Fort Pierce to Beaufort or How We Became a Sailboat Again

After motoring for hundreds of miles to the Bahamas and half way home again, the sailing gods smiled on us. For 39 straight hours and 43 of the 50 hours of our trip, we had perfect winds, 13 to 18 knots, from the perfect direction, east. Oh, yes, this is why we bought a sailboat! Skimming north on watery wings, all the way to the Georgia coast, Wind Dancer was at her best.

 

Even when the winds shifted and died at last, luck was with us. We reached the Port Royal inlet during flood tide and rode the kind currents up the Beaufort River to arrive at the City Marina just at slack tide, exactly the time you want to arrive at a place with 8 foot tides and 2 knot currents. This was a wonderful trip even though Rick and Cookie arrived in the same clothes we'd worn for 48 hours and with about 8 hours of sleep between us. Sleeping heeled over in bumpy waters just doesn't seem to get any easier.