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
(Please note this imagined day is a departure from non-fiction). I am glad I am finally getting to guide you on this sail over to Bull Island, and take you around an amazing place, Ed. I made this offer to you years ago, and it is finally happening. Our time together has been occasional, mostly
Kingfisher had not been in the water since November of last year, and the deck was coated with a thin layer of dirt. I used the sponge to clean the area around the cockpit before I raised sail and headed out Andersonville Creek. The wind was out of the north and the tide falling, conditions
Jacks Creek Walkaround Read More »
It was a promising group of circumambulators that left Garris Island before 9 on Island Cat heading to Bull Island for the first guided walk around the entire island, dubbed Down the Island and Back Again. Besides many people I did not know, the gathering included several neighbors, and some friends and co-workers I had
Down the Island and Back Again January 2012 Read More »
As the days continue to shorten and the winter solstice arrives, I reflect back on past winter days on Bull Island. This end of the year solstice has always been a celebration for me. I imagined a walk around the entire island back in 2003, and did so on December 22. In reminiscing
A look back, and ahead Read More »
Cool fall weather, a brisk northeast wind, and a huge high tide awaited me at the landing. I aborted a planned trip the previous day – poor conditions eroded my determination. This sail was to reach through the creeks and across Bulls Bay to Bull Creek, run down into Summerhouse Creek, and land at the
Something was in the air – actually, it was absent. The summer humidity and haze was gone, and a clear atmosphere permitting views into the distance was present. It seemed like a fine day to beat out against a predicted southeast wind with an outgoing tide, and then reach across Bulls Bay to the north
Saturday Perhaps it was missing the ideal voyage window last Sunday out to the island – outgoing tide and southwest breeze. The conditions were there, but circumstances did not allow. I counseled myself on patience. So Saturday I waited for the wind to come up, and waited. Not the best tide – it would be
Seabreeze encounters Read More »
Bull Island, July 17, 2011. I took the Coastal Expeditions ferry Island Cat on the trip over to the Northeast Point of Bull Island, along with about forty others on the ferry and another ten on board a skiff. This trip was a special fundraiser for the Sewee Association. I went along to give
Tale of two islands Read More »
Sailing along with the west wind through Andersonville Creek, I passed my neighbors Hal and Yogi in a johnboat returning with a large basket of blue crabs. The wind was predicted to be southwest from 10-15 knots with 20 later, but at the time the west wind was favorable for the sail out to the
Approaching the summer solstice Read More »
My first loggerhead sighting of the day took place before 8AM, when my friend Brantley and I stopped at the landing toward the end of a morning run. I saw the distinctive head of the loggerhead right next to the pilling of channel marker #68 before it submerged – in the last week I had
Sailing free among loggerheads, (and walking with flies) Read More »
It was not my usual Bull Island experience of sailing Kingfisher and walking solo around the island. On this Saturday I rode over on Island Cat and walked with a group of twenty people, in fact leading this group on a guided walk. The ferry carried over 38 people that morning. Captain Will Christenson was
