Our recent offshore passage from Beaufort to St Augustine was uneventful but the dearth of wind made it long and unexciting. The lack of wind was mostly the result of timing due to weather. When we plan our voyages we normally look at the conditions where we are going. Those conditions are more important than those along the way because our boat is equipped to be reasonably comfortable in many unpleasant conditions of travel. But, conditions on arrival could be lethal. Linn and Larry Pardey say that land is the enemy of boats and it is true. Most bad things happen to boats when they come in contact with some point of land.
We have been reevaluating our travel strategies to ultimately sail more, anchor more and enjoy the journey rather than be rushed into passages that result in less enjoyable travel. In this passage we had several destination constraints to consider. The first was that a major cold front was to pass through the northern Florida region Saturday evening which meant we needed to be berthed before it hit. Secondly, the St Augustine channel is considered a fair weather channel although it is deep and wide it can be treacherous. We've come in it twice before at night but if we had our preference we would come in during daylight on an incoming tide with the wind behind us. Friday afternoon before 1620 was when all those conditions would be present. Saturday was possible but with the unknown arrival of the cold front it would be a gamble. As it turned out it came through much later than anticipated and was not an issue here in St Augustine. A bailout option could have been either the St John's or St Mary's river inlets but as it turned out they got hammered. Once again our "safe" decision to come when we did and planning to arrive when we did made our trip safe but denied us the opportunity to sail.
In the passage from Beaufort there are 5 class "A" or commercial inlets (Cape Fear River, Charleston, Savannah River, St Mary's River and St John's River) that could be used to breakup the passage or provide safe harbor but in bad weather it may not be safe even to enter them. There are a few other inlets that would be even less safe to enter in an emergency.
So when planning for long-distance passage it's rarely a question of when you want to leave but when do you want to arrive.
Upon arrival our plan was to get a slip for 2 nights and then go to a mooring for the remainder of the time. Since Sunday was forecasted to be stormy we opted for a third night in the slip before going to the mooring field. With the wind and significant current getting in and out of a slip can be challenging if not damaging. As it turned out Sunday was not bad but we used the time to accomplish other tasks. Our purpose for going in a slip was to provide an opportunity to complete routine maintenance and fix items that developed during the passage. Upon arrival we needed an engine oil change, change engine fuel filters, wash the boat, add water, flush lines, remove refuse and fortunately this time there was nothing to repair.
During the passage we were able to split the watches and each get a fair amount of rest so even though we were tired upon arrival we were not beyond a good night's sleep. The first night of arrival we walked across the street for dinner on the patio of a very nice local eatery, took a short stroll and then went to bed.
Tasks for this week have been pretty well programmed although we do have some time planned to meet up with some other cruisers we met in Cape May. Our current task list will take us through to the middle of next week as we get ready to move on down the coast and beyond after Thanksgiving. After that we can begin to relax and really enjoy our town and spend more time with family nearby.
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