Cooper River to Beaufort, SC by Karen Posey - May 7, 2015

We had some great sailing today! We unfurled the jib to a single reef, beat into a 25-knot wind (with

Sailing with jib

gusts to 30 knots) for over an hour. The boat crashing into the waves (6 ft in places) and the waves breaking over the bow provided excitement and fun. No exercising to Charlotte's video while underway today, but with the many short tacks we made, handling the sails provided plenty of exercise.

The late afternoon provided another kind of adventure. I call it "How to spend 2 hours anchoring in the cold, driving rain and smile through it all". As the title suggests, we were hit with the front as we entered our anchorage in Factory Creek near Lady Island Marina in Beaufort South Carolina. It was pouring down rain, driven by the wind, and cold. Thank goodness for foul weather jackets.

Due to the depths and limited space in which to anchor, Murph had to change out the anchor chain. After much time spent trying to find an adequate location, we dropped anchor, only to find that our swing was probably too wide. (No one wants to bump a nearby structure.)

We had, at this point, spent over an hour in the rain, and so we considered docking at a marina. But Murph thought that putting down a second anchor might solve the problem and would provide a challenge (as if traveling the ICW is not challenging enough). Fortunately, it worked, and after almost two hours in the rain, the "adventure" was over. (Murph has a sign displayed in the cabin that says, " The difference between an ordeal and an adventure is attitude").

Karen at the helm

By the way, I was not able to take photos of either "adventure" today (sailing or anchoring) for obvious reasons, but I did include photos of both Murph and myself at the helm and one of the boat under sail.

And to those (including myself) who thought that I might be bored on this trip...No Way!!

Murph at the helm

We plan to move to a slip at the marina on Monday (May 11), and I will stay there for 2 weeks while Murph takes a trip up north to visit family.  I think it just might take me that long to dry out!     :-)

Tugboat east of Hilton Head