Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Day 112-116 - 27-31 March

We left the Herb River Anchorage in time to arrive at the Ladies Island Bridge after the morning rush hour...yes, under certain circumstances, the rush hour still has a negative impact on retired folks. However, we don't mind the impact since the traffic delays that occur when we ask a bridge to open for us probably are worse than the inconvenience of having to wait for the rush hour to be over...after all, we don't have a schedule to keep!

We try to do our part by contacting the bridge tender just before we arrive so he or she knows we are arriving. Normally, the bridge tenders work closely with us to time the opening just as we are about to go into a panic as we approach the bridge. Some bridges are slow to open due to the mechanical design and these are particularly interesting since we have to adjust our speed...sometimes when the current is pushing us toward the bridge...to make certain we have enough clearance for our mast to get past the steel and concrete without causing anything to hit and result in metal fragments dropping onto the deck. So far...so good!

As soon as we are clear, we call the bridge tender to let him/her know just about the same time as the horn sounds announcing the bridge is closing right behind us. The sequence is something like this...

"Ladies Island Bridge...Ladies Island Bridge, this is the northbound sailing vessel Windreka." To which the bridge tender responds, "Vessel calling the Ladies Island Bridge, this is the Ladies Island Bridge." To which we respond, "Ladies Island Bridge, this is Windreka...request an opening at your convenience." To which the bridge tender responds, "Windreka, I will open the bridge as soon as you get close...keep coming." To which we respond, "Roger...we will keep approaching."

The next thing that usually happens is a bell or horn on the bridge will sound and shortly afterwards the traffic control gates will drop, stopping traffic. Shortly after that, the bridge will begin to slowly open for our passage and we will put the boat into high gear to time our arrival and passage when the bridge is fully open. All this sounds very easy, but imagine several boats competing for space in a narrow channel all waiting for the bridge to open. Imagine also a bunch of other boats on the opposite side of the bridge waiting to come through too. The rule is the boats being pushed through with the current have the right of way, but not everyone knows and observes this rule. Imagine also, powerboats trying to get through ahead of the sailboats because they will pass them anyway after they get through the bridge. Imagine also a few small powerboats that can get under the bridge without waiting for it to open and trying to work their way through the flock of boats waiting on either side. Imagine all this and you have some idea of what happens when we have to request a bridge to open for us.

Sometimes interesting things can happen. For example, a bridge tender may reply, "Windreka, there is a little old man in a wheelchair trying to cross the bridge and I can't ask him to hurry. I'll have to wait until he gets to the opposite side before I can open the bridge." To which we can only respond, "Ladies Island Bridge, Windreka is standing by," while we both wait for the senior citizen to make his way safely across the bridge.

Just before we arrived at the bridge this morning, the wind piped up and increased in velocity as we approached Parrot Creek leading into the Morgan River. The wind was really blowing and the waves were crashing over the deck as we approached the turn toward the marina. In addition it was blowing from the south and would be pushing us away from the dock as we approached.

We contacted Dataw Island Marina to let them know we would be arriving about the time they would normally be closing operations for the day. We offered to anchor near the marina and come in the next morning, but they insisted we should come to the dock and they would meet us to take our lines. With the assistance of Ben and Willie, the marina dock crew, and friends Frank and Debbie, we arrived and secured our lines on the marina face dock for the night. We planned to top off our fuel tanks and move into our slip the next morning when the tidal currents were slack and the wind lighter.

After 112 days our first long distance cruising adventure was at an end and all that remained was to square Windreka away for a month or so and return home to face the IRS and our groundwater drainage challenges. The easy part was over and we have a lot of memories and stories to share with friends and neighbors.

In between cleaning and squaring Windreka away, we did take some time to relax with our friends who live at Dataw Island. Joe and Frank and Frank's grandson, Michael took an afternoon to explore a couple of the nearby creeks off the Morgan River. We found a couple of likely locations for Frank to explore on his search for the ultimate shark's tooth and we found the back side of the island where the US Government keeps monkeys that are used in research.

We celebrated Sarah's birthday at the Johnson Creek restaurant with friends Frank and Adam and the next day we celebrated again by doing seven loads of laundry.

On Monday, we had a real treat. The Spirit of South Carolina arrived to spend the next ten days at Dataw Island. The Spirit is a training vessel designed as a replica of a pilot schooner and roughly the same size as the Pride of Baltimore II...although the Pride is designed as a replica of a Baltimore Clipper. Read more about the Spirit at: http://www.scmaritime.org/. And while you're at it, read more about the Pride at: http://www.pride2.org/.

We will leave Windreka in Beaufort in the able hands of the Dataw Island Marina staff and start our trip home on 1 April. Actually, there is a lot more going on than stated in this last sentence and if you check back, you may read more about it!

Day 111 - 26 March

We awoke to a light breeze from the NNE and decided it was time to move further north. We cast off our lines and left Jekyll Harbor Marina bound for the dreaded Georgia skinny water on the ICW. To our surprise and probably due to leaving with the rising tide, we had absolutely no difficulty finding more than enough water beneath Windreka's keel to keep us afloat with room to spare. We had a pleasant day cruising through the isolated ICW creeks and channels and only met a handful of other boats during the day.

We arrived at the same New Teakettle Creek anchorage we stopped at on our way south. It was a pleasant place then and this time we had the anchorage to ourselves...just the way we like it. It was early in the afternoon and it was pleasantly warm, so we watched the pelicans fishing for their dinner before we went below to prepare our own dinner.