We did our normal routine - checked the weather, plot the trip up the ICW on Maptech, checked the tides and then...discovered with two trouble spots (Little Mud River and Hell's Gate) and the need to hit them both on rising tides, we couldn't make the ICW route work with our schedule (stupid schedule - stupid work) Plan B, head out St Simon Sound, up the coast, in at Wassaw Sound and up the Wilmington River to Sail Harbor Marina on Turners Creek. Ok. Start over, check the weather, plot the trip, read up on Wassaw Sound, read local knowledge strongly recommended, read again, check weather again. Cap10 Tom called the marina and owner ( and fellow K-Stater) said "yeah - it's a bit tricky but just follow the markers in." More later on that.
To make our approach to Wassaw Sound in the daylight on a rising tide (since it was new to us), we left Brunswick at 10:45pm just after low tide with quite a flow. Cap10 Tom did a terrific job of keeping us in the channel, while I spotted the buoys amongst all the shore lights and range markers. Confusing at times not to mention the two channel markers that were out.
3 hrs later we cleared the channel and turned north. The wind was perfectly on the beam blowing from the west 15-20 knots. It was fabulous - except it was cold. The forecast called for a low overnight of 35 and I believe it. But we were prepared. I cooked ahead of time so we could just reheat if we wanted to, coffee was made and in the thermos, we shortened our watches to 2 hrs to help, laid out the new watch sleeping bag and dress accordingly. What does that mean.....dress accordingly? 7 layers. And how much do I LOVE my foulies and sailing boots! So we were chilly but we didn't care because the sailing was so good. *Video coming soon - as soon as I figure out how to edit it and get it on here. Ok...not soon but sometime sort of soon. Or in the near future, southeast of disorder.
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