Wednesday, November 20, 2013

A Real Trip.

by Riley

So, here we are at Jekyll Island. Getting here was, well... A real trip. Pun intended.

We left Savannah intending to sail straight to Jekyll island via the Wassaw inlet. A lot about these inlets is only local knowledge, something I didn't have. If I did have it, I don't think I would have tried to sail out at the tail end of a nor'easter with the tide coming in. It wasn't pretty. After beating into BIG waves and wind, things that I thought were firmly secure in the boat were apparently not. Everything got rearranged. The plan was to sail overnight to Jekyll, but a night like this seemed most likely miserable. So with enough light left, we turned around and headed for an anchorage just up the sound. 

So, if you've been following along, you probably already know that the chart plotter "GPS" doesn't really work very often. It wouldn't really come on at all after that experience unless I hit it really hard and then, it didn't necessarily stay on. On down the coast in the Sapelo sound, I found out how nice a working one would be when I found myself in some real thick fog. So thick I couldn't even see the channel markers, although I was pretty sure they were there. I would have used my iPhone but I didn't have service enough to download the chart I needed. But at least my depth gauge works! And man did I watch it. Truthfully, I felt kind lost. Eventually, the fog lifted. Phew! But it was too late in the day to make Jekyll once again. 

Well, we're here now and we'll probably be here for a few more days. Another nor'easter is blowing through and man, is it blowing. Some other boats left this morning only to turn around. But it's ok, I needed to tend to some things while also enjoying the island. There comes a time when you just have to suck it up and buy a chart plotter. A very nice guy that works and lives at Jekyll Harbor offered to take me to nearby Brunswick to get a new one. While I did get what is probably considered to be an out of date model, it's overwhelming how much better it is. I mean it WORKS! Because it is newer, I saw that it could be wired to communicate to the autopilot through a NEMA connection and follow the route. While the two units were different brands, I was able to work the kinks out to bridge the gaps in wiring. Now I have a real fancy yacht. Maybe they will even let me in the Jekyll Island Club. I'll have to tell more about the island when I have explored thoroughly.

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