The tides are big in Charleston. The current is strong. You need to respect those forces if you want to look good docking your boat.
The first hurdle is the two bridges on the ICW right before Charleston that pose a problem for tall sailboats. The first bridge is fixed height that we need half tide or lower to fit under. The second bridge is a drawbridge with a lockout schedule that can force you into a disadvantageous tide on the first bridge. We opted for an early run this morning, had no trouble and arrived in Charleston Harbor a day early for our marina reservation.
I wished I had my camera handy this morning. That first fixed bridge had a large chunk of concrete knocked off of each of the first two concrete cross beams. Someone else didn’t do their homework before trying their luck going under the bridge. From the looks of it, they were very confident. Bummer.
We will be staying at our favorite marina in Charleston. We anchored right across the river and have done our homework regarding tides and current for tomorrow. We will be making our pro docking attempt between 12:00 and 1:00 at slack high. Lots of water, very little current.
We are anchored with a bunch of other boats next the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier,
below the Arthur Ravenal Jr. bridge, and
enjoying our Starlink internet.
It’s not quiet. There are lots of helicopter tours, monster container ships and general goofiness from the Captain Cocktail cruisers.
We’re happy to be here.
Total miles south: 468 Temperature tonight vs. Vienna: 20 degrees warmer.
No comments:
Post a Comment