“Outside” Sailing from Brunswick GA to Charleston SC

Mira was safely tucked into a marina in Brunswick, GA.  After a brief hiatus in Atlanta, we returned and started making sailing plans for the summer.

We wanted to sail up the East Coast to see family and friends along the way, to explore some new and old towns, and to get some boat upgrades done in Norfolk and Annapolis.  And, by the end of October, we planned to be in Portsmouth, VA, to join the Caribbean 1500 Rally. This rally sails about 30 boats nonstop offshore from Portsmouth to Tortola, BVI – about a 7 to 10 day sail.

There are two ways for boaters to sail up the East Coast – “outside” or “inside”. “Outside” refers to sailing off the coast in the Atlantic Ocean. “Inside” refers to sailing along the coast in a canal called the Intracoastal Waterway. The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), or “The Ditch” as many refer to it, provides the boater with a continuous, and for the most part, protected passage just inside the Atlantic Coast. Beginning at mile marker (MM “0.0”) in Norfolk, VA, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway stretches 1,243.8 SM (1080.8 NM) south to Key West, FL.

We decided to try a little bit of both. “Outside” is usually quicker, but more difficult with long overnight watches for the two of us  The ICW is more scenic and protected, but with little wind, tricky depths, and fixed bridges for Mira’s tall mast to squeeze under. So, we made plans to sail “outside” from Brunswick GA to Charleston, SC and again “outside” to Beaufort, NC then “inside” from Beaufort, NC to Norfolk, VA then work our way north up the Chesapeake Bay to Annapolis MD. A very busy July!

We have done a few non-stop overnight passages since commissioning Mira in Argentina…. 11 days from Brazil to Grenada, overnight from St. Martin to the BVI’s, and 5 days from St. Thomas to Exumas, Bahamas. Somehow Pam had managed not to have taken a single overnight watch. She was a little nervous…but, she was ready to give it a try.

Glenn planned the sail from Brunswick GA to Charleston SC to be about 24 hours or 141 nautical miles. We left Brunswick about noon with light winds and motor sailing in mid-July. The plan is always to arrive into a new anchorage during daylight hours.

After an early dinner, Glenn went to bed in the salon (easy access if Pam needs help) about 8 pm. Pam’s plan was to stay awake as long as possible and then switch with Glenn. Because Glenn can literally sleep anywhere and anytime on command – he got the first sleep shift!  Her first nighttime watch turned out to be delightful and much easier than she thought. Winds were light and that really helped – not having to make sail changes in addition to watching the AIS and radar screens. She is still getting used to all of the lights of nighttime marine traffic and gauging their distances – but, radar and AIS make it much easier. Following a huge tanker’s track in AIS and knowing that Mira won’t cross its path is reassuring! She woke Glenn about 1:30 am, and then was off to sleep until about 6 am.

We arrived into Charleston Harbor around 10 a.m. and settled Mira into her new temporary home at the Charleston Maritime Center.

We thoroughly enjoyed exploring Charleston – both gastronomically and architecturally! We ate, drank and rode bikes through Charleston.

So much fun exploring all of the alleys and nooks and crannies of Charleston by bike!

Charleston is the oldest city in South Carolina, and its history is written in brick and wood.  Wealthy Charlestonians traveled the world and brought back with them a desire to imitate the opulence they found abroad. The result is a city that boasts 8 different styles of architecture, from Georgian to Art Deco. The culmination of our time spent in Charleston was used exploring some of the most beautiful areas of town on a guided walking tour.

Sadly, we had to say good-bye to Charleston!  Time to move on!