Saturday November 14
We pulled the anchor up in Georgetown just before 7 a.m. Planning to head offshore. We were ready to do some real sailing and had the mainsail up. As we approached the inlet, we started hearing reports of high winds 35-50 and 6 foot seas overnight as boats came in from offshore. Wind predictions had looked different. We decided to turn back to the ICW. Maybe as we get farther south the conditions will improve. It turned out to be a beautiful day on the ICW. It was colder but the enclosure made it comfortable. There were a lot of boats today. We were moving with the current at 6.5-7 knots There were some shallow spots, but the tides were with us and we had just enough water. We heard someone asking where the nearest fuel was. They had run out and were under sail. Carl asked me to call ahead and offer them a can of diesel. We have extra five gallon cans on the deck. I pulled along side and Carl handed over the can. They were very grateful. We found a beautiful anchorage just before Charleston. Just after we turned into our anchorage the boat that we gave the fuel to pulled along side and returned our diesel can. We just hoped that someone would help us if we needed it. Actually, that has already happened a few times that people helped us... we're just paying it forward. After we were anchored,Judy and Don joined us for drinks and appetizers. Judy made stew in the crockpot today. Yum! We enjoyed the sunset and decided that we would try to go offshore again tomorrow.
Sunday November 15
The current is strong here, but it was a beautiful, peaceful anchorage. We were ready to get offshore. We had to time a bridge and the tide to get out of the inlet. The best time to leave was 8:30 a.m. We just floated along with current to make the 10:00 a.m.bridge opening. There were 18 sailboats going through the Ben Sawyer bridge. We were heading out of the inlet by 10:30 with three others. The rest of the boats were heading to the ICW. The seas were rolling. All of the predictions said the waves would lie down. The winds were predicted to be 10-15 and the waves 2-4. We kept waiting for calmer seas. It didn't happen. We saw winds no less than 16-24 knots from the north and swells 6 ft. and better on our stern. Made for a very uncomfortable ride. We started out under sail. On a reach,we tried just the main sail, we tried just the jib,nothing really helped stabilize the boat from rolling. We didn't eat or drink much because we didn't want to have to go below. We only saw one ship overnight. The crescent moon completely disappeared. The stars were beautiful but the sunrise was welcomed. We followed a car carrier ship up the channel at the St. Simon inlet. We arrived at Brunswick Landing marina at 12:30, 160 miles and 28 hours later.
Monday November 16-Thursday November 19
We planned to stay here two or three days. We stretched it out when we realized how much we liked both the marina and Brunswick. The facilities here are beautiful. We took advantage of the free laundry. The staff and the other boaters are so friendly. There is a large liveaboard community here. They have regular activities including potluck dinners, music jams and exercise classes weekly. There is a covered pavilion with a gas grill at the end of each dock. There is a big clubhouse where the marina staff sponsors a meet and greet with free wine and beer three times a week! We went on Monday and Wednesday nights and there were thirty or more people each time. We met some great people and enjoyed sharing stories. I went to the farmers market on Tuesday and bought some tomatoes, corn and boiled peanuts. Tuesday night, Carl attended a seminar on medical emergencies given by the Siegels ( founders of Active Captain, an interactive cruising guide). They have been here on their boat since the first of the month. Wednesday we biked to Hungry Hannah's for breakfast and then spent hours touring the historic district. The town is laid out in squares with parks in the middle like Savannah. There are many beautiful old victorian homes. Camellias and roses are in full bloom. Thursday was spent preparing for departure. It is raining today. I have an apple cobbler in the crock pot. We'll have Don and Judy over tonight to enjoy some of the shrimp that we got in Bath. We have enjoyed our stay here, but we have more adventures awaiting us!