Got up before dawn today to get going early to Savannah. Yesterday we left Beaufort at noon thinking that we’d ride the ebb ride all the way out to sea. Then the plan was to ride the flood tide up the inlet to Savannah. We really wanted to sail, not motor on the ICW. When we got to the decision point where we could turn left to go to sea or right to stay on the ICW, we checked the weather and learned that the bouys were reading 2 or 3 knots of wind on the ocean. Damn.

With sunken hearts we continued on the ICW towards Savannah, but had to stop about 30 miles down because the sun was setting. Right now the stern light is not working, so we can’t sail or motor at night. There’s a short in the wiring, and it’ll need to be replaced. In the mean time, i’ll have to run some temporary wiring just to get it up and running again. Gotta have that light!

So today when we took off before dawn, I had a feeling that the wind might pick up. I pulled out the jib, and she stayed full and added a little boost. Our course to Savannah would vary a little between west and southwest, so the fairly constant northeast wind meant that we would be able to sail the entire way to Savannah! What a joy!

So we did between 6.5 knots and three knots when the tide changed against up. We could have sailed right up to the city dock here in Savannah if we’d wanted to! Had to take evasive manouvers to get out of the way of an oncoming container ship, but we knew he was coming before hand, so we were ready.

So now we’re going to explore this city and get off the boat for a while. Thanks for checking in!
Capt’n K.