Monday, May 2, 2011

Day 1 - At last May 1, 2011




We left the dock about 8 am with little wind and at high tide. The sky was clear.

We motored away from Sail Harbor, our home dock for almost 6 months for places we have never been before.




We motored down the intracoastal waterway to our first destination of Isle of Hope Marina.  Everything went as planned and we docked like professionals.  We filled all the onboard tanks with REAL gas, no ethanol here for $4.68 per gallon.  Beth took the dogs ashore for a quick walk and we were back off. 

Our next encounter was with a bridge, the Skidaway Narrows draw bridge.



A quick call to the bridge tender and wow, the bridge started going up.  It was extremely cool to watch from below as the bridge rose for us.



We motored past the bridge, waving to the locals fishing on the dock.  We continued motoring until we reached Ossabaw Sound where we raised the sails and turned south / southwest to follow along the coast, about 3 miles offshore.  The wind, sky and seas were perfect for sailing.  The seas were 1~2 feet, wind about 11 knots from the east.  Once set, we didn’t need to keep fiddling with the sails or heading, we just relaxed and kept a watchful eye.  There were lots of jelly fish in the water and I tried trolling a line to see if fresh fish might be on the menu for dinner.  The only thing I caught was a jellyfish that was unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  I gingerly removed the jellyfish from the hooks and he bounced off the boat on the way back to the sea.


Lunch was a nice salad which Beth followed with a nap.  We started heading back in about 4:30 to find a nice place to anchor.  

Beth studied the charts and books, while tanning.

(A promised picture for Ed )

We made it to Blackbeard Island/Sapelo Island and anchored on the north side and behind Sapelo Island.



After a quick dinghy ride to the island to let the dogs roam, we settled down for dinner and a little tv.  I think we were both asleep by 10. 
According to the charts, we sailed 50.28 miles.  Not a record of any type but good progress.

Important lessons for the first day of sail.  Pee sitting down.  Besides food, our major expense will be sunscreen. Beth can sleep anywhere, anytime.  Life is good.
J

No comments:

Post a Comment