Another Day Another Adventure

Saturday April 11, 2015
Hilton Head, SC
ICW Mile 556
Hickory Bluff Anchorage

Another Day Another Adventure

We left Big Tom's Creek anchorage at 7:20 and did not run aground. Yea. About 9:00 we got to Hell Gate.  It is a very narrow shallow cut and who should we meet but a large yacht also transiting Hell Gate.  We got to 5' 7 " trying to get past him and I got on the radio and told the captain we were constrained by draft and in danger of running aground could he please give us as much room as possible.  He moved over a little we got back up to high 6' and we made it past. A few tense moments.

We came to a lift bridge as we came around a curve that we had missed when we scanned today course and had to move quickly to get the bridge tinder to give us an opening.  Fortunately it was an on demand not a scheduled bridge.  Around 11:30 am we came across the SC border. Felt we were headed home and even the bugs got better. No place like home. We didn't have much rain or wind. What we had was on and off and nothing of significance. We put up the sail for a few hours this afternoon but doubt it made any difference. We seemed to have the current against us all but an hour or two all day.
Our slow progress kept us from making 60 miles today. We got as far as Hilton Head, SC and dropped anchor at Hickory Bluff just past Hilton Head Harbor marina.  We are still hoping the weather will let us get off shore before we reach Little River. Time will tell.