Gloomy & Grumpy

Sunday April 12, 2015
ICW mile 495
North Edisto River
SC


We left our anchorage at 7:00. I was exhausted and went back to bed after raising the anchor.  Lee took the first shift at the helm. He generously let me sleep and it was 9:45 when I came up to take my turn at the wheel. We got to Ladies Island  bascule bridge which the waterway chart book said opened at the hr and 1/2 hr right at 10:25.  When Lee told him we would like his 10:30 opening he said he was on demand and to come on up and he would open.  After sitting idle in the water and getting closer and closer to the bridge I started turning slow circles. 15 min after we arrived he still had not stopped traffic.  Lee went down to see if there was a problem and he said he would open in about 5 minutes. We finally got through 25 minutes after we arrived.  I was doing a slow burn. For the first time I refused to thank the bridge tinder.  We listen on the radio as he communicated with boats behind us. He could not manage the boats and cars.  They should have left that guy on a 30 min schedule. That way he did not have to think about what to do and when to do it.

We had 14 to 20 kt winds on the nose and no help from tide or current all afternoon. With the motor wound to 2200 rpm we were only  making 3 kt per hr and sometimes less than 3.  Felt like a slow boat to China. We made our 60 miles but it took us almost 11 hours to do it. We had had good speed in the morning or we never would have made it . Dreary drizzle of a day. Reflected my mood.  I am very affected by gloomy or sunny days.  I should live where the sun shines all the time. Sure liked those sunny days in the Bahamas.