A cool winter morning helped me leave the highways of the Carolinas for the waterways of Cape Romain and the destination of Bull Island. Winds were northeast, and boded a stronger flow later. It was smooth heading out Andersonville Creek: relatively still waters accompanied by the drone of barrier island surf sounding over the marshes. […]
Possibilities of a winter sail Read More »
Sunday morning was a time to Fall Back. I used the opportunity of the hour of extra-time to launch Kingfisher for a sail out to the Northeast Point of Bull Island. I was prepared to get wet
There was an element to the morning after sunrise that was special – the fog obscuring Bull Island in the distance, a slight coolness, and the anticipation of a walk covering the entire beach from south to north end. After the group of twenty embarked on Caretta
Something about the Day Read More »
Outgoing tide and a beckoning south wind at 7:30 AM conspired to get me on the water. All the little details of rigging and sailing were just that – little, insignificant, compared to the outward movement through the creek. These were stirring conditions
It was a glorious morning when we embarked on our journey over to Bull Island for an all day hike, and a path I had not previously taken. Our hiking group of thirteen would disembark on the south end of Bull Island after our ferry journey south on the Intracoastal Waterway
Down the Island 2013 Read More »
Kingfisher had a major addition, or replacement, on this day – a new daggerboard. True, I felt nostalgia for the old board of fine mahogany, extensively weathered, cupped, gouged, oyster-impaled, repaired, sanded, and varnished over and over. The new board
It was a somber atmosphere Saturday morning when I cast off before 9: gray skies and brown marsh, in stark contrast to the blue skies and golden marshes of my last sail, seemingly a long time ago. Water covered
The view at the deserted landing was spectacular: a low sun was blazing and reflecting off the moving water. It was blowing already from the northeast – small craft advisory, and Kingfisher is on the small end of qualifying in that category. Weather reports had quite a wide range, from 10-15 knots to 20-25 knots.
Sparkling Surprises Read More »
The sunrise would arrive a little after seven. A cloud bank in the east held the sun’s emergence a little longer, and was illuminated from behind, looking like some craggy Patagonian mountainscape. I would return later with Kingfisher to launch for a sail out toward Bull Island. Along the ecotone just above the marsh flying
July 7, 2012. Marine forecast: SW 10-15 knots, with 15 knots later. I arrived down at the landing at 1PM, and was disappointed to find that the sea breeze had not filled in yet. The heat and humidity approached oppressive. South down the ICW, a neighbor’s flag was limp. Further to the south, beyond Garris
Nice Day for a Circumnavigation Read More »
Uncertainty loomed: on the horizon, where the skies above Bull Island appeared dark and threatening, and on our skiff, where the engine over-revved when we tried to plane off. Fortunately, the motor issue resolved, and we continued
A Night for Alligators Read More »
I made my preparations for heading out to Bull Island early one Sunday morning. In my yard the leaves of oak trees were still; the reverberation of the island’s surf wafted through the air. Both were indications of no wind as yet. Kingfisher’s deck
