Cumberland Island to St Augustine, Fl

We leave early as we are going to run offshore.  St Mary's inlet, like Charleston's, is large and it is at least a 4 miles out to the ocean as there are jetties on either side.  Fortunately, we have an outgoing tide and we are doing close to 7 knots at less than half throttle.  We hit the end of the jetty and turn south into a southeast wind, so there is no sailing today with the wind on our nose.  The good news is that we do not have to deal with the green head flies or currents, but will have to deal the wind. 

It is an easy motor down the coast.  We are fully using the new autopilot.  Beth asks, "Of all the new items that we put on the boat, which one is the best one that we used on the trip?"  I have to think; the autopilot allows me to keep on course, while the shade cloths kept the green head flies out (and the flies do love me).  Tough call.  Well, here comes the afternoon storms, so we are trying to outrun the thunderstorms.  We get a little rain with no lightning.  Nice.

I have never been in through the St Augustine inlet and the charts offer no advice since the sandbars are always shifting.   We get to the inlet and it is cloudy.  Off to starboard, I can see waves breaking, so I am steering out to sea.  I can see a boat in tow by Tow Boats US, so I figure I can follow them in.  As we are trying to catch them, the Tow Boat captain calls me and notes that I am close to the sandbar, and if I am going in the inlet.  I replied yes, and then he asks if I am familiar with the inlet and I say no.  He notes that I need to go further out and then turn into the inlet.  I follow his advice and we make it into the anchorage.

We call the marina and get our mooring ball assignment.  It is on the north side of the bridge, near the street.  Beth takes a bunch of pictures, but after we settle, we realize the we can hear the street.  We are lucky that it is a Sunday and then it finally calms down. 

St Simons to Cumberland Island

Beth is frantic.  It is after 7 and no paper and muffins.  Maybe there is no delivery on weekends.  She resolves herself to her usual non-St Simons breakfast and shortly after the paper and muffins arrive.  Oh well, tomorrow's breakfast.  We are gradually packing up  and stowing the shore gear. 

We say goodbye to our California neighbors.  They are on a two year trip with their son; heading north and then on to Europe after hurricane season.  They sailed from San Francisco, down the coast to Panama, through the canal, and Caribbean, and then up the coast of Florida. 

The day is cloudy with the wind out of the west.  I am considering going offshore, but the seas are still a little high, so we are back in the ditch again.  Relatively speaking, it will be a short day and we arrive in Cumberland Island around 4 having left around 10.  Right before we are going to enter the anchorage, we look ahead and see the entire channel is blocked.   There is a huge dredge and the piping in the channel.  Fortunately, this portion of the channel is wider, and we get around the dredge but have to contend with the other traffic (pleasure and commercial) that we have to deal with.  There is only one other boat in the anchorage compared when going north when it was crowded. 

St Simons - Day 4

We are here for another day.  The weather report calls for heavy thunderstorms (I know when do we listen to the weather), but looking at the current radar and prognosis, we are staying put.  In fact, one boat that left around 7 this morning was back as they ran into squalls and thunder as they turned north. 

This marina (Morningstar) is one of the nicest that we've stayed.  Besides the paper and muffins every morning, the loaner car and use of bikes are additional perks.  Beth has used the pool several times.  The price is $2 a foot, but that includes all the taxes. 

I work a little (meetings) before we are off on another bike ride.  Our goal today is to find a beach.  We go at least 4 miles before we find "sort of a beach".  Up till now the coastal area is border by rocks, high / low tide, no sand.  We find the beach but it is disappearing fast as the tide is coming in.  We see more beach further north, but it looks like it is another mile or two away.  So, we're on our way back. 

Beth went to the store for dinner items while I was in my meeting and we grill out.  Shortly after dinner we see the flashes of lightning and then the skies opened up.   Not only torrential rain, but we are hearing hail hit the top of the boat.  I look out and watch as the dingy is filling with water, and dash out to drop it and let in drain.  So glad we stayed the extra day, as besides the rain and lightning, there are 20 to 25 knot winds with this storm. 

Hilton Head to St Simons Island

After a great day, we wake to breezy conditions, 15 to 20 knots.  It is cooler, and we get ready to leave.  We hoist the anchor and Beth motors down the creek that had been our anchorage for the past few days.  I hear the engine not running well and by the time I get to the cockpit, the engine has quit and will not restart.  I drop the anchor again, and proceed to troubleshoot the issue.  Since we had a similar issue with a clogged filter when we went to St Augustine last fall, I change both the water separating filter and plugs, and no luck.  I start looking at the fuel lines and discover that there is a small crack in one line.  I replace the line and try to re-prime the engine, and the primer bulb does not want to work.  (Nope, not going to do a Lethal Weapon - Mel Gibson and siphon the gas.)  I do have a spare primer and install it and get the fuel flowing.  So, two hours later, we are on the way.  Our original destination was the St Catherine's anchorage, but with the two hour delay, we were looking for another spot, but we have some good tides and make the anchorage.  It is a nice evening and we settle in for the night.  I wake early before down, and there is a shrimper at the end of the river and it is lit up like a Christmas tree.  It works until almost dawn and is gone before we leave for St Simons. 

The trip is a long one, 55 miles, but we hit the tides right and we make the marina shortly after 5.  Of all the marinas we have been in, this is our favorite.  Besides the paper and muffins delivered to your boat in the morning, they have a courtesy car and free use of bicycles, which Beth discovered when inquiring on how to get to the lighthouse. 

The next morning, we get the bicycles and ride to the island.  The tree lined bike path runs right to the pier and lighthouse.  We check out the lighthouse and discover that they want $12 a piece to go up to the top.  Most of the lighthouses we have been in have been $5 or less, so we opt out.  We go back to the pier and the main street with shops and find some great ice cream in a candy store.  After ice cream, we wander around the shops and then take ride back to the boat. The wind has come up and is from the southeast, and we are getting a little bump through the sound.  It is not bad, but some of the boats are hobby horsing in the marina, and the floating docks are a little wobbly when the waves move through. 

We have a couple across from us who are from California, and are on their way to Europe.  The have recently come through the canal and Caribbean.  We chat and find out that her dad was the manager at Hollister Ranch, which my friends and I surfed in the early 70's, as well as now working for Cisco.

Speaking of work, I check emails and need to help out again.  We stay another night, and I am working today.  Beth gets the car and comes back with some provisions.  We decide that we will go to dinner, since I was working all day.  There is a restaurant in the marina complex and it is an easy walk to dinner.  We are off to St Marys tomorrow.   

Hilton Head - Part Deux - June 1

We are back aboard after another visit to Hilton Head.  Looking out the hatch as clouds spin around the mast.  Nope, it is the boat that is moving again with the 20+ knot gusts.  Even so, it is great sitting in the anchorage with nothing around. 

We wake to clouds from the front that is still passing through.  Last night we had the fire drill of closing the hatches and ports as a squall line passed through.  With the rain comes the wind and I checked the GPS and we still set.  The wind is still up, gusting to 25 to 30+ knots, and the skies finally clear.  Beth suggests we go to the island and walk on the beach and then go to the store for provisions.  It is still bumpy, but I drop the dingy and take a spin around the boat, and it is not that bad.  We dingy into Harbor Town Marina and tie up; then catch the trolley to the beach (nice perk on Hilton Head).   As we rode in from the boat, we were surfing down the backs of the waves, which I hope will be smaller when we go back.

We get to the beach and it is windier (or so it seems) than at the boat.  There are people at the beach and though we do not know why (other than the cost of the accommodations), but we take a walk.  We walk into the wind for 10 minutes and turn back as a huge sandstorm blows down the beach.  OK, enough for our beach walk we catch the trolley back and get on the one that goes to the store (like changing cars on the subway).  We are on our way to the store when a gust of wind blows through the open air trolley, taking my hat with it.  The driver turns around and allows me to retrieve my hat and then proceed on the journey to the store.   (I am not a hat person, but this is a great hat which does not get hot when wearing.)

After getting our provisions, we pick up the trolley for the ride back to the marina, where are dingy is tied to the same spot that a mega-yacht was berthed a week ago.  The dingy ride back was no picnic,, not crazy, but soaking.  We were both wet by the time we reach the boat.  Oh well, hang the clothes dry and change.  The winds are finally calming down as we say goodbye to another day. 

Charleston to St Helena Sound to Hilton Head May 30 to 31

We are on our way back.  The last few days have been rather hot, but returning to a boat with AC is fine.  However, the anchorages will not be that cool.  We decided that we would run on the outside for the next two days, since the seas were cooperating, even though the wind would be light from the southeast.  We decided to get an early start, and leave before we had help to get out of the slip.  MISTAKE.   The tide rips through the marina, and even though there was no wind, it still took us into the finger pier and the neighbors anchor roller.  We ended up with a small ding in the starboard side and took out the anchor roller with our rear stanchions on the neighbor's boat.  So much for leaving early.  Jim; thanks for the video.  At least I only got one boat. 

Once we got going, we cruised out of the harbor past Fort Sumter and out into the Atlantic.  A pilot boat is sitting on the edge of the harbor and one is returning from the ocean; and now we know why; a huge cargo ship is coming in.  We immediately dash for outside the channel markers.  As the ship rolls by, I understand now why people in Texas and Louisiana surf the oil tanker wakes.  This small ship threw a 4 foot wake with a 6 second period.   We rolled through the wakes and did not take any water over the bow. 

Out in the ocean with the wind negligible, we are motor sailing.  Much faster at points than we would have running against currents and winding our way through the ditch.  Since we left so late, our original goal has been replaced, and then with thunder storms rolling off the coast, even our next destination is compromised.   We outrun (I know unbelievable) a wall of water moving offshore and head for St Helena Sound, our next inlet off the ocean.  Since there are not many hiding places along this inlet, we make the choice that we will anchor and run the ditch tomorrow. We find a little cut off the sound and anchor for the night. 

Saturday, we head for Hilton Head, with the same anchorage that we found a week ago.  We have an incoming tide which pushes us along.  We stop for fuel and water in Beaufort again, and proceed onward.  The skies have been ominous all day and we have had gust of cool winds from storms nearby.  As we enter the channel for Hilton Head, we understand why it is best to not travel these parts on the weekends, as everyone is out on the water.  Most are knowledgeable, but then you have your jet skiers jumping passing boat wakes not looking at any of the oncoming traffic; fishermen trolling in the middle of the ICW channel; you get the picture.  Having negotiated the crazies, we dropped the hook in the same spot as before as it looks like we are going to get hammered by a storm.  Nope, goes round us; but the forecast is for rain tonight.  Anyway, it looks like cooler weather the next couple of days, but we all want to be weather forecasters. 

Beaufort to Charleston May 26 to 29

We left Beaufort on a leisurely cruise to Charleston.  It is about 70 miles away so we are going to stop at one of the anchorage that Jim and Gail have marked on the charts; a little more than 30 miles away.  With a good tide and wind we get there at about 1 PM.  I am thinking that we can push on as there are other spots to anchor, but decide that this is good.  There are green head flies in abundance, but we get the anchor set and relax.  About 3 PM we look out and see storms approaching as the wind has picked up.  The storms appear to be heading north and in the direction where we would have probably stopped.  Good call on not pushing on!!!  We get a couple of showers and the skies eventually clear.

The next morning we leave for Charleston.  With the exception of the last couple of miles it is uneventful.  We go down this creek and are doing close to 7 knots as the current is running close to 3 knots.  We have a draw bridge to deal with and we missed the 1 PM opening, so we are circling at the bridge dodging other boats that can get under the span.  Finally, the bridge opens and we are on our way to the Harborage at Ashley Creek marina.  We have booked a slip for a couple of nights and with little problem get into the slip.  As we approach the marina, we see the hotel that we stayed at three years ago. 

I work the rest of the afternoon and the next morning, and then we finally go downtown.  We had great time the last time we were here.  The marina provides a shuttle and we are dropped off by the farmers market, which has been remodeled.  Things have changed since we were here and there is a some construction and restoration.  We spend the day in the city and then grab some provisions and call for the shuttle.  We decide to stay an additional day and the next morning grab the shuttle for another trip downtown.  This time we go the the battery and the rainbow house section.  Wandering on the waterfront is cooler since the day is rather steamy.  Along the waterfront we have a good view of Fort Sumter, and there are several fountains with rules and regulations, along with there is no lifeguard on duty; Really!!!  We have some gellato; no ice cream, and wander off toward the shops.  We finally call for the shuttle and go back to the boat. 

We are planning to go offshore tomorrow as it looks like comfortable seas and decent winds.