Leaving Charleston — 11•08•21
Time on my slip at the Mega Dock was up and I wanted to leave as close to slack tide as possible, which was about 11 am. Today was not a good day to head off the coast, so I decided to anchor out near the USS Yorktown (Aircraft carrier). I ended up anchoring next to “Perseverance”. Perseverance is another Catana 431 with a family of 5 aboard. They had been anchored here through the nor’easter and seemed to fair it pretty well. We both were leaving the next day to go to Cumberland Island. They planned to leave at 4:30 am to catch the outgoing tide. I was leaving at sunrise.
Stuck Anchor — 11•09•21
I woke up early to prep for my departure. I saw Perseverance get their anchor up and leave in the dark. Once it was light, I was ready to start the engines and pull the anchor up. About halfway into lifting my anchor chain up, it got stuck on something. A little worry came over me, as The Charleston harbor is known to be littered with junk, and getting an anchor stuck is not uncommon. I first tried to brute force it with the boat, but after a few tries, I was afraid I might break something.
The next thing I tried was letting more chain out and backing the boat away and try making a big circle around it. Having dual motors makes this maneuver a little easier. I was fighting the current that had to start to come in. I got Trouble circled around and started to pull in the chain. The chain had come loose to whatever it got snagged on, and after that, the anchor came up fine. I headed out of the Charleston Channel into the Atlantic, against the tide, which made a bumpy ride.
Cumberland Island — 11•10•21
The trip to Cumberland Island is about 28 hours and we had very little wind, so motoring was in order. Alternating the engines I ran in what I call “Eco Mode”. This saves on burning fuel but running a bit slower. At 7:15 pm Perseverance called me on the VHF radio saying they had an “odd” AIS signature and gave me the coordinates. I could not get the same signal, but I noted the location as they were ahead of me and wanted to keep my eyes open going through that area.
I saw Mer Du Jour come on to the AIS in front of me and later they hailed me on the VHF. They were running in the ICW (Intercoastal Waterway) but had ventured out for a little to make up some time. They were going to Jacksonville then back to the ICW and then later to St. Augustine. I had been the Cumberland Island before so it was a familiar entrance. I passed Perseverance in the night so they were a little behind me. Anchoring was no problem and Perseverance ended up anchoring a bit behind me. Perseverance stopped by Trouble later, to compare the boat setups. A good night’s sleep and up early to ride the tide out was the order for the night.
Off to St Augustine — 11•11•21
I was up at 3 am to prep for departure to St Augustine. Anchor up at 3:50 am and ride the tide out giving me an extra 2.5 knots. This would also get me into St. Augustine at slack tide and make getting to the fuel dock easier. The trip to St. Augustine was light wind and uneventful. The trip is an easy day hop. I got into St. Augustine too early so I waited for the next bridge opening to be closer to slack. I got through the Bridge of Lions and pulled up to the fuel dock with issues.
Old Friends in St. Augustine
On my way into St Augustine, the crew of Mer Du Jour was on the Bridge of Lions texting me and taking photos. They had arrived in St Augustine the day before. We ended up having dinner and beers together. Mer Du Jour was leaving St Augustine the next day so it would probably be the last time I see them this year. I also connected and had lunch with my old college friend. After lunch, he offered to take me to the grocery store. Of course, I took him up on that. That is better than riding my bike and backpacking food and hoping it does not rain. I got some rest and did a few boat repairs before I head down to Palm Beach.
