Day One
January 14, 2008
Location: Anchored in the Wahoo River just north of Sapelo Sound, Georgia
Log: 2676
Distance Traveled Today: 37 Nautical Miles
Total Trip Distance: 37 Nautical Miles
And so finally, at 11:00 AM this morning, we actually got underway and began another boat trip. My good friend Pete Sloss arrived at Isle of Hope yesterday on his beautiful Little Harbor sailboat to accompany us south and on to the Bahamas. Pete has three friends on board while I am accompanied by Bryan Duck, a friend from the Ford Plantation near Savannah. We are trying to loosely travel together south and we want to definitely cross the Gulf Stream together to the Bahamas.
After two long days at sea, Pete and his crew wanted a late start and a short day. We left Isle of Hope at 11 am and took a Leisurely cruise down the Intracoastal Waterway to anchor in the Wahoo River, just north of Sapelo Sound, at around 5 pm. We used our anchor and Pete rafted up beside us.
We’re in a beautiful spot among great company. Bryan christened our new grill by cooking chicken for all and the Snowhawk crew prepared potatoes and salad. We ate aboard Snowhawk which can squeeze all six of us into its dining table. The interior of his boat is absolutely perfect and it was a great evening with food, friends, and an incredible atmosphere.
Update: Tuesday morning
We got away early this morning at 7:20 for the 66 mile trip to Fernandina Beach. Yesterday, we had pulled back our throttle to stay with Snowhawk motoring in the waterway but today at sea, with about a 15-knot breeze from the northwest, Snowhawk kicked into high gear and almost caught up with us. While we normally cruise at around 1700 RPM and seven knots, we had to move it up to 2000 RPM and over eight knots just to stay in front of them. I probably went from four to eight gallons per hour to gain about 1.3 knots, but I couldn’t just let the sons of bitches pass us.
There’s a nice breeze and seas are a comfortable two to three feet. It’s still cold though, and we look forward to getting further south.
More later.