Charlston, SC — 11•10•23
0400— Another early morning departure. Timing tides getting into and out of channels makes for smoother passages. I rode the outgoing tide out of Charleston and had the rising tide going into Beaufort, SC. This run was about 70nm. I hid out here last year during Hurricane Nicole. Since I’d been here before, I’d thought I’d hang out in Beaufort, while some weather passed.
I picked up a mooring ball at the Safe Harbor Marina. While there I walked up the road to do some grocery shopping.
Beaufort, SC — 11•13•23
It was time to depart Beaufort. I had another short window before another front came through. But the short route out of Beaufort required going under a bridge that was a bit tight for me to get under. With the large tidal ranges here, I headed down to it and anchored off it for a few hours until low tide. It’s always nerve-racking going under a bridge, knowing you’re only clearing it by probably inches. All calculations were good, and I cleared it safely.
Saint Marys, GA — 11•14•23
0800—After a gentle overnight sail, I pulled into St Marys, Georgia. I had never been here before, but E Sea Ryder and Hadhammer were there. The current was swift, and finding a good spot to anchor took a couple of tries. I hung out here for a couple of days while the weather passed. But I had a reservation at St Augustine I wanted to keep. So I pressed on.
Staging — 11•17•23
I moved Trouble closer to the Channel to take the outgoing tide early.
0130 11•18•23— VERY early departure. The channel can be a bit rough, but it was manageable. I had a nice sail to St. Augustine.
I got the sails down and entered the channel into St Augustine. I wanted to time it to make the bridge opening, get fuel, and then my mooring assignment. I put Trouble on autopilot while I went forward to get my lines ready to pull into the fuel dock. What I didn’t pay attention to was the strong current pushing Trouble off course. I glanced up and noticed Trouble was just a few boat lengths away from a bouy. I hastily made my way back to the helm. I threw both engines into full reverse. Trouble was not slowing down fast enough as the current kept pushing us towards this bouy. I didn’t have enough room or time to steer clear of it so I put it between the bows wait for a crash. But Trouble slowed herself enough and I was able to use the engines to rotate around the bouy between my hulls. I was sure I’d hear a bang, but we managed not to hit. I was a bit shaken up by that. I still had to clear the bridge and dock for fuel, but all that went without a hitch—just another thing to add to my list of what NOT to do.
I picked up my mooring in the south field, and after cleaning up, I headed out for my burger and a beer or two.
I spent a week here doing laundry, changing the engines oil, and finishing provisioning. Cass and Mike for E Sea Ryder showed up from St Marys. Cass had a nice Thanksgiving dinner for us on E Sea Ryder.
My next stop was supposed to be Plam Beach, but more about that in the next blog.
