To Charleston

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Mon 9 May 2011 21:51
 To Charleston, South Carolina
 
 
 
 
 
 
We jumped up quite excited to be doing our last trip for a while (off to Canada on Friday). We left in the soft morning light at six to ensure the tide was right to get down the Stono River to Sunset Marina, Charleston.
 
 
 
 
We soon passed an inlet showing 'lumps' - this is clearly what we bump into at the lower end of the tide. We had not understood how one second we had 0.2 or 0,4 under the keel; then zero and that gentle nudge from the muddy non-depths. All clear now then.
 
 
 
 
 
The radio chirped "this is OA Bloxom (Bear of course renamed Buxom, no surprises there then) requesting to pass on your port side". We chatted for a while (not on ch.16 obviously). This lady was over a hundred years old and her skipper was en route to Annapolis where he had a son about to pass out from the famous Naval College. He also told us about all the festivities over the last week in May, including a fly-past by the Blue Arrows, fairs, food fests and how the town came alive during the celebrations attached to the college. We wished him a safe trip and congratulated him on his sons achievement and on our way.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Next was a boatyard called Stevens Towing Shipyard that had some interesting girls - one called Margaret Belle.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A careful owner, busy little house, strange plane, slide and a couple of sad girls; proving we never know what's next
 
 
 
 
 
A lovely house complete with 'Lovers Staircases'. These were all the rage, look splendid and we have just learnt - have a purpose. Men in their muddy boots would use the left hand staircase, ladies in their fine, flowing long dresses would use the right - no mud on the bottom of their frocks. Simple. Then a girl that looked as if she had been "parked".

 
 
 
 
Our next interesting girl on the ICW. The Coastguard who can do what he wants and did not slow down so we were rocked all over the place - but he did give a slow pass to our new friend.
 
 
 
 

We have never made a 'thing' about wake, but the Coastguard made us have a quick review. About 90% of the vessels that pass us radio and ask / tell us that they intend to give us a 'slow past'. Some just slow down and a very few just roar past. In the centre of a wide channel the maximum speed may be anything up to twenty five knots, skinny bits ten knots and heavily built up areas five. Everywhere we have seen "No Wake" signs. People with floating pontoons especially need everyone to slow pass. We have heard on the radio "Happy Heart I have your name and time written down, if any damage is caused to vessels on the marina, you will be getting the bill". Come to think of it we have heard similar messages several times. We are all responsible for our wake, luckily Beez doesn't go fast enough to cause it, with Baby Beez behind we iron out and barely cause a ripple. We have been passed by a motor trimaran and thought we were out in the Atlantic and the picture I found above - a Sunseeker causing one heck of a mess on the surface. In fluid dynamics, a wake is the region of disturbed flow (usually turbulent) downstream of a solid body moving through a fluid, caused by the flow of the fluid around the body. In incompressible fluids (liquids) such as water, a bow wake is created when a watercraft moves through the medium; as the medium cannot be compressed, it must be displaced instead, resulting in a wave. As with all wave forms, it spreads outward from the source until its energy is overcome or lost, usually by friction or dispersion. The formation of these waves in liquids is analogous to the generation of shockwaves in compressible flow, such as those generated by rockets and aircraft traveling supersonic through air (see also Lighthill equation). The non-dimensional parameter of interest is the Froude number. There is loads about it on the net.  

 

 

 

 

 

Back to our new friend, who radioed us requesting a slow pass and if we were taking the Elliott Cut, we could follow and sneak through behind him as the bridge opens on request for him, on the hour for us. We thanked him and wished him a good day, but we were carrying on to the Stono River. Bear was very impressed at the toilet arrangement. 

 

 

 

We passed a huge marina with a great houseboat and once again saw OA Bloxom. He told us he had missed the Elliott Cut and had just had a pleasant hour and a half, finding himself almost out to sea. We assured him that the cut entrance was quite well hidden on a corner and he had about half an hour to get back to it. Once again we bade him a safe journey.

 

 
We saw this fabulous 'boys den' and then our scenery changed as we headed virtually 'out to sea'. We negotiated some lumpy water, found our way through several marker buoys and then we had radio contact with Bill.

 

 

What a sight for sore eyes - Millie waving us on to our slip waving a red towel. Fantastic.

 

 

ALL IN ALL AN INTERESTING JOURNEY