South Carolina

Tuesday 26 Jun: departing Charleston for Maine.
Departure day, we are on the move again after a week in City Marina Charleston. Today’s plan is to sail all the way to Maine, weather permiting. But if a storm comes our way, we might stop in New York. A bit of a hectic morning, getting ready to leave. It always feels weird to prepare for a passage after we have been put for too long. We are running around thinking: what else do we need to do?
During all this, Glen also fits in a “rescue the toilet” operation. The recently converted seawater electric toilet has worked fine so far, but this morning it stopped flushing, no water is coming in. Something must be caught on the inlet pipe filter. After a short investigation, Glen notices some prawn looking creatures swimming around in the filter! When he takes the filter apart all manner of little beasties and very smelly stuff comes out. Pooo-wee! A few also escape to the bilge, so they are swiftly followed by a cup full of bleach …. “take that you stowaways!”
Hm, the speed impeller must be also clogged with similar muck. Glen takes it out for a clean, and sure enough prawns have found shelter in there too. There must be 15-20 of them all hiding in that narrow gap between the paddle wheel and the housing. Down the toilet they go, sentenced to death by maceration!
By mid day we are ready to leave. We slip the lines, but not for long, as we moor again a couple of minutes later at the fuel dock. Unsuccessful fuelling though, as the nozzle was too big. So we move again, to the next fuel dock where we do fill up. It’s comforting to know both our tanks are now full.
At 1pm we wave our farewell to Charleston and motor out of the channel, passed the pretty houses on the peninsula and then passed the fort on James Island. As we were going out to sea, a large military plane flies very close above us, “waving” its wings to us. They are impressive.
Nice to be out in clean water and in the breeze, but the breeze it’s not enough for sailing. Only 5kts on the nose, so we keep on motoring, with the main out to stabilise us. VHF is busy with Coast Guard assisting various boats in distress, out of which one single handed vessel had a fire onboard. Hm, they do seem to have a fair bit of drama every time we switch on the VHF. It is reassuring to know there is a proper Coast Guard service.
Uneventful afternoon, during which we entertain ourselves with a nice lunch in the cockpit (seems ages since we last ate in the cockpit), listening to chill out music, short nap in preparation for the night shifts routine, and some ice cream. Not a breath of wind and sun feels very intense.
At sunset the sea is so flat, mirror like, and we are surrounded by magnificent colours: the sky gives sea a deep blue ink colour, the clouds to our starboard are almost purple and dark blue on the port side. Hm, are those dark clouds bringing a storm our way? Is this the calm before the storm? Better put the tent up. But as we motor on into the night, nothing comes of the storm, only some far-off lightening over the land.