Fredrika River

Saturday December 8, 2012
31 11.574 N
81 25.094 W

Foggy morning

The 8 miles of the Darien River back to the ICW make me a bit nervous. The tide ranges about 8' and the current can get quite strong and there are some "awkward" spots. The tide schedule for today required us to be up at 6AM and leave at dawn, and even then it was only 1/2 tide and on the ebb which is an obvious disadvantage if you make a mistake run aground. So I did not sleep very well and was quite relieved to find us socked in with fog when we woke up.

Fog bank rolling in

Our departure was delayed till about 12:30 PM when the tide was about 35%, but flooding. This made me happier, except for the fact that we would have less than 5 hours to cruise. We made it out of the river OK and continued south. I had picked out a few potential anchorages about 30 miles south. As the day progressed we could see banks of fog rolling in, but we made it to the Fredrika River entrance before they engulfed us.

Deidre had bought 2 pounds of fresh shrimp in Darien and made a great concoction for dinner. Our friend in the sailing boat rolled in 30 minutes after we arrived and so we invited him over for dinner, so long as he provided his own local transportation.

Visitor rowing over for dinner

Darien, Ga

Thursday & Friday December 6 & 7, 2012
31 22 046 N
81 26 133 W

Another uneventful run through the Georgia swamps today, ending up at the free dock in Darien. The dock (and the town) are about 8 miles up the Darien River, but the appeal of the free dock makes it worth while. We have been here before, and we are expecting a bit of weather, so its also a good place to shelter.

The fishing lady

Over the last few days we have crossed paths many times with a young solo-sailor on a small ketch and we invited him to accompany us to Darien. He arrived a few hours after us and we helped him make a landing. The current runs fairly strong in the river and there is no staff at the free dock. When we arrived there was a couple of ladies fishing, and they took a line from Deidre.

The volunteer "Harbor Master" visited shortly after we arrived. It was his birthday - born on December 7, 1941, the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor - and so we invited him on board for a drink. He was an interesting old codger to chat with. (Although only 6 years older than me!). He explained that the city had decided to make the dock free (back in April it cost us about $25) in order to attract boaters. We were also entitled to a free glass of wind at the new antique shop and wine bar. The three of us took advantage of the offer then continued on for dinner at the local fried fish restaurant.

We decided to stay another night to duck the weather and to do some grocery shopping. I also need to make some beginning efforts on the December DeFever Newsletter, and this would be a good time to do just that. .

Foggy morning

The tide and the current is an issuer on the river, and we decided that we would have to leave a bit before dawn on Saturday. We were awake at 6AM only to find that fog had rolled in and visibility was inadequate  After a conference on the dock, we went back to bed. The next opportunity to leave will be at 1/2 tide about 1PM. That will only give us 3 or 4 hours to get to an anchorage.

Killkenny Creek, Ga

Wednesday December 5, 2012
31 46 715 N
81 10 933 W

We are being absolutely blessed with great weather - today was perfect with temps in the low 70's and little wind. . Tonight we are anchored in Killkenny Creek, about 40 miles into Georgia. We also anchored here on the way North in June.

We are well into the labyrinth of rivers and creeks and swamps of the Georgia coast line. Would be very easy to get lost without charts and GPS etc. The first few miles are interesting but this is now our second visit and we just want to get through. We saw very few boats today.

May River (Hilton Head)

December 4, 2012

32 12 321 N

80 49 530 W

What we sailors call "calm"

I was up at 7:30AM but I did not know if I was in a hurry or taking it easy. I had worked on the charts last night but had not really settled on an anchorage, and therefore a cruise plan, for the next day. Some destinations were too close (Port Royal) and some too far (Wright River) and some looked just awkward. The morning was dead calm with a bit of fog around. The anchor came up clean as a whistle, and we were on our way - not too sure where, but we were going there.

Deidre took the helm early and I continued to work on finding an anchorage. Finally I settled on a "less than an ideal" spot with the fall-back that if it was no good then we just give up and go to a marina. And that is just about what happened. We motored into Skull Creek about 3:30PM after an easy day but could not settle, so called a marina and made a reservation. Then Deidre says "let me have a look" and within a few minutes she had found a spot up the May River that would work. And that is where we are.
Our "new friends" on the sailing boat where having the same problem so we showed them our solution and they turned up an hour or so later. They came over for dinner and brought soup. Deidre had a roasted chicken and salad so we ate well. As usual.

Dolphins

One treat today was the dolphins. At one point we had 6 dolphins playing in our bow wake. Both Deidre and I were leaning over the bow rail watching them. It is just amazing how effortlessly they swim.

(This photo was taken leaning over the bow. You can see the reflection of the boat in the water.)

Monday December 3, 2012

South Edisto River

32 37.188 N

80 23.728 W

Farewell

We were up at 7 AM. It was a clear and still morning but with an enormous amount of dew on the boat. We had the engines running by 8:30 AM and after lots of goodbyes on the dock we were on our way -  at least for a few hundred yards to the fuel dock to get a pump out! The pump was a bit weak and the dock hand not very helpful, so the process took longer than usual, but we were in the ICW by 9:05 AM.

Pilot Boat

It took almost 2 hours to get to and thru Charleston Harbor, but then we quickly settled into our old routines. All the gauges were reading where they should, the engine room seemed leak and smoke free, and we were making good time. The only negative was that we were running the boat from the RPH because the chart plotter on the bridge was not operating.  

On the approach to the Ben Sawyer bridge a large trawler (58' as it turned out) came out of a creek and plonked its wide ass right in the middle of the channel and stopped. I called them on the radio to "state your intentions" and the answer was not too helpful but nevertheless the moment passed. However, since we both traveled at about the same speed we ended up spending a lot of the day in their company. The convoy "adopted" a motoring sail boat in about the same way, and it turned out we all had the same plan to anchor in the South Edisto River. Once we were settled into the anchorage the invitations went out on the radio and we all gathered on the big boat for drinks and appetizers. We just got back, and it was fun.

The anchorage

Take it Easy Sunday, December 2, 2012

I was up at 8AM, made the coffee then walked over to the marina store to purchased 3 Sunday papers, one for each boat. By the time I was back Deidre was cooking up the eggs and bacon and we spent the next couple of hours blissfully eating and reading. By the time we were done we were due at Bon Voyage for a farewell lunch, and to hear a detailed rundown of Bill & Laura's summer trip to Canada - one that we hope to attempt in 2013.

Mimosa, Bill, Laura and Deidre on Bon Voyage

We were not off Bon Voyage till about 3PM. I still had a few jobs on the boat (such as filling the water tanks), Deidre went shopping for a few last items with Kylie.

Ryan and Kylie picked us up at 6PM and we went to Mt Pleasant for a farewell dinner with them. We are now back and its time for bed. The forecast for tomorrow looks excellent. I assume we are ready.

Get it Done Day, Saturday December 1, 2012

Saturday has been declared "Get it Done Day" and Sunday "Family day" so it was all asses and elbows today. We need to be ready to leave the marina on Monday morning and there is plenty to do.

Port side

The steps got their last coat of varnish yesterday and so this morning they were screwed back in place. They look good, definitely worth the trouble, but probably need a few more coats. Maybe they can get them "in situ" over the next few weeks.

Next was to re-install the chart plotter display on the Bridge. It had failed just as we were arriving at the IOP and I had removed it to get it out of the weather while we were away. I was hoping that checking and cleaning all the connections would resolve the issue. The screen is "saying" that it is not getting a signal. The instalation went well but the end result was no different. I will call Furuno on Monday and see if they can help.

Next into the engine room. Nothing has operated for a month and all the fluid levels needed to be checked and the engines started. It seems the starboard engine has a coolant leak and so I needed it to be cleanup up so I could look for the origin of the leak when we are uinderway on Monday. All went well.

Bridge Steps

Bill, Laura, Jon and Bonnie came over for drinks at 4PM. Deidre had cooked up some tasty hors d'oeuves, our visitors could smell them as they walked up the dock. At 5PM we all headed off to Patriots Point for the annual "Lighted Boats" parade, followed by pizza and beer at a local spot. After we got back to Tide Hiker, Allison and Chris Parvin popped in for a night cap. They had just returned from Korea where their daughter had "christened" a 140,000 ton container ship.

Decorated boat