We waited a day at for calm seas and the wait was worth the while. The run from St Simons to Harbor Town Marina on Hilton Head was spectacular. We started the day with clear skies and light winds and an absolutely calm ocean.
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| Electronics set up for departure |
We departed at 6:58 AM and were assisted on the dock by Ray and Susan Cope (Copeing, 2008 Outer Reef 65 - The first 65). Our easy departure proved to be a harbinger of the day to come.
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| Sunrise over St Simons Island |
This cruise was filled with several firsts. First and foremost, this was Diana's and Kodi's first cruise on the North Atlantic and it proved to be a great introduction to the 63's capabilities. The day started out on flat water and then progressed to two footers as the winds freshened in the afternoon. Diana commented to Elena Karapas during a phone call that her ice tea was not moving despite the waves and the swells.
Another first for me was using the Garmin system to plan and follow a route. Kudos to Garmin for building a very user friendly system. I was able to layout the route the day before, including making adjustments to the plotted course, save it and then go 81 nautical miles from St Simons to Harbor Town without touching the helm. I was able to make a mid-course route change that knocked at least 30 minutes off the trip without consulting the manual - UNBELIEVABLE. Garmin took a page from the Steve Jobs Apple playbook.
Yet another first was our docking at Harbor Town. I did a stern in starboard tie from the flybridge helm (i.e., without using the remote control) assisted by Diana who very expertly communicated distances from the dock and obstacles as I backed into the slip. The Loopers on the boat next door commented that Diana was en expert in helping with the docking maneuver. It's amazing how its all coming together for us.
Speaking of electronics, this was the first time I actually got to use the entire system. The following is the information that I had available as we cruised to Hilton Head:
- Position on the chartplotter with a radar overlay on the port multifunction screen
- Radar display
- Weather
- Sonar
- Video of the engine room
- Speed over Ground
- Course
- Depth
- Position in latitude and longitude
- Wind speed (true)
- Wind direction (true)
- Air temperature
- Barometric pressure and whether it was rising or falling)
- Autopilot cross track error
- Rudder position
- Average speed
- Odometer mileage
- Visual picture of of the autopilot's track
- Stabilizer activity
- VHF on channel 16
- VHF on channel 72
- Engine data including temperature, oil pressure, voltage, fuel consumption, etc.
Today's route took us south and east along St Simon Sound and then northeast when we cleared the inlet an hour later at 7:58 AM. The autopilot guided us north until we connected with Tybee Roads at 3:24 PM, the channel leading to the Savannah River.
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| Outbound freighter exiting Tybee Roads as we head inbound |
At 2:30 PM I recorded that the winds had freshened to 13 knots out of the southeast and that we were now experiencing a few whitecaps.
At 3:45 PM we turned north from Tybee Roads at marker G15 and headed north in Calibogie Sound, The depth went from 45 ft to 20 ft and finally down to 13 ft as we traversed a tricky sound with some very dangerous shoals and a submerged breakwater.
We finally arrived at the entrance to Harbor town at 4:25 PM.
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| Guided Discovery arriving at the Harbor Town Marina |
After shutting down and plugging in I proceeded to wash the boat. Washing the 63 is very easy for two reasons. The boat itself has clean surfaces that are easy to wash and I have washing equipment (pails, wash mitts, brushes and soap) on both decks so there no "moving stuff around." While the operation is efficient the process takes almost three hours. This is a big boat.
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| A lovely sunset and view of the Harbot town lighthouse (viewed from the pilothouse) |
Except for the bugs (no see-ums) that attacked Diana and I at sunset, the day was totally perfect. Finally, we are getting the pay-off from the rather stressful commissioning and outfitting process. It really has all come together.
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| a very clean Guided Discovery at night |
Basic Statistics:
- 80.5 nautical miles traveled today
- 64.67 gallons used
- 1.24 MPG
- Total time enroute: 9 hours and 33 minutes
- 449 NM since leaving Fort Lauderdale
Written by Les.
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