Foreign Affair Sailing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabby_concrete

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Simons,_Georgia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Simons_Island_Light

The current at the marina was very strong and each boat’s departure was planned based upon its orientation to the river and the other boats around it.  All but 4 of the fleet were able to depart between 0630 and 0700.  The remaining 4 did not attempt to depart until the current significantly slowed.  The wind was blowing unfavorably and the fairways were narrow.  Foreign Affair was the first to attempt to get underway and unfortunately, Dwayne was not able to back out of the slip, turn the boat and get into the river without coming into contact with the boat in the next slip.  Fortunately, the damage was minimal.  No damage to Foreign Affair but the other boat had some clevis pins on the davit system bent which can be replaced.  Needless to say, Dwayne feels very badly about this incident.

SAIL Rally members boarded a trolley for a guided tour of Savannah followed by a few hours exploring the city on foot.  Savannah is rich in history and many of the oldest buildings in town are well preserved.  The many tree lined, grassy squares which date back to the city plan laid out by General James Oglethorpe added greatly to the city’s charm.  The Cotton Exchange and warehouses which line the riverfront still exist and are today restaurants, taverns and gift shops catering to the many tourist who visit the oldest city and former capital of Georgia.  Everyone had a great time on a fine sunny afternoon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah,_Georgia

What could have been a very uncomfortable and challenging day on the water turned out to be one of our easiest passages.

We departed Beaufort just prior to dawn.  The current and winds were favorable and we left the harbor without incident.  Both Port Royal Sound and Calibouge Sound were very calm and the rain by-passed us so we only experiences a few brief sprinkles of rain.  The one bridge opening went well and we timed our arrival at the marina to minimize the problem of heavy currents.

We headed out of the Dewees Creek anchorage shortly after 7 am.  Our plan was to work our way through the trouble spot just north of the Ben Sawyer Bridge and arrive at the bridge in time for an opening.  We’d then not stop in Charleston but continue on our way chasing the rest of the fleet to our next anchorage. 

Ernie, the mechanic showed up early in the morning and worked with Dwayne changing fuel filters, checking the fuel for water or dirt, running the engine to determine symptoms and explore cures.  

One possibility was something like a rope or line snagging the propeller which could cause the reduction in engine rpm.  Time for someone to go swimming and it wasn’t going to be the mechanic. 

Dwayne borrowed some goggles from the owner of a neighboring boat and took the plunge.  The water was so dark the goggles were worthless.  Dwayne had to run his hands over the propeller and shaft to determine if they were free of any foreign object such as ropes or lines.  This may be the South but the water is no warmer than Lake Michigan.  No lines were found on the propeller or shaft.  Dwayne headed for a hot shower right after his swim.  More work on the engine and eventually it seemed to run better.

We departed Osprey Marina at 0700 in heavy fog.  It took 2 hours for the sun to finally burn the fog off the Waccamaw River.  We were making really good time with the strong current flowing down the river until our engine started having fuel problems.  

We normally run at 2700 rpm and for some reason, without touching the throttle, the engine would drop to 2200 rpm.  It did this several times and one time the engine stopped running altogether.  We dropped anchor and checked the filters to see if there was any indication of water in the fuel or dirt fouling the filters.  Everything looked fine.  We called BoatUS to get a tow and alerted a mechanic at the Hazzard Marina to get assistance and reserve a slip for the evening.

We spent the morning being briefed on the next leg of our journey (Osprey Marina to Charleston and on to Beaufort).  We will encounter several “trouble spots” and increasingly high tides and swifter currents.  This section of the ICW can be particularly challenging as there is no easy way to negotiate all the problem areas without facing some challenges due to tide and current.  We have basically been charged to develop our own plans for negotiating this 165 miles or so of the ICW.  We get to decide which potentially bad spots we want to take on under less than perfect conditions.

Rain continued today but the temperatures were 10 degrees warmer than yesterday and the rain was not as heavy.

We had several “trouble spots” to contend with today.  We had to pass through “The Rock Pile” which is a section of the ICW cut through solid rock and not very wide.  It is difficult to see the channel, particularly at high tide.  If the water is low and you stray out of the channel you can damage your boat on the unforgiving rocks.

Again, there were several bridges which presented potential challenges with opening times and water height affecting overhead clearance.  Our friends on Valiant had to climb their mast and remove their antenna and instruments from the top of their mast to clear some bridges due to high water at the bridge.  The heavy rains are keeping water in this section of the ICW at abnormally high levels.  Up to 30 inches of rain has fallen here in the past month.

We also encountered some unexpected sights along the way.  Golf is very popular in Myrtle Beach. These golfers got a lift over a big water hazard.

Sometimes it gets really shallow and land appears at low tide.  Usually, you keep the red buoys to the right and green buoys to the left.  Janet wasn't sure what to do here.

Rained almost the entire day.  Our feet were wet but the rest of us stayed warm and dry in our foul weather gear.  Saw some dolphins on the way south.

Some sections of the ICW were undeveloped and others were mile upon mile of homes lining the waterway.  We could see the Atlantic Ocean when we passed some of the larger inlets.  We could often see the homes and high rise resorts lining the Atlantic beaches.  

With all the people living on the barrier islands we had to pass through and under numerous bridges.  Some of these bridges were on a schedule and others would open on request.  One thing you don’t want to do is arrive at a bridge which opens on the hour a few minutes after the hour and have to loiter for a long time waiting for the next opening.

Dwayne spent the morning doing boat maintenance and changed the oil in the marine gear.  Janet went shopping (again, and not for food).  Southport has many boutique and thrift shops which Janet likes to explore looking for bargains and unusual items.  She has already begun her Christmas shopping.

The SAIL Rally group had a wonderful meal at Mr. P’s Bistro.  Dwayne had beef tenderloin, crab and scallops with roasted potatoes and fried green tomatoes.  Janet had the same but skipped the fried green tomatoes. She also had crème brulee for desert.  Great service and delicious food at a very nice restaurant.  Mr. P’s will be on the list of things to do on the way north in the spring.

It was very foggy when we weighed anchor.  We followed our previous day’s tract to find our way out of the anchorage to get to the ICW channel.  Dwayne tried to cut back into the main channel too soon and the boat bumped over one sandbar and nearly grounded but fortunately, we were able to power up and find our way to deeper water.  Lesson learned: stay on the track that took you into the anchorage and go slow getting out.

It was a cloudy day and lightly rained a few times during the day.  The wind was perfect for a broad reach most of the morning.  So, we let the genoa out some and achieved a top speed of 7.4 knots.

We got through our “trouble spots” without any trouble due to good water depths and good local knowledge passed on by our SAIL Rally leaders.  We saw several dolphin early in the trip.  We arrived at both bridge openings at the proper time to permit an orderly passage without much delay.  Topsail Sound had plenty of water and room for us to anchor.  Overall, it would have been a perfect day had the sun shone.

We had our briefing for the next leg of our journey.  We will be encountering our first “trouble spots” on the ICW which are places where it is easy to go aground due to shoaling, strong currents or contend with other factors such as live-fire exercises at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejuene.  We will also have to plan to arrive in time to meet bridge opening schedules.

Weather forecast was for 100% rain and we got it.  Our worst travel day so far.  It rained almost continuously and sometimes it was very heavy rain which really reduced visibility and made it difficult to see the channel day markers.  Everyone was glad to get into the marina and dry out after a long day at the wheel.

It was a beautiful sunny day with a high in the low 70s.  Everyone was busy doing boat maintenance and provisioning in preparation for our next move.  Several of the boats will go off-shore rather than travel the ICW.  In doing so they will avoid some trouble spots and get a chance to sail rather than motor for the next 100 miles or so.