Life in Fast Lane: Fort Lauderdale to Charleston in Two Days - Part 2

I awoke early (5:00 AM) on Thursday morning to access the weather.  The question we went to bed with was whether we would run outside to Georgetown South Carolina or continue north on the ICW.  Now it was time to gather the information that would enable us to make a decision.

NOAA forecast map for Thursday

I combined five resources, NOAA Weather, my Great Loop Log, Active Captain, tide charts and "local knowledge" from the "Navigator" (i.e., Sue Lister), to get to the answer and laid them out on a tracing of the coastline from Fernandina Beach to Norfolk.  The combination of weather along the route and accurate distances enabled us to estimate where would be and what conditions we would encounter. Once completed it showed, conclusively, that we could make Norfolk in four days on the ICW and that it would be unwise (that's not strong enough - foolhardy) to attempt a run on the outside around Cape Hatteras.

Fernandina Beach, FL to Beaufort, NC

Beaufort NC to Norfolk VA

Here's a brief summary of the near shore forecasts (distances are inside on the ICW) :

• Thursday: Fernandina to Hilton Head (163 SM): Seas 4 to 5 increasing 4 to 6.  Thunderstorms
• Friday: Hilton Head to Georgetown (163 SM): Seas 4 to 5.  Thunderstorms
• Saturday: Georgetown to Beaufort NC (203 SM): 3 to 5. South winds 15-20 gusting 25 knots
• Sunday: Beaufort to Norfolk (212 SM): 3 to 5 with wind out of the north

Explanatory Note: As the forecasted high pressure builds in on Sunday the seas would likely come out of the north producing a head sea.  This would have made for a tough 212 mile run.

Now I needed "local knowledge" of the next 200 statute mile run on the ICW.  This prompted a 7:00 AM call to Darryl and Sue (Present Moment) to get Sue's wisdom.  During our travels in April from Stuart to Hilton Head Sue was the "official" navigator.  I relied on her experience, which far exceeded my own.  Sue has run the ICW no less than 5 times.   She provided me with the following hazard information all of which involved shoaling (i.e., shallow water):

1. Jekyll Island: MM 680 to MM 685 page 38
2. Buttermilk Sound: MM 660 to 664 page 36/37
3. Little Mud River: R194 to G195 page 36
4. Florida Passage: MM 606 page 34
5. Hell's Gate: MM 601 to MM 602 page 33
6. Ashepoo Coosaw: MM 515 to 518 page 30
7. Ben Sawyer Bridge: G117 to G121 page 27

High tide was at 10:00 AM at Bruswick GA (Jekyll Island) some 42 miles north.  This was very favorable as it would enable us to traverse obstacles 1 through 5 on a rising or falling high tide.  The key was getting on the "road" at the right time and getting the first obstacle on the rising tide.  Our 7:40 AM departure was just right and the 64's incredible speed enabled us to accomplish our goal.

Stormy weather at departure

The weather at our departure was overcast with rain showers that got heavier during the morning.  There was no fog and we mostly had good visibility (and as a result we did not use radar).  We also were very lucky with regard to thunderstorms as we saw none during the entire run.

As mentioned in the previous article we made 94 nautical miles between departure and 12:36 PM when we encountered our first no wake zone.  By 1:45 PM we were passing the Thunderbolt Marina just east of Savannah and at 2:30 PM we were off Hilton Head, which I had tentatively designated as our destination. With almost 6 hours of daylight remaining and strong confidence in the amount of fuel remaining we made a decision to head for Charleston.  This allowed us to pick up 98 statute miles and opened the possibility of making Norfolk in three rather than four days.

Thunderbolt Marina at 1:45 PM
Diana and I stayed here in 2010 while on the Great Loop

Now to the "promised" excitement.  Obstacle #6 was the Ashepoo Coosaw Cut-off between MM 515 and MM 518.  Our timing was not good for traversing this 3 mile stretch, which was identified as a known shoal area with no plans to dredge.  We were approaching it just after low tide.  The question was whether we should run the cut-off or continue east on the Coosaw and run out to the coast.  Running to the coast and then north to Charleston added miles and exposure to the rough (4 to 6 foot) seas.  However, at that point in the journey, we were close to Charleston.  Running the cut-off shortened the distance and kept us on calm water.

I decided to get some local knowledge from the local Sea Tow operator and called them on Channel 16. Sea Tow (Jim) said we had at least 6 feet of water at low tide and that the bottom was very soft mud.  He also told us to respect (i..e, closely adhere to) the range on the chart.  Estremo draws 4 feet 4 inches fully loaded. We were down 800 gallons which translates to 6,000 less pounds.  Further, because of her surface drives we have the ability to raise the propellers.  Combining local knowledge with our higher displacement and the fact that we were past dead low tide resulting a "let's try it decision."

We entered the cut-off at 4:55 PM at idle speed (7 knots) and watched our depth drop quickly to 2.7 feet (from the lowest point of ther bottom).  At mark G181 we recorded 2.6 feet (5:04 PM) and at G177, where the cut-off ended, we saw 2.6 with the props kicking up mud.  As soon as we cleared the cut-off depth increased dramatically and the Lamborghini was off any running.

Ashepoo Coosaw Cut-off - narrow and shallow

Ar 5:34, we briefly saw 4.6 feet under the keel as we traversed the Watts Cut.

At 7:40 PM we arrived at Charleston City Marina and tied up on the north end of the 1,530 foot Mega Dock.  We immediately took on fuel.  We now had our second opportunity to determine the accuracy of fuel usage.  Our trip totals said we had used 828 gallons.  We had also used 12 hours of generator time, which we had estimated to burn at 2.5 gallons per hour (30 gallons).  I predicted we would take on 858 gallons.  We actually took on 851.  The error rate is less than 1% (actually .0094%) or stated another way "estremo" accurate.  The 64, unlike most boats, has precise fuel information.  This is great for running long distances with confidence that we will not run out of fuel.

Estremo on the Charleston Mega Dock

The thunderstorm finally caught up with us and we experienced heavy rain with lots of wind and lightening.  No problem, we were tied to the dock having deli sandwiches with a bottle of 1986 Cheval Blanc (Saint Emilion) which we had opened hours earlier.  A fitting end to an exciting day.

Final numbers for two days of running:

• Fort Lauderdale to Fernandina Beach: 300 NM (345 SM)
• Fernandina to Charleston: 212 NM (243 SM)
• Total Distance Traveled: 512 NM (588 SM)
• Total Fuel Used: 2,034 gallons
• Total Time on the Water: 19 hours
• Miles To Chicago: 1,498 NM (1,723 SM)

Written by Les