Sailing: Tuesday November 11th

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Tuesday November 11th

Left our anchorage at Herb Creek at 7:30, motoring slowly toward the bascule bridge which we expected to open at 9:00. When we arrived at the bridge at 8:40 and radioed the bridge tender to inform him that we awaited his 9:00 opening, he told us 'to bring it on up' and he would open immediately. Later we mused that perhaps it was because it was Veteran's Day and a holiday that the bridge was opening upon request, - lucky for us.

Today we travel across a series of large Sounds and Bays with open water. It is much windier than had been forecast and we are able to do more sailing today than we have on the entire journey. We begin with just the Jenny sail up, but that proves to be too much sail for these conditions so we switch to the Stay sail, which is much more manageable. At one time we reach a speed of 8.4 knots, not bad for not having the Main Sail up!
We pass through Hell's Gate, a narrow cut, unscathed.
St. Catharine's Sound has some big rollers and lots of whitecaps, but when we head up the Wahoo River toward our anchorage things calm down considerably and we find a calm anchorage behind a small island which resembles a beautiful tropical oasis.

After putting down the anchor, we take the dingy and go ashore to explore the island and collect some shells, but we are run off by some small biting flies that descend upon us - there is always a serpent in paradise!

Historical Sidebar Beaufort South Carolina

Founded in 1711,Bearfort is a popular ICW stopover and a history buff's dream. Many of the town's majestic homes are visible from the water, high on the green banks that edge the town side of the river. Most of the antebellum plantation houses have been restored, but others remain in ruins as monuments to halcyon days when silks, indigo, rice and Sea Island cotton created vast fortunes for landholders hereabouts. Live oak trees through the city are magnificent in their size and shape. Given this panorama, it is small wonder that Hollywood studios made several movies here, including 'The Big Chill' and 'The Princeof Tides'.

Historical Sidebar - Charleston South Carolina

Founded in 1670 by the British, Charles Towne soon welcomed French Huguenots who imparted the Creole flavor that still colors the area. Charleston today is a city of pastel houses and tidy brick-walled gardens behind lacy iron gates. Much of the city's beauty stems from hard times. In the years following the Civil War, little building or demolition occurred in depression-gripped Charleston. While other cities tore down their old structures to build Victorian houses, Charlestonians had to make do, fighting to keep the buildings they already had from decaying. Because of this, Charlestonians are fiercely protective of their town and its heritage.