As we transit
from Charleston to Georgetown we are, once again, caught in a thunder and
lightning storm that, on a scale of one to ten is about a seven meaning the
rain is not torrential but the thunder and lightning are seriously making their
presence known. We released the dock
lines around 7:00am and enjoyed a lovely sky right up until 1:00pm and then the
fun started…for the next half hour we reduced our speed in order to stay enough
behind the storm to allow us a decent amount of visibility. It is now 2:30pm, we have seen one other boat
and it was heading in the opposite direction (perhaps they know something we
don’t?) and we have about another three hours to go before we reach our
preferred anchorage. The good news is
that there is a rated anchorage about every five miles so we can pull off the
ICW should we determine it is prudent.
We are keen to push on as the temperatures in Chesapeake Bay (our eventual
destination) sound wonderful compared to the heat we have been enduring here in
the south but we will make the decision to anchor, or not as we near each of
the available options.
We said our
good-byes to our friends Chris and Leigh last night after a fabulous Italian
meal with light jazz playing in the background and hope to see them again in
the Chesapeake if not before. One of the
great gifts of a cruisers lifestyle are the wonderful friendships made along
the way and we have been amazingly blessed once again to have shared some
highly memorable evenings with these delightful Kiwi’s. Whether on the dock, on the deck or in one of
the many pubs and restaurants along the way, these friendships are true and, I
believe, lasting! No doubt you will one
day find Gregg and I, enjoying the evening on our deck at home and many (I
hope) years from now, reliving these times with “remember when” stories and
feeling grateful for the privilege of having lived the cruising life with our
fellow adventurers!
On a side note, I recently read the August 2013 issue of Pacific Yachting and while I enjoyed the entire issue from cover to cover (Including the letter to the editor from our neighbour back home, Hu Wallis) I was very happy to read the submission by Michael Robertson, a former Southern California boater who compared blue water cruising down south to boating in BC. Michael says he has become a more competent boater after just one year of sailing in BC and says “Indeed, sailing in the open ocean, and especially in these northern latitudes, demands preparation and respect. But it’s hard to imagine a group of sailors better prepared to head out there and experience any of the world’s cruising grounds, a group who should approach it with less trepidation, than folks who’ve spent time behind the helm on these waters.’ While it’s true we have only been out for four months, and the majority of our time has been spent along the AICW, we have crossed the Gulf Stream twice, sailed some of the northern Bahamas and made a few jumps north up the eastern US “on the outside” only to find we are considerably more adaptable than we had, at first, imagined and that our home sailing grounds of the Pacific Northwest were a grand classroom for our current adventures.
As of August
15, the Captain and the Admiral are in deep discussions regarding a miss on
Georgetown in favour of an overnight passage between Minim Creek, SC and Cape
Fear, NC….stay tuned! ;o)
Until next time....Love and hugs,
Shelley and Gregg
