As we cruised down Broad Creek heading for Calibogue Sound, we encountered an interesting vessell anchored out just beyond Palmetto Bay Marina.
Cruising conditions were perfect. We timed the trip for favorable tides going through Fields Cut in South Carolina and Hell Gate in Georgia, both difficult at low tide. We followed a barge being pushed by a huge tug boat (this is called a "tow") through Fields Cut, just beyond Daufuskie Island, and watched him run aground, but we passed him and had no problems. After eight very pleasant hours of cruising through mostly calm water bounded by salt marshes, we arrivied at our intended anchorage at Walburg Creek, a lovely spot recommended by fellow cruisers, Steve and Jean Purdy of "Sun Cat." It was well protected, with plenty of swing room and good holding for the anchor.
The next morning we headed south again, with the intention of passing through the reported worst passage on the ICW, Little Mud River, at near high tide and then anchoring out another night before the final leg of the journey to Jekyll Island. For the first two hours everything went as planned. Then, just as we entered Sapello Sound, our port engine died. We started it again successfully, but it immediately died once again, apparently starved for fuel. This happened two more times before we made the decision to just continue on until reaching safe harbor at Jekyll Island and then deal with the problem.
Surprisingly, the rest of the trip went well using just one engine, and our speed did not seem to suffer the loss of the port engine at all. Late in the afternoon we entered Jekyll Creek about two hours after high tide and had no problems with low depths, which we had heard could be difficult at low tide. We were not particularly nervous about arriving and docking with just the one engine since we have both bow and stern thrusters to assist us. However, as we approached Jekyll Harbor Marina, the wind picked up to 15-20 knotts, which would be hitting us on our beam as we attempted to dock.
As anyone who has captained a twin engine boat knows, there is not nearly as much control when one engine quits, especially with wind abeam. Consequently, we were using the thrusters more than usual trying to manuever toward the dock. And to complicate matters, we also had to turn around 180 degrees to head up into the current. On the first attempt, the bow barely made it to the end of the dock before the wind pushed the stern around and toward shore, the thrusters having apparently overheated and quit working just at the crucial moment. So, we had to quickly back out before running aground and start our approach once again, this time not counting on the thrusters at all.
The next attempt was a charm, approaching the dock several feet away, parallel to the intended docking spot, then allowing the wind to push us in. All the while, we were receiving encouragement and instructions via VHF radio from the helpful and knowledgeable dock hands of the Jekyll Harbor Marina. Boy, did it feel great to finally be snugged up and safely tied up to their dock!
Wow! What an experience! And who do you think greeted us upon our arrival, but a mechanic we knew from Hilton Head who had just cruised in before us and helped us figure out the problem with our engine. Do we live a charmed life or what?!
