It was Easter Sunday and I'd pulled into New Smyrna Beach to retrieve my main halyard which was up the mast. Normally this is an embarrassing condition that new sailors do once and then never ever let it happen again. It usually happens when someone lets the halyard hang freely while they're coping with a sail in the wind on a pitching deck. The halyard then promptly runs up the mast. In this case the shackle that held the sail let go on my first jibe out of Ft. Pierce inlet. The sail came down and the halyard stayed where it was, up the mast. I was still able to sail at about 5 knots with jib alone.
Going up the mast is physically difficult, but a good test of stamina and strength. I have gone up a few times now and stop at the spreaders for a while to catch my breath and take in the view. After going up and retrieving the halyard and installing a new halyard and block for the jib I took a rest, glad that the ordeal was over.
I weighed anchor and motored back down the inlet, noticing my track on the GPS display on the computer went over dry land! This was the track on the way in, I followed it out. I guess the inlet must have changed from when the map was surveyed. I was following the channel markers.
The wind was from the east southeast and I could sail most efficiently on tacks downwind, one tack taking me offshore and the other along shore for a much longer distance. The wind eased after sunset and I was able to take a nap making almost no speed.
After daybreak on Monday the wind began to increase again from the east. From time to time there would be a wave coming aboard and I had to reorganize my gear on deck. Then the hatch cover I borrowed from the port rear that was now on the port forward bunk was washed overboard. I had to find a better way to secure these. It was time to do a "man overboard drill" and retrieve the hatch. It took quite a while and I wasn't going to give up till I had it aboard. If a human had gone overboard, the procedure would have to be to use the engine and furl the sails quickly. I did get the hatch back on board and learned how difficult it is to pick up something on the open sea in this boat.
The wind was east and southeast overnight and during the day Tuesday I continued tacking along the Georgia coast. I passed St. Catharine inlet, Savannah, and Hilton Head.
Once again the wind dropped a bit after sunset and went southeast, enabling me to continue on the same tack along the coast. After dark I ran the generator to power the nav lights and recharge all the batteries. It got really light just before daybreak and I was listening to the sound of the sails slatting back and forth and the water gurgling around the engine mount and rudders. There was another sound, like air escaping and I looked around the boat to find out what it was. There were dolphins swimming along right next to the boat. One large grey one and a half dozen smaller dark ones. They continued east toward the rising sun while I tacked toward the coast.
The wind kept increasing from the southeast as I approached Chaleston. It looked like I could make it into Chaleston before dark if the wind held up. I was a large sea turtle who ducked under as I approached. I was sailing about 7 or 8 knots in the increased wind. I was stalling the sails to sail deeper with no loss of speed. The boat would speed up to about 10 knots when she rounded up onto a reach. I tacked and sailed right up the channel into Charleston harbor, past Ft. Sumter. The wind there was even stronger, maybe 30 knots. The windsurfer mast I was using as a club jib boom was bent in a giant U shape and I was sure it was going to snap any second. There was another catamaran following me in, also under sail. As I rounded up to drop the sails they sailed by hooting and hollering. I dropped the jib and then found the main would only come down just past halfway. I had wrapped the halyard where there was a worn spot with cold shrink tape and it wouldn't go through the sheave at the top of the mast. I furled the jib and did my best to secure most of the main and motored to the municipal dock. Once again the motor quit while I was shifting to reverse and wouldn't restart. I threw over the small danforth to control my drift toward the gas dock. I tied up at the gas dock and found I couldn't bring down the main sail completely. The motor now started, now that I didn't need it.
The dockman gave me the combination to the facilities and I took a long shower, then went out for some great pizza at "That's Amore" restaurant within walking distance of the municipal marine center. I highly recommend it. Charleston is a very nice city to stop at on your way up or down the coast.

(Continued on page #25)