31 Aug 13

Spent a bit of time trying to resolve the problems with the anchor winch, but no luck. About noon, it was so hot and still that we got going; i.e., manually hauled up the chain and anchor and headed off up the ICW to Charleston. The route took us alongside Johns Island (on the starboard side) nearly the whole way; back to civilization, with expensive riverside houses lining the bank on both sides all the way to Charleston. By the time we got to the Ashley River (west side of Charleston), we had about 1 hour to kill before our planned, safe arrival time (HW slack) at the Charleston Maritime Center, so we killed the engine and had a leisurely sail down the Ashley River and up the Cooper River (east side of old Charleston) and had a very nice view of all the old waterfront houses and church steeples; this is a beautiful city. We got into the marina on time, fueled up, pumped out and tied up for a two week stay, just in time for docktails. Later, we had a light meal at Molly Darcy’s Irish Pub.

1 Sep 13

I spent the morning trying to disassemble (and repair) the anchor windlass, again to no avail. Terri and I went grocery shopping at Harris Teeter (sort of like Whole Foods) and then went for a ride around old Charleston and did a bit of shopping. Actually, Terri went shopping and I watched the US Open Womens Tennis 3rd round match between Serena Williams and Sloane Stephens (Williams won 6-4, 6-1). We had dinner aboard.

2 Sep 13

Labor Day in Charleston, SC. Terri did laundry and I worked on the anchor windlass, again. Had to drill out two machine screws that were seized (why do people put SS screws into an aluminum block without any lubricant in a salt-water environment) and I need to get a wheel-puller tomorrow so I can pull off the chain gypsy for mechanical maintenance. Still have not figured out what the electrical problem is; I’ll call Lewmar tomorrow. And, to add to my frustration, I cannot find the HUGE leak in the inflatable kayak.  

We hopped on the bikes and rode across town to watch the local AA baseball team - the Riverdogs - take on the Rome Braves. It was a 1 hitter until the bottom of the 9th. Then a thunderstorm got too close, so we ran out the gates, hopped on the bikes and sprinted 2.8 miles across town, dodging lightning bolts and got back to the boat seconds before a torrential rainfall with lightning hitting all round, several times within a few hundred yards. Quite exciting, really.

3 Sep 13

Well, I spent all day long working on the anchor windlass; bought two new 1/4” machine screws and drilled and tapped new holes for these, and found a wheel puller (or close facsimile that worked well), so was able to disassemble the chain gypsy clutch and get that working properly again. Put in a call to Lewmar, but did not get to talk to a tech.  

I also patched one hole in the Hobie kayak, but cannot find the big hole. Altogether a frustrating day.

4 Sep 13

Talked to the Lewmar tech first thing this morning and he told me how to jumper across the solenoid and the motor terminals to determine if the electrical problem was there; it was not. So, back inside the boat and was able to confirm that the control relay is not getting a 12V power supply from the alternator when the engine is running. The connections at both ends are good, but there is a break in the cable somewhere; confirmed this with the ohmeter (infinite resistance). Just to be sure, I rigged up a jumper wire from the alternator to the relay; as soon as I plugged it in, I could hear the relay shift and the winch started working. I guess I should/could have figured this out a few days ago, but a break in the cable seemed so unlikely (and replacement is such a pain), that I was reluctant to move until I could rule out all other sources of potential problem. So, nothing for it but to pull a new cable from the forward cabin all the way back to the engine compartment. This exercise took Terri and me working together about 3 hours, but we “got ‘er done”, reassembled the anchor winch and it all works fine now; bruised and bloodied and sore and stiff, but pleased to have that behind us - for the time being. Total repair cost was about $25 for 40 ft of 12 gauge cable, two end crimps and a dozen cable ties, plus about 20 hours of my labor. But at least we did not have to spring for a new anchor windlass and get a high-cost electrician onto the boat to do the same thing. And, 3 Advil and a couple of G&Ts cures all the aforementioned aches and pains.

Our new neighbors - “Wind Spirit”, IP 37 out of Port Royal, SC, Bill and Ann - invited us over for docktails. More late afternoon thunderstorms, but they were off in the distance, although we did get a spot of rain. Later, we cooked aboard and called it a night early.

5 Sep 13

We spent the morning talking to various marinas in North Carolina to find a place to store the boat for 3 months or so while we return to Houston for the winter holiday season. I tried again to find the leak in the kayak, but no luck; it is a huge hole, because the air vacates in less than a minute, but I’ll be damned if I can find it. Put in a call to Hobie corporate headquarters, but have not had a response yet.

Our good friends from Houston (now Austin), Todd and Linda are coming to Charleston later today to visit with us for a few days. It will be good to see them and to get off the boat and do a bit of tourist stuff.

6 Sep 13

Todd and Linda met us at the Exchange, where we commenced a walking tour of the South of Broad area. At lunch time, a local guy recommended the Cru Cafe, so we tried it out and it was great. In the afternoon, Todd and Linda went back to the hotel for a bit and we came back to the boat for a rest. We met them later at the Blind Tiger for a quick drink and then went on the “1st Friday” on Broad, where all of the art galleries stay open late and offer wine and snacks to entice folks in to check out their art and artists. It was a pleasant stroll along the historic street; amazing amount and variety of art on display. We went back to Blind Tiger for a light dinner afterward. On the way home, Terri and I stopped in at Tom Conlon’s Irish bar where a local band were belting out old Irish standards.

7 Sep 13

We started the day with a tour of the Gibbes Museum of Art - fantastic collection, followed by lunch at Hyman’s - ate too much. After lunch, walked around south of Broad for a bit and then rode the bus up to the Charleston Museum for a quick tour. We then retired to Joe’s Pasta, corner of King at Warren, for cocktails, ors d’oeuvres, people watching and a light dinner.

8 Sep 13

We met Todd and Linda at Hominy Grill for brunch and then went for a long stroll down King Street, which is closed to traffic for “Second Sunday”, when all the merchants and art galleries and restaurants are open. There are also a lot of street musicians that come out; we saw a bluegrass group “Mule Burger”, who are playing on Thursday night at “Big John’s” tavern (also mentioned in “South of Broad”); I think we will go see them. We had a late, light lunch at “Il Cortile de Re”. After lunch, we hopped on the bus with the intention of going to see the Aiken-Rhett House, but changed our minds when we got to the Old Exchange, got off the bus at the next stop, walked along the water-front for a while, got side-tracked into an art gallery with a number of beautiful photos of old slave quarters in Barbados and then somehow ended up in a couple roof top bars (The Vendue Inn and the rooftop at the Market Pavilion Hotel (trez bien)), which seemed to last through the late afternoon and early evening - I’m a bit vague on the details. Then, Linda wanted fried shrimp, so we went to “Bubba Gumps Shrimp Co.” for a late dinner.

9 Sep 13

We slept in a bit and then met Todd and Linda at the “East Bay Meeting House” for coffee. I also managed to talk the waitress into whipping up a Grand Marnier crepe; now that is the way to start the day. And then we went for a tour of the Old Exchange/Provost (and dungeon) building, followed by lunch at the “Southend Brewery”. After lunch, we took the tour of the Slave Mart on Chalmers; very sobering. Then it was time for a bit of souvenir shopping on Market Street. Todd and I ended up in “T-Bonz” for a bevvy and watched the first set of the the U.S. Open Men’s Final. Then, we headed off for our dinner reservation at “Slightly North of Broad”; this happened to be the first night of “Restaurant Week”, so we got a good deal on one of their signature dishes. I believe this was the culinary highlight of the visit. After dinner, we walked Todd and Linda about halfway back to their hotel and said our goodbyes; they are headed back to Austin tomorrow.

10 Sep 13

We slept in again and then I spent the morning fooling around with the kayak, which has a major leak in the port side buoyancy chamber; I finally found that the bottom of the rubber buoyancy tube has completely disbonded from the plastic insert that supports the Mirage drive. I called the local Hobie kayak dealer and got them to working on a claim for me. Then took the kayak back up to the climate controlled conference room at the marina offices and tried to glue the bladder back to the plastic insert; will have to wait until tomorrow to see if it works.

After lunch on the boat, Terri and I hopped on our bikes and rode over to the Aiken-Rhett House. This place has not been renovated, but is being maintained in the state it was in when the trust obtained it. Still a very interesting tour. After this, we rode our bikes across the peninsula to The Citadel. Dinner aboard for the first time in about 5 nights. I also called my cousin Sally in Columbia to organize a visit by her, husband Wayne, her sisters Margie and Evelyn and dad, Uncle Robert - a spry 93.5 year old - on Friday.

11 Sep 13

9/11 plus 12 years; hard to believe - all the flags in Charleston are flying at half-staff. Otherwise, it is a beautiful day. I collected the kayak out of the air-conditioned conference room and brought it back to the boat to try out my repairs. Still have a leak, which is not immediately obvious, in the port-side buoyancy chamber. Half Moon Outfitters called back: they are working on filling out a warranty claim for me. Then, we pumped out the holding tanks.

Afterward, we hopped on the bikes and rode over to tour the Nathaniel-Russell House, another beautiful Charleston antebellum home, complete with period furniture. This was a great guided tour and well worth the admission fee. We lunched at “Eli’s Table”, crab cakes, and the waitress very kindly threw in a sampler of their grits with Tasso gravy, which was absolutely delicious; next time, I’m going for the shrimp & grits, I don’t care how many times I’ve had it before.

After lunch, we decided to tour the Edmondston-Alston House, down on the High Battery. This was arguably the best house tour yet. We stood on the same balcony used by P.T. Beauregard to view the bombardment of Fort Sumter at the very outset of the War of Northern Aggression. Then, we did a bit of shopping - Terri got a nice Charleston “Rainbow Row” coffee cup and I found a beautiful print of an old classic sailing boat, which should look very nice on the salon forward wall, after we get it framed.

12 Sep 13

After breakfast, we cycled over to the Ft. Sumter National Monument building and bought tickets for the boat that takes tourists out to the fort. The tour is well worth the $18/person price; you get a nice ride across Charleston Bay and the fort is quite moving - much smaller (areal extent) than I thought and of course it is only 1/3 of it’s original height, after the Yankees battered it relentlessly for nearly 2 years.  

Back on the boat for lunch and then we spent the afternoon shopping and cleaning the boat and doing laundry. Dinner on board. After dinner, we walked into town and listened to “The Sweet Grass Girls” - country and blue grass band - at Molly Darcy’s, followed by a set by “Mule Burger” - mountain blue grass - at Big John’s.

13 Sep 13

Uncle Robert (93.5 years young), children (my cousins) Margie, Sally (and husband Wayne), Evelyn, and Ken, all came down from Columbia for a visit. We went to Fleet Landing for a very nice lunch and then came back to the boat for a sail around Charleston Bay. We motored and sailed out past Ft. Sumter, then turned NW up the Ashley River. We got the spinnaker up and sailed under the Ravenel Bridge (cable-stay) and about a mile up the Wandoo River. And then the lightning started a couple of miles to the NE, so we turned tail and ran back to the marina. We got back and tied up at the Charleston Maritime Center just before the rain started. Robert and clan headed back to Columbia and we will head up there tomorrow.

After dinner, we went into town to the Charleston Music Hall to see “Grass in the Hall”. We saw Angel Snow (cross between Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLaughlin and Jimmy LaFave), South Carolina Broadcasters (old-time blue-grass/country (i.e., Maybelle Carter)), and Mandolin Orange (electric blue-grass/country/folk fusion); excellent venue - the acoustics were wonderful.

14 Sep 13

We picked up a rental car and drove up to Columbia, SC to visit some more with the extended Robert Wells clan; grilled hamburgers followed by an afternoon of football (Texas A&M v. Alabama & USC v. Vanderbilt), plus lots of chatting with the cousins and Uncle Bob. He attributes his longevity to “genes, beans, miles and smiles”; i.e., you have to have good genes (his mother and grandmother both lived past 100), good diet, exercise (he still walks 3 miles per day at a good pace; I checked and went with him), and of course a positive attitude and a smile for everyone he meets. Plus, he can still recite “The Cremation of Sam McGee” from memory. What a character and what a role-model.

We spent the night at Sally’s house and had a good long chat with her and Wayne.

15 Sep 13

After breakfast at Sally’s, we went back over to Robert’s house for BBQ’d ribs for lunch and more visiting with his extended family: Robert, Ev, Margie, Sally and Wayne, Ken and Lisa, Caroline (and boyfriend John), Britt (and girlfriend Suzie), Katie and her daughter (Bob’s great-grandaughter) Marie, Ken (and fiance Erica), Patrick (and wife Corie), and Ken's oldest daughter Jessica (and husband Cory), along with a few old friends of Ev and Sally and Margie. Quite a crowd. Ev was kind enough to get a birthday cake for me to celebrate the Big 60, which was very nice. After another mile with Bob, Terri and I headed back to Charleston, arriving back at the boat at about 10:00 pm.

16 Sep 13

First thing in the morning, I called Raymarine for advice on the Smart Controller (auto-pilot remote control), which has bit the dust. Not too surprisingly, they said I would have to send it in to New Hampshire. Then, we drove over to West Marine to see about simply buying a replacement, but they cost $560, so will try to get this one repaired first; we mailed it into Raymarine in NH. While at West Marine, we decided to go ahead and buy a hard kayak (Saba 9.5), since it looks like the Hobie inflatable may not get repaired. After lunch we re-filled one of the propane tanks and then headed out to Magnolia Plantation. We walked the gardens and took the tour of the house. Another tour worth the entry fee. 

On the way back from there, the local Hobie dealer called me and said that Hobie had agreed to replace the kayak if I would bring it into his shop. So, we high-tailed it back to the boat, loaded the kayak up (racing to beat a thunderstorm) and drove back across town to Half Moon Outfitters to deliver the kayak. Now Hobie are saying they will send out a replacement straight away.

Back to the boat for docktails and dinner.

17 Sep 13

This morning, we ran to the grocery store to load up on heavy stuff (like tonic water) before turning in the car. Then, West Marine delivered the kayak we bought yesterday. Then, I decided to look for the source of the water that slowly builds up in the bilge. I thought it might be the forward A/C condensate drain. Sure enough, I found that the 2.5 amp fuse between the 120/12V transformer and the sump pump had blown. After I replaced it, the sump pump seems to be working fine. Hopefully, this will stop the water buildup in the bilge.

Dinner aboard: shish-kabobs. The front has come through and it is lovely and cool; the A/C has been off since mid-afternoon. It is still quite breezy: NE 15 - 20, with the occasional gust to 25, which makes it a bit rolly in this marina. We will sleep well tonight.

18 Sep 13

Although we slept well, I slept in till 8:30. After breakfast, we went grocery shopping to accumulate enough victuals to last for 6 days, which is the time we have budgeted to get to Georgetown. Still very breezy today and I’m concerned that the swing bridge on the ICW on the north side of Charleston Bay will not open, so we will sit here for another day; plus, inertia is very difficult to overcome. The bilge is still dry, so it seems sure that the problem was the fuse failure which stopped the A/C sump from working. I really should plumb that so the A/C condensate water is pumped into the fresh water tanks instead of the ocean; a project for another day. After lunch, we took the bus to Half-Moon Outfitters and then walked 1.5 miles to West Marine, searching for a paddle for the new kayak, as well as some foam rubber chocks to facilitate lashing said kayak down to the foredeck.  

Back to the boat in time for docktails (of course) and dinner aboard. I guess we will actually get up and go tomorrow; the forecast shows the wind slacking off a bit.  

19 Sep 13

Well, we got up with the best of intentions: filled up the water tanks, did a bit of laundry, lashed down the bikes and the kayak, pulled the dinghy up on the davits, disconnected shore power, stowed away everything below ready for a brief passage. And then, inertia set in. I actually had the course plotted in to the chart plotter and called the swing bridge to make sure it would open. But, there are a couple of really shallow bits between here and the next anchorage and we would be going through at only 1 or 2 hours after low water, so, in the end, since the marina is already paid for through the end of the month, we decided to stay until Monday, when we can leave at 9:30 or so and go through the shallow bits at high water; ARF. Besides, Charleston is a hard place to leave; it definitely grows on you, this place. So, we just lazed around and read and napped the rest of the day.

20 Sep 13

We messed around the boat all morning and then got up after lunch and toured two more historic houses: Manigault House and Heyward-Washington House. Both were lovely and full of interesting bits of historic information and full of beautiful antique furniture. When we got back to the boat, we had new neighbors: “Pegasus” (50ft custom, center cockpit) with a live-aboard couple - Dean and Nancy - who joined us for cocktails and had loads of useful information for us for our travels up the coast.  

21 Sep 13

Dean and Nancy warned that we were likely to be boarded by the USCG/Homeland Security just north of the swing bridge as we leave Charleston headed north and we needed to be ready with all the required stuff. So, we bought locks for the holding tank Y-valves, checked the flares, generated a “Trash Management Plan” and a “Crew List” and organized all of the required paperwork into a nice folder. Somehow, that took up most of the day.

Then, we had docktails on board “Pegasus”; lovely boat - it is huge: 3 feet longer and 3 feet wider means a lot of extra volume for stuff. Afterward, we joined Dean and Nancy for a light meal at the local Thai restaurant. Then Terri and I went to the Charleston Music Hall for a performance of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra, playing a full suite of jazz songs written by Carlos Jobim (think “Girl from Ipanema”, among many others); very pleasant evening.

22 Sep 13

After breakfast, we saw “Pegasus” off; they are headed south for the winter, but we hope to see them again some time - good folks and good cruising buddies. Then, we went shopping to lay in victuals for the next week. We also stopped in at Saffrons for some fresh croissants, which we will happily consume for breakfast tomorrow. After we returned, I realized that the sump pump for the forward A/C condensate drain was not working (again). The fuse was blown again, which must mean there is a problem with the electrical system; I suspect the transformer, as it is putting out 17.8 V instead of the specified 12V. So, I simply cut the transformer out of the system (just like we did for the rear sump pump), by pulling new cables from the 12V panel direct to the sump pump. Another afternoon blown, but it seems to work fine now. I wonder if the lightning strike back in May damaged both of those transformers. Oh well, who knows. We are headed further north tomorrow.