Chesapeake Chase Day 2: Ride the tide
A Learning Experience With The Tide
We arose this morning at 6:30 AM. We were short of our goal yesterday, so we wanted an early start with the tide to get back on “schedule”. The forecast – hot!
We did not have coffee first which could have been a crisis in the making, but we pulled anchor and were underway without a glitch. The rest of the crew slept on in spite of the anchor noise and engine start. Now it was time to make coffee!
Admiral Sue relieved Captain Fred from driving while he ate breakfast. I felt good because I drove for a good 40 minutes without panicking or needing assistance – a first! Remember this!
The morning went smoothly, especially once we got the AC going! Between the heat and the biting flies, having windows open is uncomfortable. Last year we had great breezes and fewer bugs. We are so spoiled! Dinner was all set for tonight. I had made pork barbeque at home and froze it. Have I mentioned how much I love my crockpot? The three young ladies also made their own lunch, so I just had to make mine and Fred’s.
We each spent the time doing what we wanted. I wrote since I was already behind. Fred was at the helm – his Happy Place. Miriam was listening to another lecture from her class. Naomi was reading, and Phoebe was – I’m not sure.
When I needed a break, I decided to ask about our anchorage for the night. This meant I needed to take the helm so he could look it up. BIG MISTAKE! Third paragraph – remember this! We were approaching a bridge. The channel was relatively narrow. The depth of water when I took the helm was reasonable. Then all suddenly it wasn’t!! I panicked!! The depth was 1.4 feet!!! “Put it in Neutral now!!!!” IMPACT!! I had done the unthinkable! We were grounded! I was mortified!! At this point I saw the whole trip ruined and our beautiful boat probably damaged! I am sure you have all had one of those “sinking” moments.
Fred quickly took charge and sent the rest of us to the bow of the boat. Within ten minutes he successfully dislodged us. Now he needed to check everything out to make sure there were no leaks which meant, much to my chagrin, I needed to steer again! Horrors, and my adrenaline was pumping! He did not find any noticeable issues and all systems seemed to be working. I am guessing our new bottom paint took a major hit! It took the entire rest of the afternoon for my emotions to calm down.
The remainder of the evening was thankfully stress free. Five of us showered in the main head – wet down, soap up, and rinse off – to conserve water. Oh, it felt so good!!!! In the past we resorted to cockpit showers with this many people, but the biting flies outnumbered us, so we stayed in. We finished the evening with a game of Boggle. Bed felt really good too!
Captain’s Comments
The thing about being captain is: you are never off the hook.
Due to our early departure (see sunrise photo above), we were able to ride a falling (ebb) tide nearly all day, resulting in a higher speed and lower fuel consumption. This also meant we were driving through some skinny water…
When the Admiral asked for information on our intended anchorage, I provided her a short, and inadequate, turnover, and failed to assess her understanding before taking off my glasses to better read the chart on the ipad. I didn’t see that we were drifting to starboard out of the channel, and that an intersection coming up in the channel would result in potential shoaling.
Additionally, I realize now that I haven’t adequately provided instruction and practice on what to do when you touch bottom (slow down/neutral), so during a high stress condition the right response happens immediately. I once had a sailing instructor who took us out in small boats to an area where he knew we would run aground so we could practice getting off. We might need some simulated grounding practice for Betty Lou.
Besides pride, nerves and bottom paint, no damage was found.
In any event, we made good time and anchored in the South Santee River–further north than originally planned. This would have been especially useful if we had chosen to take the inside route on the Waccamaw River. However, after reviewing the weather and sea condition forecasts, and discussing with the crew, we decided to take the offshore route since conditions looked favorable for a good ride offshore on Wednesday. This meant we would have a short day on Tuesday to anchor near the mouth of Winyah Bay.