Bridges and Tides
June 7, 2011
We left Beaufort, SC yesterday after waiting for the Ladies Island Bridge which is restricted until 0900. With 58 nautical miles to go to reach Charleston, we could not waste time. As usual, the winds were unfavorable to sail so we motored at a hefty rpm all the way. Like the first time we transited this part of the AICW, we saw very few boats along the way except for two high speed boats that attempted to broach us in wakes. As we entered most sounds the winds were non-existent. That means that you see the full force of tidal influence both helpful and otherwise. Close to Charleston area, the wind piped up to well over 25 knots, again on the nose. The last open water before Charleston presented us with a long fetch hence rollers over two feet. In fact, we took several heavy spray shots to the dodger. The boat was covered with salt crystals by the time we made Charleston.
The final obstacle was the Wappo Creek Bridge which is also restricted from 1600 to 1830. It is about a mile from our destination for the day. We slowed our progress so that we did not spend too much time waiting for opening. Even so, we had a thirty minute wait for the opening. The wind was still “brisk” so rather than attempting to “hover”, we did doughnuts at the bridge and practiced wrapping and unwrapping our flags. We had it all to ourselves since the wind kept most boaters at the dock.
Our days reward was to tie off at the City Marina, the place we have spent several months last year. It was good to return to Charleston, our second home. We were directed to a different part of the dock and we are not in the big boat section this time. The bad news is that we are on part of the fuel dock. The good news is that we are close to the bath and laundry house and much closer to shore than the Mega Dock. That actually makes this a better location than before.