March 26, 2019 - March 31, 2019
We spent our last three days in Charleston preparing for our trip back to Baltimore. Tuesday we rode our bikes to Amen Street Oyster and Seafood Restaurant on East Bay Street. This restaurant had been recommended to us by a friend of Bob’s who we enjoyed lunch with the week before. We had delicious oysters on the half shell and blackened grouper over grilled asparagus and jambalaya.
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| We found another favorite restaurant just two days before leaving Charleston. |
Wednesday we took the shuttle to West Marine and Harris Teeters in Avondale to buy needed provisions and a new solar light for the cockpit. After stowing all of the groceries, I cleaned the inside of the boat and did laundry in the afternoon.
Thursday we splashed the dingy and tied it off to the bow of the boat so it would be out of the way when we backed out of the slip. Next, we loaded the bikes on to the deck and were surprised at how well they fit between the shrouds and the cabin top. I, also, cleaned the deck which was covered with pollen and grime from our winter stay. Since we completed our tasks before noon we took the shuttle to Brown Dog Deli for a final lunch in Charleston.
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| I had a delicious Chicago dog and coleslaw and completed the meal with a chocolate chip cookie. |
Friday morning we got up early to be ready for our 9:15 departure. Because of the strong current in the marina from the convergence of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers we had to wait for slack tide (the state of tide when the low or high tide are ready to change). I filled the water tanks and waited for the Captains instructions for casting off. One of the Marina dock hands helped us with the lines and we exited our slip cleanly (no scrapes or dings).
Our first ocean passage started with bright skies and calm seas. There were still 2-3 foot swells that caused the boat to rock and roll a bit and I was careful to stay in the cockpit and watch the horizon as much as possible to avoid sea sickness. (note to self - Get a prescription for seasickness from my doctor this summer.) All went well watching the wildlife: sea turtles, sea gulls, cormorants, and pelicans. Around mid afternoon while I was at the helm the boat hit something in the water with the propeller. We looked all around to try to see what it was. All we could see was a small whale raising its tale repeatedly in the water behind us. Could a whale have tried to surface under our boat? The trip took longer than expected and we went back and forth about continuing on to Southport or anchoring in Winyah Bay for the night. Anchoring won out and we motored into Winyah Bay just before sunset. While we were anchoring Bob noticed that the dinghy had broken loose from the boat. In a panic Bob raised the anchor and I guided the boat to the dinghy where Bob tried to grab it with a boat hook. I was not handling the boat well and we changed places. Success, with both of us using boat hooks we wrangled the dinghy back to the boat. I climbed over the side into the dinghy and retied the painter to the dinghy. We walked it back to the stern to tie it off securely. It was a long day and we were glad for a good nights rest. You would be surprised how tiring it is to remain upright on a boat that is pitching from side to side.
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| This is sunrise looking out toward the ocean from Winyah Bay. |
On Saturday we rose before dawn and hauled anchor at first light. We had a 12 hour day of motoring and wanted to make sure we arrived in Southport Marina, NC before nightfall. Several incidents occurred that made our trip longer than expected. First, Bob noticed steam coming from the back of the boat and the water temperature gauge was pegged all the way to the right. We stopped the boat, I emptied the quarter berth, Bob checked the coolant level (fine), and then checked the engine cooling system. He cleaned out the basket that filtered the incoming water. That helped and we were able to continue, but at a slower speed. Again the engine overheated and Bob knew it was time to change the impeller in the water pump that feeds the water that cools the engine. Bob crawled into the quarter berth and started the process. In the meantime I noticed that the dinghy was filling up with water. I got in the dinghy, replaced the stopper that had come loose and bailed all the water out. Next, I needed to climb into the cock pit locker to help Bob change the impeller. It took both of us from opposite sides squeezing into the engine compartment as best we could to manage the screws and replace the impeller. An hour and a half later we were ready to continue on to Southport. Later that afternoon we were visited by a dolphin family that played in our bow wake for about ten minutes. It was an amazing site and my clapping and cheering seemed to encourage the acrobatics. Obviously, we didn’t make it to the marina by nightfall. All I want to say about the experience is I never want to dock a boat in the dark again, period.
Sunday, we rested our weary bodies all morning, vowing not to do any work for the day. After great showers we got the bikes off the boat and rode to Fishy, Fishy Cafe (one of our favorite restaurants in Southport) and had a great lunch. We are planning for a nice long stop here in Southport for some much needed R and R.
Thank you for reading my blog.
More about our trip north next week…
