This post covers April 14-15, 2025
Our weather window was still available for Monday but there were some periods of wind higher than we would have liked. We started out very calm and we were out in the ocean motoring.
Then the south wind picked up. We were able to sail, first with the main only as it was straight downwind. The preventer was perfect and kept our main from flapping with waves or accidental jibing. The only downside with it is that David has to make a trip to the deck to come about or jibe.
Later the winds picked up even more. I was flying during my steering shift, going over 7 knots much of the time. Josie seemed to love the speed and the surfing. It was a little more difficult to steer as the sky was cloudless but I am getting to where I can tell my course by the waves as well, if they are regular.
As the afternoon wore on, the winds continued to increase. They were predicted to be highest around midnight but they were already at that level and we were worried they might become even higher. We contemplated going in at the inlet to Beaufort, SC but decided to continue on. Dolphins came to swim with us for a stretch.
The winds increased and with them, so did the sea state. We were doing the rolling thing and I could not help David much with steering as it was difficult to keep balance at the wheel. We got closer to shore and took down the genoa which helped some. We were still going over 6 knots with our double reefed main. The moon rose bright orange and large.
We got near Charleston at dawn. The sunrise was a welcome site. We managed the last few hours to the turn to Charleston. We decided to lower the main in somewhat calmer waters. We were able to motor sail in easily. We got the sail down. A container ship was coming out of the harbor and we were well out of the way.
As we motored in the harbor, an Evergreen ship entered the channel behind us. We continued in the channel until he honked at us 5 times. This means, he disagreed with or did not understand our intentions. We tried to call him on the radio but no answer. Finally, we turned around and made a wide circle and got behind him. He seemed satisfied with that move.
We had no problem getting to the City Dock Marina. They guided us to our slip and helped with lines. David entered the slip and stopped the boat beautifully. We hooked up to power, cooked some breakfast and went to sleep.
When we woke up, we did trash, laundry and boat cleaning. The boat was a disaster from our sail. We ate spaghetti on the boat . Company was coming at midnight.
