and there was no way Dave could row both of us. We spent the afternoon listening to the wind howl and the waves bounce against the hull as we sat in the cabin. Thankfully the wind dropped down later in the evening and we were able to get a decent sleep.
On Thursday morning we set off early, planning to get to Cumberland Island and spend the afternoon there, but we had heard that there was a really good Thanksgiving potluck in St. Mary's, Georgia and we thought we might be able to make it but the timing was going to be tight. Dave emailed the contact listed and they said 'Please come' so I made a batch of brownies and a salad as we motored up towards St. Mary's. We arrived in St. Mary's just after noon and drove around looking for a spot to anchor. We were in uncharted waters (literally - there were no charts for this part of the river) and after we hit the bottom and backed off we decided to turn around and anchor where we knew there was deeper water.
It was a rush job to get anchored, get the dinghy down, get the engine on the dinghy and get changed, but we made it to the Riverview Hotel, where the potluck was being held, just in time to drop off our contributions to the potluck and get in line. There were about 150 people there and there was tons of food, so we got our fill of turkey, ham and all the trimmings, as well as a great selection of desserts. When we were finished we were all so full we decided to forget the walk we had originally planned and we waddled back to the dinghy and went back to the boat to rest. Later on Dave went in with the crew from Leeloo, for cocktail hour and found out there was a breakfast planned for the next day, and rides to the Walmart for groceries and the laundromat. St. Mary's is a very cruiser friendly location and they were really well organized. We found out that because of the weather, some cruisers had not been able to get there by boat, so they rented cars and drove down so they wouldn't miss it.
Friday morning we went back to the Riverview Hotel and enjoyed the cruisers pancake breakfast (all the pancakes, bacon and sausage you could eat, along with oj and coffee for $5) then Dave went to Walmart for groceries (one person per boat allowed) while I got a much needed shower. In the afternoon we went for a big walk around St. Mary's and visited the Submarine Museum where the highlight for me was a working periscope that you could use to see across the river and into town - very cool! That evening we went to the final 'event' of the cruisers Thanksgiving festivities, which was happy hour at the St. Mary's Yacht Club, which is a boat in the marina - definitely one of the most interesting yacht clubs I have visited. The visit to St. Mary's was definitely the high point of an otherwise miserable week.
Next week we push on to Florida and hope the weather improves. It is hard to believe that it could get any worse!
We left Charleston last Saturday morning as planned, after Dave finished the preliminary work on the holding tank and helped Leeloo set up their auto pilot. This meant that after we left the marina, Dave went over to Leeloo in our dinghy to help them and I drove Romana around Charleston harbour avoiding large ships and small boats while Leeloo drove in circles and other patterns to set up the auto helm. By 11:15 they were all set up and we were on our way. We motored through the South Carolinian Low Country and anchored for the night in Tom Point Creek about a mile and half up to get into the shelter of some trees in anticipation of a windy night.
When we went to set the anchor we found out that we had no reverse and Dave had to go into the engine room and put it in reverse by hand. Yet another thing to fix! Our friends on Leeloo had kindly invited us over for supper that night, so it was a real treat not to have to cook as we were both feeling pretty lousy with our colds. As forecast, it was a windy night, but we were in a pretty snug spot so, other than not getting a great sleep, we were okay.
The next morning Dave adjusted the transmission again so we could leave and we set off in big winds and frigid temperatures. It was below zero deg C with the wind chill and once again we were both bundled up like the Michelin man to keep warm. We had to be extra vigilant with navigation in lots of narrow cuts and areas where shoaling had been reported so it was a very tiring day. We got into Beaufort, SC and anchored relatively early at 3 p.m. but then Dave spent the next two and a half hours taking the tranmission cable out again and doing some adjustments on it so that reverse would work consistently.
On Monday we set off early to get through the bridge at Beaufort before it was closed for rush hour traffic. It was freezing again (literally 0 deg C in the cockpit) and really windy. We crossed the border into Georgia just after noon and got past Savannah where we overtook a big tug and barge dredging train when they slowed down to let us pass, which was very nice of them. The wind kept building and it was blowing 25-30 knots when we negotiated a narrow cut called Hell's Gate, which was a real nail biter. We made it through and pushed on until close to dark when we finally anchored in another small creek called Redbird Creek. We were exhausted.
Tuesday morning we got up and it was already 14 deg C in the cockpit - it was like a sauna, with really high humidity. We left in good spirits because we weren't cold but the wind started blowing hard and early and soon it started to rain. The current and wind were both against us which really slowed us down, but it also meant that we were able to hunker down under the dodger to stay dry. Visibility was not good but Dave showed me a 'trick' he figured out to see better - where you press your nose up against the dodger to get your face as close as possible so you can see beyond the rain on the dodger. Everything on the boat was damp - there was condensation running down the walls in the heads and the wind picked up even more. We had a couple of leaks below due to the driving wind and rain but finally the rain stopped about mid afternoon which was a relief.
We had pushed really hard to get through some shallow areas with good tide and get to an anchorage with decent protection and it was right at sunset that we got to Wally's Leg, just north of Brunswick, Georgia. Just before we went to bed I found another leak over our bunk which had soaked through the duvet, so I made an improvised gutter to catch the drips, as it had started to rain again. Luckily it wasn't too cold that night, so we didn't need the duvet, which allowed me to hang it up to dry out overnight.
Wednesday seemed like the most brutal day so far. We woke up to lots of wind but at least the current was with us when we started out. We had left a little later in the morning as we were planning a short day to get through Jekyll Creek with some tide and then spend the afternoon on Jekyll Island as a reward for the big push we were on. Unfortunately we got to Jekyll Creek a little earlier than anticipated and with 2.5 feet of tide we were still seeing depths between 5.5 and 6 feet much of the way through. We have no idea how we kept moving since we need 6 feet, but Dave was on the helm while I watched the instruments and charts to make sure we were still making progress. When we got through the creek we were very relieved but the wind was blowing really hard when we anchored, and our buddy boat, Leeloo, had some problems setting their anchor and they dragged the first time. Dave got the dinghy out and tried to row over to help out, but the wind was so strong he could hardly row, and when a big shrimp boat came along I was worried that he wouldn't be able to get out of the way.
Leeloo got anchored and Dave was able to row back to Romana and we had some lunch. Our plan to spend the afternoon on Jekyll Island didn't work out as the wind continued to blow and I was not comfortable with getting the motor onto the dinghy, and there was no way Dave could row both of us. We spent the afternoon listening to the wind howl and the waves bounce against the hull as we sat in the cabin. Thankfully the wind dropped down later in the evening and we were able to get a decent sleep.
On Thursday morning we set off early, planning to get to Cumberland Island and spend the afternoon there, but we had heard that there was a really good Thanksgiving potluck in St. Mary's, Georgia and we thought we might be able to make it but the timing was going to be tight. Dave emailed the contact listed and they said 'Please come' so I made a batch of brownies and a salad as we motored up towards St. Mary's. We arrived in St. Mary's just after noon and drove around looking for a spot to anchor. We were in uncharted waters (literally - there were no charts for this part of the river) and after we hit the bottom and backed off we decided to turn around and anchor where we knew there was deeper water.
It was a rush job to get anchored, get the dinghy down, get the engine on the dinghy and get changed, but we made it to the Riverview Hotel, where the potluck was being held, just in time to drop off our contributions to the potluck and get in line. There were about 150 people there and there was tons of food, so we got our fill of turkey, ham and all the trimmings, as well as a great selection of desserts. When we were finished we were all so full we decided to forget the walk we had originally planned and we waddled back to the dinghy and went back to the boat to rest. Later on Dave went in with the crew from Leeloo, for cocktail hour and found out there was a breakfast planned for the next day, and rides to the Walmart for groceries and the laundromat. St. Mary's is a very cruiser friendly location and they were really well organized. We found out that because of the weather, some cruisers had not been able to get there by boat, so they rented cars and drove down so they wouldn't miss it.
Friday morning we went back to the Riverview Hotel and enjoyed the cruisers pancake breakfast (all the pancakes, bacon and sausage you could eat, along with oj and coffee for $5) then Dave went to Walmart for groceries (one person per boat allowed) while I got a much needed shower. In the afternoon we went for a big walk around St. Mary's and visited the Submarine Museum where the highlight for me was a working periscope that you could use to see across the river and into town - very cool! That evening we went to the final 'event' of the cruisers Thanksgiving festivities, which was happy hour at the St. Mary's Yacht Club, which is a boat in the marina - definitely one of the most interesting yacht clubs I have visited. The visit to St. Mary's was definitely the high point of an otherwise miserable week.
Next week we push on to Florida and hope the weather improves. It is hard to believe that it could get any worse!