Saturday-Sunday May 21-22: Crossing Long Bay, or “The South Carolina By-Pass”

     Once again planning our departure for a timely arrival time, we needed to get a good early start.  As soon as the oatmeal boiled we hauled our anchor and farewell to Georgia.  0630 we were underway down the North Passage of Ossabaw Sound, an un-dredged (the spell checker wanted to say “underaged") passage that by the chart showed plenty of water, in places.  We were able to see the shoals by color and by breakers so followed the deeper water out about 3 miles before turning to the North East for our passage across Long Bay. My time estimate for the crossing was 32 hours.  We would be anywhere from 10 to 20 miles off the coast along the way, sail thru the nite and arrive mid-afternoon Sunday at Cape Fear , North Carolina.

     The wind was just about right, an offshore wind from the West, which gave us another chance to set our drifter, which we managed to keep busy all day long.  We made good speed during the day, so good that I thought we might be a little early at Cape Fear.  Dolphins came to play in our bow wake, and I got a few videos of them. Here's a very short one:

  

     The wind lightened to 5 knot South in late afternoon making our apparent wind  just about zero, so we lowered all sail and went under power alone.  Squalls being in the forecast played heavily in this decision, and there would be much less running around during the night if the sails are already stowed.

     We took turns at the helm for one hour apiece until 1600 when Kathy went below to try to get a little rest.  Of course sleeping on a 30 foot boat at sea, with the engine running is never a great option, but one has to try.  At the least we will call it down time.  I got us passed the shipping lanes at Savannah where several ships had entered the river and several more were waiting at the pilot station.

Ships waiting to enter Savannah.

     Kathy took the 8 to midnite watch at the helm, which was tough, as Ziggy our auto helm was not handling the following sea very well, so hand steering was in order for this nite passage.

Sunset over Charleston.

     Our passage took us past Savannah, Hilton Head Island, past the entrance channels to Beaufort, pronounced Bewford, then on by Charleston, Georgetown and Myrtle Beach.

     The sea built somewhat during the evening to about 4 feet and continued thru the night.  The following sea was no fun to steer a compass course by as we had to fight every wave. Each watch was a four hour fight with the helm. Fortunately for me, sleeping in the galley bunk, I was very comfortable and in my dreams I was sure that Kathy had brought us back into the calm waters of the ICW.  Meanwhile she was at the helm fighting to keep a straight course!

     I came on watch at midnite and we were progressing along well, but not making the time we had during daylite and I began to worry that our timing for arriving at Cape Fear might not be so good.  We did not want to have a big sea coming in against the ebb current, which was going to be full ebb at 3 PM, just when I thought we would arrive.  The last thing we wanted was to get to Cape Fear and not be able to get in the inlet.

     Early in Kathy’s 0400 morning watch some dolphins put on a show all around the boat, leaping and cavorting. The moon was just about full so there was plenty of light.  At about 0600 I joined her on deck and we set the jib, hoping that it would make the steering a little easier.  By now what wind there was came from the North North West so we were on a close reach, of course still under power as well.  The NNW wind helped calm my thoughts about trouble in the inlet at Cape Fear, things were looking better.

     When Kathy went below at 0800 with a belly full of oatmeal, the wind kept hauling around to the North more and more, which put us close hauled.  We like to think that when the wind comes around and opposes the sea that the two tend to cancel each other out.  I guess the key word should be, “eventually”  because what we were in was a 4 foot south swell and 2 foot waves from the North East and once again they were climbing all over each other.  Kathy didn’t stay in the V-Berth long, she described it as being tossed around like pop-corn. Luckily we neither of us are prone to mal de mer!

     For the last couple hours the wind came around ahead of us enuf that the jib would not stay full, so we doused it. By the time we made the inlet, the sea had calmed considerably and the wind and current were in line making the inlet quite placid.

     We were able to push right in, backtrack just a few hundred yards South on the ICW to Southboro, and pull right in to the dock at the Fishy Fish restaurant, walk up the ramp and order a nice supper.  Kathy had the Fish and Chips, I had the Shrimp and Cheesy Grits, some good.  This was a celebratory meal: not only did we just jump over 200 miles of the ICW, we have now officially been living aboard for a year.

     After supper we found no room in the little harbor of Southport, so we rode the flood tide up the Cape Fear River and got a slip at the Carolina Beach State Park Marina where we spent a very quiet and restful night. After our 34 hour crossing we were both ready for it.

Sunset at Carolina Beach Marina