Knocking Out Some Miles

Fort Pierce, FL to Brown Island/South Santee River, SC |  53.9 Hours  |  399 Miles 

We were up to the sounds of the morning's first freight train passage. The tracks cross the water 100 yards from the end of the Harbortown Marina fuel dock and the rumble rattled the hull of Crossroads. A final top off of the water tank and emptying of the trash were completed before we eased away from the dock. The pelican sunning in the still water did not pay us any attention as we slipped by. As we exited Fort Pierce Inlet to the Atlantic, Sabrina and Seven Sundays were making their way in following their overnight cross from the Bahamas. We came full circle with these guys, meeting first in Great Harbour Cay. The ocean was smooth and there was zero apparent wind. We set a waypoint for Beaufort, NC, and began our three-hour watches. I took my time at the helm from the flybridge. Unfortunately, the still air invited every bug in the area to stop by and visit. Dragon flies and butterflies were welcomed. The biting gnats were the worst. The flies and love bugs were just annoying. Good news was that while the love bugs were conducting their business, it was an easy two kills for one swat. Cloud cover increased during the afternoon, but cleared enough for an almost-unobstructed sunset

Shortly after the sun disappeared, I spotted a shiny object in the water 25 miles off the coast of Titusville. Barry took the helm and I grabbed the boathook to bring in the mylar Valentine's Day balloon. Hugs and Kisses was a nice sentiment, but far-drifting helium-filled balloons are a big problem for sea creatures. Please don't release them. Following that excitement we watched as the sliver of moon set. It was a dark evening. We were in the Gulf Stream and making a great current-aided 12 knots. By 9:00 the seas and the wind were building. It was a rocky and wet night. Crossroads performed great while taking serious spray for hours. We warm dry and comfortable in the pilot house, but neither one of us slept much with the pitching and noise of the anchor chain resettling with each rise and fall of the bow. It was probably best that we couldn't make out the sea state around us. We could only see the incoming curtains of water as the were illuminated by our deck light. The darkness finally gave way to a classic "red in the morning, sailor's warning" sunrise. As the day progressed, we made the decision to head for Charleston instead of Beaufort and worked our way in closer to the coast. We took turns grabbing short naps when we could. The waves subsided and the sky again cleared for sunset. Our second overnight passage was pleasant with little traffic. We adjusted our speed for a first-light arrival at the entrance to Charleston. At 6:30 a Harbor Pilot had us join the parade behind one of the many large cargo ships.

The long channel was also busy with outgoing traffic. Beeps and dings from our phones announced that we had returned to cell service. At 8:30 we finally turned north into the ICW, just before the Ravenel Bridge.

Back into the Low Country, it was a refreshing ride. There were houses that sprouted up in remote locations and an old-school fire tower. Dolphins joined in our journey through the pines and grasses. Several groups swam in our bow wave and a few took up position along our beam.

We turned off the ICW at the South Santee River and anchored just off of Brown Island. As anticipated, our anchor chain was a tangled mess. I hopped into the anchor locker and eventually got it free and feeding up through the windlass. We picked up the items that settled into lower spots while underway, reset our dinghy on the rooftop, and cleaned the decks. In the process we found a seashell and four small fish. By the time I finished my shower, fog had rolled in. The wind picked up and we had a brief shower before clearing off. This really is a pretty spot. Hopefully I'll get a good picture tomorrow morning before we depart and keep moving north.