Life on the Boat

INDIGO'S POST:

On the boat it is really crammed.  The kids do a lot of big motion and get hurt a lot.

Sailing makes you sick so I like motoring better.  Sometimes we motor sail.  You either have the jib up or the main sail up and the motor on.  So you are not heeled over when you are motor sailing.

On the boat you meet sooo many people!

Sometimes the towns are smaller than others.  Big towns usually have playgrounds and grassy areas.  Whenever we go to town we always stay till night!!

Sometimes we meet other kids.  When we were at the lock we saw some boys but they did not play.

I love the boat because we have a really fun time!
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(By the way, what Indigo means when she says "do a lot of big motion and get hurt a lot" is that they often bump and elbow each other when they are swinging and twirling around down below.  Our only real injury thus far has been a few cuts on Phoenix's hand, sustained when she fell on some oyster beds.)

First injury of the trip -- duct-taped because we were going to the beach that day.

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WHERE WE STARTED: Anchored in Awendaw Creek, Mile 435.7

WHERE WE ARE: Anchored in Fishing Creek, Mile 501.5

THERE TO HERE: 66 miles, 10.5 hours with Jamey at the helm the entire day, sailing for the first few hours and motoring for the rest.  We anchored for 20 minutes south of Charleston waiting for the Wappoo Bridge to open.  It opens on the hour and half hour from 9 am to 7 pm on weekends and holidays.   Weekday hours are different with closures for rush hour from 6 am to 9 am and 4 pm to 6:30 pm.  The route on the ICW after Charleston was unbelievably winding and confusing without the chartplotter.  Jamey put in 52 waypoints for that 20 mile stretch.

Jamey was trying to call the Wappoo Bridge as he approached it and pronounced Wappoo the Hawaiian way "Wah-poh-oh" (except he did not pronounce the "W" with a "V" sound).

The bridge tender responded by saying, "What bridge ya tryin' to hail?!"

"The one just south of Charleston,"  replied Jamey.

"That's the Waaa-pooo Bridge!" (add awesome southern accent), exclaimed the bridge tender.

The Wappoo Bridge  (photo by Indigo)

The Ben Sawyer Swing Bridge. 

Waterfront houses sometimes need a lot of reinforcement

A wide barge with two tugboats pushing it passed right by us through one of the most shallow and narrow parts of the channel.   

It was worth sharing the narrow channel to see this!