Sultry South

SHIP'S LOG:

I am still in Beaufort and will be probably through the weekend. Guy McSweeney, they "guy" I met on my way down was in the hospital Tuesday and Wednesday and is not quite feeling up for visitors just yet. I talked with him today and he said everything went perfectly but that he is a little sore and the pain meds put him to sleep. I will probably get to see him on Saturday.

it is just as well as tonight it is supposed to rain and right now I am looking at some seriously nasty clouds. There has been thunder and a little lightning but so far, no rain. Just a lot of threatening sky! Friday it is supposed to be much the same, nothing in the morning but the "potential" for thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. It was hot and humid and still all day. If it is this bad down here in the Spring, I can't imagine what it is like in full Summer.

as for the future, I am am planning to do a bit of a push when I leave here, to cover, if possible, wind and tide permitting, about 45 miles which will put me in Church Creek. That is only a short hop from the dreaded Elliot's Cut. For those who don't remember, Elliot's Cut is a 500 yard canal that is a little over two boats wide, lined with concrete sidewalls through which a current, running as high as 6 knots, shoots through. It is a dangerous spot for underpowered boats( read sailboats) for if you make a mistake there is really no second chance. you will hit the wall and do damage. You must pass through at slack tide and sprint to get from one end to the other. By getting to Church Creek, I will be able to time my arrival at Elliot Cut so as to be able to do just that. This will be as much fun as root canal! I hit it perfectly coming down and it was still not a lot of fun. I would hate to see what it is like at the wrong time.

The people here have been marvelous. A guy I had never met before, Jim Travis, when he found out that I had to go and do some shopping, gave me the keys to his pickup! Dave "Dr. Fix-it" Dixon, repaired my boat hook. And several people from the neighborhood who are members of the Club, stopped by to say "Hello." It is really a great place. . . .except for the gnats. But then you can have everything, and good enough is perfect!

SHIP'S LOG:

Current Location: Beaufort Sailing & Yacht Club: 32'24.405N 080'40.148W

Now I don't want to say that I am a bit slow on the uptake, but as I was plowing through all the palm fronds and water reeds in the water, it finally dawned on me that they probably got there as a result of the big storm they had in the area on Saturday. And there were considerable amounts of the floating detritus to get through today, including one fair size tree that probably could have done some serious damage had I not managed to avoid hitting it. I was really surprised by that one. A branch I could see, even a couple of branches, perhaps even some large branches, but an entire tree? I must have been overhanging a bank somewhere and the water simply washed away the underpinnings and "SPLASH" and instant obstacle. It was good that it happened to show up when it did as there are several places, earlier and some ahead, where the room to maneuver would have been far less, along with the ability to avoid it. But it went its merry way with a "security" call from me warning those behind of the approaching menace.

Calibouge Sound, which run most of the length of Hilton Head, looked like a good opportunity to stretch some sail clothe. Alas, when I got there there was no wind. I could have used it as the Sound was ebbing and it made the 3 mile passage just a bit slow. There were lots of locals on the water and I got to thinking, don't these people work? Perhaps they have "Easter Vacation" or something, but there seems like, during the whole trip I now realize, that there are a lot of people out boating and fishing during the week.

Passing North along the western shore Daufuskie Island, I was sorry to see that even it had not been spare the ravages of "McMansions." The island was once so isolated that most of the population didn't speak English, couldn't swim and had never seen a car. Cars were not allowed on the island for a long time but now it seems that all the stuff that comes with "gentrification" has hit the Island big time. Another quaint, American treasure has gone "Bye-bye!" thanks to the almighty dollar. Though I don't know for certain, I would suspect that the "newcomers" who now infest the island, found Hilton Head "too common" for them.

What couldn't be done in Calibouge Sound for a lack of wind, certainly was done in Port Royal Sound. With the wind and tide working in concert, speeds of 8.6+ knots were achieved. Of course, it was probabiamoly COG as opposed to SOG or VMG, but 8.6+ knots is wonderful no matter what is is so long as it isn't taking you over the edge of the world. Whatever it was all disappeared as I entered the Beaufort River from Port Royal Sound at Parris Island(Yes, THAT Parris Island. Semper Fi . . . . Hurrah). This makes twice I have gone by Parris Island and I have yet to see a Marine. I am sure they are there somewhere though.

I got to dock all by myself in a nice 15 knot wind at the Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club and I didn't damage the dock or ABISHAG. The current in the rivers in South Carolina are something else, especially here in Beaufort where all the cruising guides hand out all sorts of warnings about docking. Well, I made it safe and sound once again, but then again, it has never been the arrival at but the departure from the dock that has never been my strong suit.

Boat Names of the Day: Gulliver; Knot On Call; Knot A Nuff; Andiamo

New Day, New State

SHIP'S LOG:

Current Location: New River 32'06.790N/ 080'54.346W

Well, it's "Goodbye Georgia!" and "Hello South Carolina!" It was a trip of a little over 20 miles and it brought me to New River, north of Savannah and just off of Daufaskie Island. It is a quaint little place that has no cars and not lots of modern conveniences, though it does have a championship golf course - - go figure.

The trip wasn't particularly difficult. The toughest things were keeping down the speed and staying in deep water. As you leave Isle of Hope, you eventually run into the pull of the Savannah River and when a mass of water decides it wants to move, it moves. I actually got up over 8 knots according to the GPS . It would have been wonderful if I had had a long way to go, but I didn't so it really wasn't. What made it not wonderful was that this little section of the ICW was full of twists and turns which made for a lot of shoals and sand bars and the current made it a bit dicey staying on course. In addition, there was a lot of stuff floating in the water, palm fronds, water reeds and the like, and they tended top clump together. The clump together around other floating debris - some soft and some hard, like the ocasional log, and they also tended to clump around crab pot buoys making them invisable. In the ICW crab pots RULE! They are the most accurate sign of the where the deep water is and where it is not, and the not part is important. But the palm fronds and water reeds also clump around themselves so that you couldn't tell if they were hiding something important or not.

The current also made turns interesting. You tend to slide sideways through turns and with this you have to be careful for one side of a corner is always shallow and the other is always deep(mostly) and figuring out which is which can be a bit stressful. The whole thing can be something akin to skidding on ice at a real slow speed in your car..

Crossing the Savannah River itself is also a bit dicey as there is a southern branch line with nasty rocks and the main branch which has most of the current. I had to cut accross the river, avoiding the traffic up and down, and "dive" into Field's Cut, an unnatural channel connecting the Savannah with New River. As it is not "natural" but man made, it tends to fill in and does so especially where in joins the Savannah River. It has little or no current and one goes from lots of current to none, from 40 - 50 feet of water to 9, and the point of transition is exciting to say the least!

After that it was a few more miles of trying to stay in the deep water as I wended my way up Field's Cut into New River. I can see Savannah off in the distance and the airport is a mile or so ahead off the river. Planes are coming in and out. Actually this anchorage is a nice little spot. I spent a couple of days here back in November. It was when I left here two days after Thanksgiving that the weather began to go into the crapper. Hopefully it will now continue the other way.

I will be in Beaufort tomorrow all things being equal and will dock at the Beaufort Yacht Club as I did on my way down. It will be another chance to meet "The Outrageous Guy McSweeney" and Dave "Dr. Fix-it" Dixon, two real highlights on this whole trip.

More On "The Loopers"

SHIP'S LOG:

Another beautiful day here in North Georgia! The effects of the front are gone, the sun is bright, the humidity is low and there is a gentle wind blowing. You couldn't have asked for a better day. . . . . . . except for the gnatz! So much of the area along the ICW here in Georgia, and I am afraid also in South Carolina and North Carolina too, is marsh and swamp. It is also the home of billions and billions of gnats! They stay away when the wind blows as they probably can't overcome the force of the moving air, but let the wind cease to blow, for even a moment, and they are on you like white on rice! A generous application of OFF or NO Natz or some other bug spray and they stay off you but only just. The swarm about a foot and a half away, just waiting. Occasionally some daring gnats will make the attempt at a meal , bravely battling through the chemical barrier only to die after the first bite. If you have any body hair, the bug spray sort of stiffens it and so you feel the little critters crawling on it which is almost as bad as them actually landing for lunch. And like I said, there are billions and billions of them.

Worse, while not as numerous, are the green flies. These little buggers bite like horseflies and can draw blood. They are so nasty they will attack through your clothes! Luckily they too don't like OFF and the other chemical defenses, but there is always one or two who try for a meal anyway. They too tend to hover just over there, waiting, looking for a chance to snack. I don't think I will ever complain about mosquitoes again!

Some "Loopers " departed this morning and more "Loopers" showed up to take their places. They all seem to be from the mid-west - Michigan, Ohio, Illinois - and most of them travel in Trawler styled power boats. Most have, as they put it, "no dirt homes," that is their boat is there home and everything , except for what might be in storage, is on board. Of course, it doesn't stop the "kids" from visiting Mom & Dad. Two of the boats got visits today. . . all the way from Ohio!

Most of the "Loopers" have very comfortable boats with lots of the "necessities," like flat-screen TV, satellite dishes and washers and driers. One particular boat, the trawler"Jeremiah," actually has a lawn on the back deck. Not artificial grass or a green carpet but honest to goodness sod. Harry the owner says he likes to "walk on grass" every now and then. I asked him if he "mowes the lawn," and he said," No. But every now and then, when it gets too unruly or starts to burn up, I simply dump it and go to a gardening store for a new lawn."


Looper" also seem to really be into dogs. They all seem to have at least one. Many have two. I have never been a big fan of dogs on sailboats though I do know some people who wouldn't think of leaving "Spot" or "Mr. Jingles" ashore when they "yacht." I would just be afraid of loosing the dog over the side or stepping on it or having it get in the way in at some crucial moment. Perhaps they work better on power boats, especially trawlers.

I noticed the other day that I am down to 590 miles to Hospital Point in Newport News VA, mile marker "O" for the ICW. even with the stays of a couple of days here and there, the trip seems to be passing faster than it did on the way down. I suppose that is just perception, that I was going " into the unknown" while now I have seen all these places before and they seem familiar and so they just seem to come more quickly.

I got to meet Kim's husband, John. Kim is the woman who handles the boast coming into the Isle of Hope Marina. Her husband is an Army office and when I was here in November, he was due back shortly from Iraq. She had been anxious and concerned but he got back safe and sound. He's very tall and has a voice that starts in his shoes. He came by early this morning to visit Kim at work . . . just before he went off to play golf! He has a close friend who is the local pro and they guy got Titlist(sp?) to donate 12 sets of clubs and 800 golf balls to his unit back in Iraq. The had created an 18 hole course in Iraq for the troops to play. No grass, all sand. And they had to play in combat gear and boots. But hey, it was tension reducing.

Tomorrow it is off to South Carolina!

Killer Storm

SHIP'S LOG:

Well the reason for hanging at the Isle of Hope arrived today. It was a storm front that swept across the south and has killed something like 18 people. It spawned lots of tornadoes and had lots of high winds and rain. We were all very lucky here as the stormed track a little farther northeast and missed us but not by much. Got a few sprinkles and the winds at the storm's edge, some gusts to 35 but that was about it. The battering that we were supposed to get just never materialize and everyone is most thankful for that. I guess God must have decided that three storms was enough.

Since tomorrow is free, I'll hand for another night - who can turn down showers and laundry and shopping - and head out Monday. About 20 miles will put me in the New River and in South Carolina, with Beaufort 30 miles further on.

Loopers!

SHIP'S LOG:

Current Location: Still at the Isle of Hope Marina (Good deal - four days for the cost of two!)

The marina is filling up as a front gets ready to pass through the area tonight and tomorrow. I have had enough rain and thunder and lightning on the hook in the past month, so I am staying put to at least Sunday before I head north again. Next time I drop the hook, if all goes according to plan, I will be out of Georgia and back into South Carolina.

Here in the marina, here are a number of "Loopers." Loopers are people, usually in powerboats, especially trawlers, who have done or are doing "The Great Loop." The Great Loop is basically a circumnavigation of the eastern half of the United States. Starting from Say New York City and going south, you go done the Jersey Coast, up Delaware Bay, through the C & D Canal, down the Chesapeake, down the Intracoastal Waterway(ICW), around the tip of Florida at Key West, up the west coast of Florida, west along the Gulf Coast to the Mississippi River, up the Mississippi, up the Ohio River into the Great Lakes, across the Great Lakes, through the canals and into the Hudson River and back down the Hudson River to New York City. You can start anywhere along the route and go clockwise or counter clockwise. Some people do it in stages depending on the seasons and their circumstances, going so far and then putting up the boat and returning home. Then they come back, get the boat ready and do the next stage. The couple on the boat behind me are from Illinois and have been at it for three years. Two other couples on two other boats across the dock from me are doing it all in one shot and they are from Ohio. One of them flies a golden Great Loop pennant from their bow indicating that they have already completed the Great Loop once. They are all headed to a Loopers' Rendezvous in Norfolk, VA to be held sometime this spring. And you thought the people who just cruise up and down the ICW were crazy!

I Hit A Dead Zone!

SHIP'S LOG:

Wednesday's Location"Walburg Island 31'40.331N/ 081'09.621W

Hey the move to the Dulpin River was a great move. According to the GPS I swung in a complete circle last night with the wind and tide and river current. I am not sure if staying in Frederica would have been all that smart. It was worth the trip in the rain.

I headed off for St. Catherine Sound and Walburg Island Creek. It is a good spot and plenty wide and more than deep enough. The problem with Georgia, as I said before, is the tides which average 7 feet. Now there are plenty of places where the tides are greater. Some places on the Cape can get over 10 feet and way up in the Bay of Fundy, they have 17 feet tides. I think there is some place in Alaska where there are over 25 feet. But back to Georgia. The problem here, when you are traveling on the ICW is finding a spot where you can be safely anchored and not go aground. A drop of 7feet. or a rise for that matter, bespeaks a serious current and add to that "some" wind, and you need to be carefully anchor so that you will still be in the morning where you were the evening before. For me that means there has to be at least 13 feet AT HIGH TIDE or else I am going aground at or before low! It seems however that the creeks here in Georgia, and there are more per mile than any other state on the ICW, come in four types 1.) Deep enough but too narrow - no swing room to deal with tidal shift; 2.) Wide enough but too shallow - even if you get in you will either ground when swinging or when the tide goes out; 3.) Too Deep but narrow - to put out enough rode to have a decent hold against the current, you run the risk of grounding when you swing and if you don't put out enough rode, the current may move you some place you would rather not be; 4.) Deep enough and wide enough - these are the ones that are few and far between. One other factor that needs to be considered is that the mud in Georgia is not the greatest holding bottom . . . except when you run aground in it. Then it is tenacious! So you pays your money and you takes your chance.

Another problem in Georgia, where they have the least money for, and spend the least money on the ICW, is the bird crap. Lots of the area around the ICW is tidal marsh and filled with tidal marsh water flow who, on occasion, like to perch some place dry. The buoys and markers along the channel of the ICW are perfect for them. What make it difficult for us cruisers is that most of the birds seem to want to, as we sailors say - "drop some ballast" - before returning to the skies. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long before the numbers on the markers and buoys are obliterated! I have seen markers so "covered" that you could not tell their color and only knew what they were by their shape! Not a good way to try and navigate in the thin ICW channels.

Believe it or not, I met another mini-liner from American Cruise Lines. This one, The Independence, was maneuvering down a section that had me nervous about going aground. There were several sharp turns in this section, some almost 180 degrees - the ICW in Georgia is famous for this - and even at a slow speed, he would come out of the turn and still keep going sideways. I do not know what those mini-ocean liners draw, but he MUST be bumping bottom quite regularly.

You can't depend entirely on maps and the GPS for navigation. You have to keep your head out of the cockpit most of the time. The reason for this is you are sailing in reality and the best charts and GPS don't always jibe with reality. Navigating by depth sounder and the marks I could see, I successfully followed the channel though my GPS had me several hundred yards into the shore. It is easy to follow the GPS like it is a computer game but if you do, it will put you aground. It doesn't help that the marks seem to be magnetic too. In New England, we often sail from one mark to another. Along the ICW you most often have to pass the marks square(perpendicular) and well off. But after sailing so long in New England, when you stare at a mark you seem to instinctively turn to it and I am forever correcting the tendency. I have to be very conscious to pass the marks correctly. And you thought all of this was easy. HA!

No Internet access Wednesday night. Walburg Island Creek is a DEAD ZONE!!!!!!

Thursday: Isle Of Hope Marina: 31'58.752N/ 081'03.347W

The gnat problem in Walburg Creek is serious! I wonder how the little bastards can find me that far away. I literally had to hide from them inside the boat to have breakfast. I was covered with OFF and Nonatz but while they didn't land, they were so think I was literally breathing them in! Sorry, that was too much and it was clearly time to go. I realized that I didn't have this bug problems there last time because the last time the temp was in the 30's!

I literally flew out of Walburg Island Creek as the tide was running down and out of St. Catherines Sound. I hit 8 knots at 1000rpms most of which disappeared in a couple of miles when, in the middle of the St. Catherines Sound, I had to turn into the tide and the speed got cut in half! Bad tidal timing, but if it was a choice between breathing gnats or a slow passage, well I'll take the passage.

This trip also marked my passage through the 2nd of the the THREE "Hell Gate"'s that exist on the ICW. The first in in the East River in New York City. The third is in the St. Lucie River on the Okeechobee Water Way in Stuart,Florida, and Number Two the connection between the OGEECHEE River and the LITTLE OGEECHEE River. Needless to say, since you are reading this, nothing untoward happened. If fact, I was out of it before I realized it. 'Tain't no big thang!