Georgetown, SC

Do we stay or do we go? Will the winds be better or worse tomorrow? If we leave early in the morning, can we get ahead of the storms? If we wait, are we willing to wait until Sunday when the weather is supposed to clear? Do we have enough Jack Daniels and wine on board? These are just a few of the many questions we pondered last night before calling it a night. 

The answers were -- we go, about the same, most likely, no, of course.

So this morning we left Harbor Town Yacht Basin (Hilton Head) at 730am and started our journey toward Georgetown, SC. about 160 miles north The winds were not too bad early this morning but like yesterday, got progressively worse during the day. Steady NE winds at 15-20 knots with gust to 35 knots. We only had a few "open" sounds and rivers to navigate, so as long as we could manage them, the rest of the ICW was reasonably well protected. 

Open water run

Some rough seas

I must confess, the boat did very well in some pretty ugly conditions. Being built in Maine as an coastal "downeast" cruiser, ENCORE is well designed to handle some pretty rough seas. It is a matter of selecting the right speed, trim tabs and angle of wave attack to make it tolerable. Now don't get me wrong, it is still a rough ride but NOTHING compared to some other boats I have been on or owned over the years. Sabre makes a very seaworthy vessel and she has shown her worth the past few days. Oh yeah, did I mention that the Admiral has been beyond helpful, supportive and most encouraging? I am a fortunate Captain!

So now, after dinner, a few drinks and some time to let the day's travels mellow a bit it's that time once again to ask the question -- Do we stay or do we go……..?

Stay tuned… more to come.