The final installation of our 3-part adventure. If you missed the first two, check em out here:

Day 6: November 18

AHHHHHH good morning! Today is a brand new day and we were looking forward to a little less intensity and a little more monotony over the next few days (after our “heroing” adventures). It wasn’t really all that bad, but since we’re new to this, it felt like a whole lot at once. We were excited for easy days of motoring down the ICW.

First, we need fuel. We took a peak at our Active Captain APP last night and found a small marina just a couple miles up the river. The only downfall is that the channel is only 3 feet deep, so we would have to anchor out and then dinghy in with our fuel jugs. The marina supposedly opened at 9AM, so we planned to pull anchor at 8.

After a wonderful egg-scramble for breakfast, we were on our way. It took us about 45 minutes (since the current was with us) to motor about 5 miles just outside the marina. Jake prepped everything he needed and motored off in the dinghy (after a few embarrassing moments of starting issues). Meanwhile, I worked on tidying up the boat and accomplishing some boat jobs. 15 minutes after he left, Jake ‘rang’ me on the walkie talkie. Apparently there was no one at the marina and after tracking someone down, learned that no one would come back until 11AM. So we sucked it up and decided to wait. We figured it would take us just as long to motor up the ICW (in the opposite direction that we wanted) to the next nearest marina.

Well, we were wrong, because when Jake went back at 11-on the dot, no one was there…again. Some workmen nearby called the owner, who said he wouldn’t be in for another hour. But we were done waiting. Plus, the current was picking up making it difficult for the dinghy to make progress. So after a second failed attempt, we tucked everything away and motored further up the ICW (in the wrong direction – north instead of south) to downtown Georgetown.

There were abandoned sailboats lining the anchorage area, but also some very cute waterfront facilities. We found a marina that had a fuel dock right along the channel, and as we’ve NEVER fueled from a dock, figured this would be perfect for us. I was nervous that I would crash the boat in the dock, but somehow I managed to pull up perfectly and before long we had fuel and were back underway.

It was about 12:30 by this time, and so far we’ve gone about 15 miles in the opposite direction. And with only a few more hours of daylight, we knew we wouldn’t get very far. But we got back on the ICW and motored for a few hours (probably around 23 miles total, but only 8 in the direction we wanted). We were passed by a small handful of powerboats and one GIGANTIC barge. It was very uneventful, and the weather sort of followed that same tone – gray and dull. But not terrible. We got to our anchorage in what felt like a very short time (since most of our day was wasted). We were feeling a little morally defeated because we were so hung up on our schedule that was making itself more apparent by the day.

Before leaving NC, we planned to arrive in Cape Canaveral by November 24. We had some plans with family and a scheduled dentist appointment that we couldn’t miss. But as our trip was throwing us curveballs (mainly weather), it was looking less-likely that we would make it. But we weren’t giving up hope yet. Just had to push it a little more each day.

Day 7: November 19

The alarm sounded at 5AM. It was still dark out and definitely raining this morning. We were both still groggy and tired, but motivated to get going as soon as possible.

We were anchored just outside of the ICW so it only took us a few minutes to get back on and underway. The sky was beginning to lighten, but it was wet, foggy and chilly today. Good thing the channel markers were lit, otherwise maneuvering in the tight area may have been really tough. But it was actually very easy despite the weather. There were no other boats for a good chunk of the morning and just felt good to be moving.

Jake and I  didn’t stick to any kind of schedule, but swapped places every few hours to give the other person a break and a chance to warm up below. The wind and rain started to pick up later in the morning. It made us thankful that we weren’t out on the ocean (reports of 13-foot waves at 4-second intervals…No Thank You!) As the day went on, the fog lifted and the rain dissipated. It was actually starting to brighten up a bit. We also found that we were finally leaving swamp territory and entering some very pretty neighborhoods and homes lining the ICW.

The worst part about motoring the ICW are all of the boats that go faster than us. Its not that they go faster, its that they are generally (always) powerboats that kick up HUGE wakes. Thats the most annoying thing – or rather its annoying when they don’t slow down when they pass. However we’ve found that the further south we’ve gone, the nicer and more considerate power boaters have been.

As we motored closer to Charleston, we had to go under a couple of bridges. The first was in Isle of Palms, which is also a super ritzy-high-end area (some fantastic mega-mansions). There was one fixed bridge and one swing bridge, which opens on-demand. We always hail the bridge tender on the VHF to let them know of our approach. In this instance, they actually waited to open the bridge until we were close enough. Remember all those fast passing power boaters? Now they have to wait for us! hahaha…just kidding (not).

After that it was a hop-skip-and another hour to downtown Charleston. This had to be the COOLEST part of the trip, motoring from the winding river to a huge open inlet right into the heart of a bustling city. It looked absolutely adorable and I really wish we didn’t have to stick to our schedule now, because it would have been a lot of fun to visit.

It was nearing late afternoon as we passed Charleston, and we had yet to decide on an anchorage. Jake chose a spot just outside of the city, that was supposedly very calm and very large. Sounded good to me. So we kept on motoring. Then I noticed that there was a bridge nearby, and that the bridge was not very big. Jake insisted that we didn’t have any other bridges to worry about, but the sight of this one getting closer had me worried. So I double checked and sure enough we had another bridge crossing. Only this one only opened at specific times until 4PM. It was 3:45 and we still had a little ways to go. I wasn’t sure we’d even make it, but I gunned the boat (as fast as you can gun a boat with 3 knots of current against you).

We lucked out and made the opening, but it was a difficult time getting the boat up to speed with so much opposing current. I was glad there were no other boats around otherwise it may have been much more difficult. The sun was setting now, and we still had about an hour to go. Though slow-going, we did manage to make our anchorage before dark, and make some fantastic progress today – almost 60 miles. But was it enough?

We had to make some decisions. Is it realistic to get all the way to Cape Canaveral in just a few more days, without going offshore? Probably not. Even if we go sun-up to sun-down every day, we still might not get there. And the weather offshore was just terrible, and not worth risking. So the only other option is to choose another place to park the boat while we do our “family vacation / dentist appointments.” After about an hour of googling, I found that Beaufort, SC was just another day or so away, and had everything we’d need (provisions, rental car, etc). It was just as far to Jacksonville, FL from Beaufort as Cape Canaveral – so this actually works out great.

Once we made that decision, both of us felt a huge weight was lifted. Now we were really excited. Jake also found us a fun anchorage for the next day, called Monkey Island (not really called that, but we call it that). Its just a few hours outside of Beaufort,  And now that we don’t have to rush, we can have some fun.

Day 8: November 20

We woke up early because we wanted to get a good start on the day. With the strong current, we didn’t know how fast we’d be able to move and we had another 50 miles to go. But we were excited. The weather seemed to follow our mood again, because it was really sunny and warm (for a change!)

The ICW trek was very pleasant and quite beautiful today. I had no idea that South Carolina was so pretty. The little neighborhoods and the deep, thick jungle of trees and palms made for a very nice scenic backdrop. 

We passed some more HUGE barges out there, thankfully all of them in wide areas of the channel. We also had the current working with us, so we were moving along at 5.5-6.5 knots most of the day. After a few hours, we came upon a couple of other sailboats, who were motor-sailing down the ICW. We decided to follow their lead and raised our jib. The wind was strong and we rocketed off. Our fastest ever speed was reached at a whopping 7.9 knots! Thats huge (since our max-speed is really only about 6 knots – sans-current). Obviously the current was helping, but pseudo-sailing made for an exciting afternoon.

It was about 230PM when we motored off the ICW and around to the inlet where monkey beach is located. We couldn’t find a really good spot that was protected, so we dropped in the shallowest area possible (it was either 30 feet or 1 foot just about everywhere near the island). We found a small shoal that left us in about 16 feet. Not bad. But it wasn’t protected at all from wakes, and being that its an inlet, you definitely feel them coming off the ocean. Plus the weather was still really strong, so I’m sure that just made it worse.

We could feel the boat rocking and rolling, but didn’t let that stop us from hanging out to give it a chance. Plus, we wanted to see some monkeys. Monkey beach (or island) is a preservation area where 4000 monkeys, bald eagles, deer and dolphins tend to hang out.  Humans aren’t allowed to set foot on the beach (unless you are a scientist) but many swing by in small boats to spot animals on the beach. So we hopped in the dinghy and made a few passes near the beach. We spotted two monkeys and three bald eagles.

We didn’t hang out too long, and were a little worried that the outboard would die (and we’d have to paddle back to the boat). It was still bright enough that we could have moved to a better-protected anchorage, but decided to stay and just enjoy the rest of the day. It was so relaxing (For the first time in a long time) and beautiful. There was no one else around – and that made it even better.

Unfortunately our night wasn’t as pleasant as the day. The anchorage was calm by sundown, but around midnight, took a turn for the worst….more rocking and rolling than it was out at sea I think. It made for a very long and sleepless night for Bosco’s crew.

Day 9: November 21, 2015

We woke up very early this morning, around 5AM. Neither Jake or I slept for more than a couple of hours last night. I guess monkey island isn’t a great anchorage afterall. Oh well. We still had about 3 hours or so to get to Beaufort by slack-tide, which is why we left in the dark (Again).

It was a cold morning, but clear. Today was much more windy than yesterday (hence the rocking and rolling all night). We had to motor up the rest of the inlet with current against us, which was not very comfortable. There were actually some decent sized waves that made progress slow going and bumpy. We also failed to realize how low our fuel was the night before. Jake was worried we would run out of fuel in the middle of the ICW, where dropping an anchor is sort of out of the question (especially the narrow parts).

So in our brilliant, sleepless minds, we thought, lets try to refuel while we’re underway….in a rocking and rolling boat…without stopping. Well, you can imagine what a mess this was. Not our best idea. We learned that it is in fact almost impossible to refuel a boat while lurching from side to side. We also learned that there are some tricks involved, so that if you have to do this, you don’t spill fuel everywhere. Eventually we managed to get one of our jerry jugs emptied into the fuel tank (and not all over the boat, the crew or the water). It left a bit of a mess, but sometime we could deal with later.

After the last bit of the inlet, we turned up into a little river, and conditions instantly calmed down. We also had the current on our side again, so we were flying. The rest of the way seemed to happen in a matter of minutes, because before long we were just outside the last swing bridge before downtown Beaufort.

We decided the night before, that we would be staying at a marina (rather than a mooring ball) and there was one in particular that had some excellent reviews; Port Royal Landing. So that’s where we headed.

Now it was my turn to shine. I took the helm and was getting myself psyched for my attempt at docking Bosco. I’ve only done this a few times, and every time I do, I’m always terrified. We hailed the marina on the VHF and learned that we were still a little early for slack-tide. No big deal, but then we also learned that the marina is just a few yards from a fixed bridge. The portion of the bridge near the marina is only about 30-feet, and the location of our “slip” was in-between the bridge and the dock.

It all happened so fast that it was kind of a blur. Somehow I managed to pull the boat up to the bridge, do a donut (i.e. – turn 180 degrees) and then parallel park it between two huge motor yachts in strong sideward current, with a full keel sailboat.  If you are not a sailor or a boater, this probably means nothing to you. But, apparently, I did it perfectly because I had a marriage proposal from one of the line-handlers at the dock.

My adrenaline was pumping after that. I was so proud of myself for getting through all of that in a calm and collected way – apparently I looked like a pro. It felt really good. Plus we were here. We made it to a final destination, though not the one we intended. But that’s okay because we are so happy to have come so far (444 miles) in about a week. And we have a few days to spare, so we can do some real exploring and relaxing before family vacation sets in.

We are a very happy (and tired) crew.