Oct 25-26: Ocean to Charleston, South Carolina
Off for another 2 day and 1 night ocean voyage! This time to Charleston, SC where we will stay at the Mega Dock close to the touristy part of town.
Andrew is definitely in his element on the water. As the weeks have passed the stress has drain from his face, his eyes sparkle brighter and you can see his joy even when he is just staring at the ocean. This is definitely his happy place.
He puts a lot of planning into each voyage and stop-over. He busily compares 4 different wind/weather models, checking to ensure (as best as possible) the safest conditions for us to continue our journeys. Then he refers to our growing library of waterway, coastal and regional guides. We don’t want to waste time pulling into harbours that are too shallow or are ill-equipped to manage our boat size.
Based on the models, we had purposefully stayed a few extra nights, weathering a couple blustery evenings, with the sailboat angling over under strong breezes and sheeting rain, before heading off again. Everything suggested that Wednesday’s departure would be a perfect weather window…and it was for a while.
We had started our afternoon sleep shifts but by the time Andrew came up from his rest I was already in full-on sea-nausea mode. The wind had shifted creating the dreaded pea soup of waves coming at us from all directions. To make matters worse, since our last ocean voyage had gone so well, I got cocky and didn’t buy additional sea-sick medications or remedies. Now I was paying for it.
It was a grueling 2 day ocean voyage, during most of which I didn't eat. What I managed to eat came up before I returned to a fetal position for the duration of the voyage. Who knew that Andrew’s all-nighters during sailing races were actually prep for this! He repeatedly apologized for the unforeseen changes but really was incredible, managing the boat for the two days and all night with only a couple of breaks.
We finally arrived safely at the Mega Dock in Charleston and found out many charter vessels, power boats and other sailors had been caught in the same conditions…also dumbfounded by the weather models. The boat was a salt lick, totally encased in a layer of ocean salt from all of the waves we’d crashed through.
I took on cleaning the outside of the ship and the upper seating area since I had the most sleep. After a few hours I finally got the boat cleaned and came inside to find Andrew sound asleep. Not surprising under the circumstance and he was gone for the night...which was good.
I grabbed a nap and shower before my appetite finally returned. There were a few leftovers in the fridge and as I grabbed a bite it sounded like tree leaves or seeds we're being dumped all over the deck. Now each marina has its own unique sounds but the ones here were new. It turns out a flock of crows flew over and decided our clean deck was the ideal place to do their business. Of course!
After some much needed sleep I know tomorrow will be a new day! I certainly have my work cut out for me, finding a variety of seasickness medication, getting the boat back in order, and cleaning the deck…again. But for now, it is fabulous to be in calm waters with a calm stomach.