Waccamaw River

 Hi again!

It's been 3 short days since leaving Charleston. About 30 miles on the first one, 35 on the second one, half of which was under sail, and about 20 today. The upcoming stretch is pretty much devoid of anchorages. And the forecast tomorrow includes a real potpourri of bad events, so I may be staying put.

Back to Charleston. What a lovely place! Unfortunately, it looks like millionaire status is needed to gain entry these days. But it was so nice to be able to walk around and soak it up. I toured the South Carolina Historical Society Museum and the Charleston Museum. Loved them both.

Joined my friends on Pathfinder and Sweet Dreams 3 for a nice restaurant dinner. Great time. 

Last night I anchored in my secret anchorage, of which I have spoken in the past. Just a perfect spot. Never been anyone else anchored in there. 360 degree protection. Scenic. Deep up to the banks. Wide enough to turn the boat around in. Love it!

Best, Charlie

White Seal Becomes a Motorboat

 Hi folks!

Sheesh, its been a while, hasn't it? Here I am in Charleston with nary a peep out of me as I passed thru some beautiful scenery, the Georgia low country. I thought about sailing outside for an overnight run up the coast but I just couldn't face it. So I plunged headlong into Georgia and realized again how much I love the place. The coast, anyway. Not so sure about the rest of the state. Anchored at Jekyll Island one nighr and took a pleasant jaunt ashore. It is about the most pedestrian and bicycle friendly place imaginable. The trail system is beautiful and extensive.

A couple of days later I was in Savannah, and as a pedestrian there I was relegated to 3rd class citizenship. Happy to have survived the questionable street crossings that give you about 5 seconds less than what you need. And at age 69 my ability to scamper is somewhat diminished.

I was very happy to catch up with my friends and mooring neighbors, Roger and Susan. Diligent readers will remember they raced with me in Georgetown. They are here in Charleston as well. Sadly, the wind has either been very light, or on the nose, which given that the waterway is usually quite narrow, means that I have been motoring. Not a big deal, but it just doesn't seem very righteous.

Tomorrow I will be here in Charleston for a full day. Hoping to visit a couple of museums and visit my boat friends. Upcoming weather does not loik good. Possible gale force winds Thursday nite into Friday. Don't want to stay at the marina for more than 2 nights because of the expense. Anchoring options here are terrible. Happy to be at the dock so I can visit the town without worries. Charleston is gorgeous and exceptional. I hope I don't get hate mail but Savannah looks a bit lame in comparison. The sheer numbers of preserved and maintained old homes is really something. As usual, a foray outside of the historic district exposes one to a sh*tstorm of ghastly architecture but I guess most people tolerate it so it can't be all bad. It just happens that I appreciate beauty and tradition.

Thats all for now!

Charlie

Waiting for the tide

 Greetings all!

I left my rented mooring in St. Augustine and went a mile or two north, where I anchored to wait for the tide change. Yesterday was spent doing an oil change and belt change on my engine. What was normally a 1 1/2 hour job, turned into a six hour ordeal, because I had reluctantly purchased aftermarket oil filters from West Marine. The outside diameter is a bit smaller than the originals, so my filter wrench no longer worked. No problem, I figured, I'll just walk 3 miles round trip to an auto parts store and get another wrench. That one didn't work either. So I decided to go to West Marine and see if they had a solution. They told me that the decision to stop carrying Yanmar products was made because they were getting too expensive. So, instead of paying 15 bucks for a filter I could buy one for 11. And spend 6 hours walking all over town in the blazing hot sun looking for the appropriate tool. Thank you West Marine! Happily, I did find a proper tool at another parts store. And I do realize that this sad little tale is a classic example of a first world problem!

After leaving Vero Beach I had a couple of days of very high winds on the Indian River and really incredible sailing. A bit scary at times. The wind was blowing at 25-35 and at times I felt like I was driving a Ferrari. There were very few boats out there but I did get satisfaction at passing 2 motoring sailboats. Alas, I then spent a day and a half motoring up to St. Augustine. A cold front went thru last night and I am actually wearing a coat at the moment. Breeze out of the north for the next couple of days precludes me from sailing so I think I will motor up to Fernandina over the next couple of days. Might be a good opportunity to go outside after Wednesday.

Cheers, Charlie

Magnitude

 Hi everyone!

When departing from a place like Morgan's Bluff, Andros, and sailing into Palm Beach, one is humbled by the magnitude of everything in the US. The sheer numbers of people. The noise and the traffic, which thankfully is mostly driving on the right! Simple things like great sidewalks. And the Publix supermarket, oh my goodness! Simply astounding after shopping at the Exuma market. 

After a couple of days in Palm Beach I headed back out the inlet and had a great sail up to Fort Pierce.  Hard to believe I was the only sail out there until I got to Fort Pierce, where I was joined by a couple of other sailboats coming across from the Abacos. Anchored in Fort Pierce for the night before motoring the short distance up to Vero Beach, where I spent last night. And due to a stiff north wind I have elected to stay another night. The forecast is pretty poor, with wind and rain.

I am often critical of outrageous displays of extreme wealth, (think megayachts and waterfront real estate) so I have a little story to share about some prime property in Palm Beach. There is a row of high rise condos marching north along the shore, when suddenly, they stop. They are replaced by 1.6 miles of sand dunes, mangrove marsh, and sea turtle habitat. When Britt and I discovered this last fall it literally brought tears to my eyes. The monetary value of this land had to be huge. Instead, the owners, John D and Catherine T MacArthur decided a park would be better. You've heard their names on public radio. I know that philanthropists have a desire to immortalize their names but I really can't think of a better way to do it. Kudos to their memory and to everyone else involved in preserving this bit of paradise smack dab in the middle of what is otherwise a dystopian south Florida.

Happy Easter to all,

Charlie

Back in the US

 Hi everyone!

My US phone is working sporadically but I got in yesterday evening. Just finished with customs. Not sure why I wasted my time doing this since nobody else does. They seemed surprised to see me. Will post more later since I don't want to write a bunch only to lose it.

Best to all, Charlie

PS In Palm Beach after 37 hours out of Andros. Yes, I am too old to be doing this! Particularly singlehanded. Thank goodness for the autopilot!

Exuma Cruise

 Hi everyone!

Writing to you from Nassau where we arrived yesterday. It was a great few days as my brother in law Mike and our nephew Jonny joined me for an Exuma cruise. They did inadvertently bring some bad weather with them and we hunkered down with high winds and lots of rain for a couple of days. On day 3 the forecast was still rather poor but we decided to shove off anyway. Winds were out of the east at about 20 to 25 and built to near 30 later in the day. We had about 50 miles to get to Dotham Cut and Black Point. We used the engine for about 10 minutes to get out of the anchorage then sailed out the harbor and on to a rough ocean. Started out with sunshine and flying fish. Single reef in the main and the storm jib. Switched over to a working jib a bit later. As the day wore on the weather deteriorated and got windier, and it began to rain. We were on a beam reach and really moving. The seas were in the 6-8 foot range. Mike and Jonny did great. When we were abeam Dotham Cut I dropped the jib and we headed in under just the main. We were taking advantage of the flood tide and we shot thru as if out of a cannon with big seas crashing on the rocks on either side. We left the ocean behind and entered a veritable mill pond which elicited applause from my awesome crew. We circled around and tacked thru the Black Point anchorage, anchoring under sail. It was a very satisfying conclusion to the day.

We had dinner ashore and enjoyed walking around the town the next morning. Later, we sailed up to Staniel Cay and snorkeled the Thunderball Cave at low tide. Dinner ashore at the yacht club. Walked around the lovely town. We decided to skip the swimming pigs. It beats me as to why people obsess about seeing pigs swim. 

Our next sail was to O'brien's Cay, done entirely under sail, although picking up the mooring was touch and go due to the current. We snorkeled and explored ashore. A lovely place. We were next to Johnny Depp's island which he recently sold to JK Rowling. She didn't invite us over.

Next day was off to Warderick Wells. I was able to procure a really choice mooring in the north field. This place is gorgeous and has been featured in countless photos and articles over the years. The Exuma Land and Sea Park is a real treasure and I am so thankful I have been able to visit it over the years. My crew loved the park.

I was a bit worried about approaching weather and so decided to sail next for Allan's Cay. This meant skipping some lovely places but they offered no protection from the south or southwest. We got my usual perfect anchoring spot and went ashore to commune with the iguanas. But the real entertainment began at 9AM the next morning as an armada of high speed tourist boats from Nassau began arriving. But they were all gone before noon. It was a nice lazy day of swimming and vegetating. The next morning we pulled anchor at 0630 and headed for Nassau. Had to motor sail for 3 hours but finally had enough wind to sail the next 3 hours. Nice dinner ashore last night (thanks again Mike!) and some walking about town. We were sad to see Jonny leave today. He was absolutely great fun to have aboard!

Mike and I got some groceries and are at anchor right here in the heart of the harbor. Sadly, very sadly, he leaves tomorrow.

All the best to everyone, Charlie

Still in Georgetown

 Hi everyone!

Years ago I laughed at folks who dropped the hook in Georgetown and never left. It appears I am now part of that club. It gets pretty comfortable here. Always a place to anchor. The Exuma Market nearby. Friendly locals, some of whom recognize me. There was the regatta. Rake and scrape music at Eddie's Edgewater on Monday nights. Bahamian youth sailing traditional sloops in the harbor. Mailboats coming and going. Getting a bite to eat from Sonia at her shack by Regatta Park. Heck, what's not to love?

I had a great visit with both of my sisters. Covid got in the way for several days but Katy was able to stay at the Exuma Yacht Club. When symptoms disappeared she spent a couple of nights on the boat. Her daughter Elena, husband Mike, and grandson Theo rented a house just south of town. My sister Barb rented a house on the beach near the airport with her kids Samantha, Stephen, and Sophia. Sam's husband Jeff, their son Mason, Stephen's partner Natalie, and Sophia's partner Albert were all a huge source of fun. I got everyone out sailing. With an unusual southwest wind it meant delightful beam reaching up and down the harbor. 

After a couple of days alone I look forward to having my brother in law Mike, and our nephew Jonny join me tomorrow. Can't wait! A cold front passing may keep us in the harbor for a couple days but the goal is to head north thru the Exumas.

Cheers, Charlie