We were anchored in Lake Worth, the body of water separating the multi-million dollar homes with the their manicured boxwood walls on the east from the unwashed in West Palm Beach, maybe a mile away. Steve and I took a day for R and R and left for points north a day later.
That afternoon, 50 miles later, we entered the strong currents in the ship channel at Ft. Pierce, FL and anchored with several inches to spare near a bascule bridge on the Intracoastal Waterway. After I woke during the night hearing the boat scrape the bottom, I went back to sleep and awoke to hear Steve motoring out of the anchorage at 8 a.m. We'd had enough of shallow anchorages and headed for Charleston, SC. Why not? It's only three days away and the weatherman called for SE winds 10-15 knots and seas 3-4 feet.
We had a good -- if rolly -- sail, wing and wing for downwind, pulling in the headsail at about 4 a.m. each morning. Yes, that's three days and two nights of nonstop sailing with just Steve and I. I'd had enough of the roller coaster ride and very little sleep two days later when we got to Charleston May 2. We made good time with the Gulf Stream giving us a boost of a knot at least. The Gulf Stream is like a river anywhere from 4-50 miles off the east coast. Either it has worn a channel in the sea floor, or it follows a cliff already there. Anyway, it is a force of nature and it was going our way.
My parents drove up from Atlanta and met us for a first ever tour of Litha. And Steve got to tour Charleston for the first time.
From here it's just around two capes, Fear and Hatteras, to the Chesapeake. Why should I be afraid?
