Hunkered down again!
21 November 2006 | Rock Creek, S.C.
Temt 50f, wind N-E 25, cloud... plain not nice
November 20, 2006:
This morning we left Charleston Marina (which is huge!), and headed down the ICW again as we listened to the forecast on the VHF calling for hurricane force winds offshore. Coastal conditions won't be that bad, but they are predicting gale force winds out of the north for tonight, tomorrow and Wednesday associated with a low pressure system forming off the coast that is expected to stall. And they are predicting temperatures that will not reach 50 (about 10C) for a high. Normal daytime highs are 69F (about 19C)so this is definitely not normal.
We didn't want to stay in Charleston for two more days, so decided to set off. The next town of any interest is Beaufort (pronounced Bew-fort, and not to be confused with Beaufort in North Carolina pronounced Bow-fort), but it was just a bit too far to make in one day. We couldn't leave until 9 am due to a restricted bridge opening just at Charleston. This meant we couldn't make it to Beaufort that night. So we checked the charts, read the guides, and selected this location as offering the best protection on the area. We motored and motor-sailed a bit when the winds permitted, and arrived here about 4 pm.
We are getting handy at setting out two anchors now, although in storm conditions we don't set them Bahamian style (one upstream, one downstream). For storm conditions we set them in a "V" shape into the wind. This not only gives you the added safety of two anchors, but also lessens the tendency of the boat to run back and forth in the wind. We are again tucked up against some trees that will give us protection from the heavy winds. We were concerned that when we got here we would find the spot occupied, but it was empty. Just as we finished setting the second anchor, we watched another boat (a Gozzard 47', built in Goderich Ont.) come in and anchor below us. But with their draft, they couldn't get up this far. So the question now is, will the storm last two days as they say, or will we be able to move on tomorrow. I have some chores to do, but not a full day's worth!
November 21, 2006:
Its now late Wednesday (yesterday) afternoon, and I sent this posting yesterday, but made an error, so I'll send it again. Last night the wind forecast was a bit out. Not a whole lot of wind, but it certainly got cold. There were flurries reported all around us, although we didn't see any. The wind came up in the morning, and we are nicely set in this anchorage. The forecast continues to say it will last until late tomorrow, and that it will finally warm up by Friday to more normal temperatures (about 18-20C). I hope so, as even if the wind and rain cleared up, it would be quite punishing to try to sail in these temperatures.
Again, we ran the Espar heater all day, and it is keeping us cozy and warm, and running the generator for an hour in the morning and evening gives us all the hot water we need, and tops up the batteries. So we have spent the day tidying, and looking for the camera charger, without success.
I listened to Herb Hilgenberg this afternoon as he gives weather advice to sailboats on offshore passages. He spoke to someone in Charleston awaiting a weather window for an offshore passage, and Herb's advice was to wait until Friday.
We spent an hour looking at our schedule for the rest of the trip, and plan to follow Herb's advice and head out offshore on Friday and sail directly to St Agustine, Fla. But that assumes we can get out of here tomorrow to stock up on Thursday in Beaufort. Only time will tell.