On Sunday we decided to go “outside” on our way south. That means going into the ocean instead of staying in the ICW. Going outside can be faster because it is more direct, you don’t have to worry about getting under bridges or over shallow spots, and you rarely encounter another vessel. However, it also does not provide any protection from waves or wind. The open space and presence of wind can be great for a sailboat, of course, and we were excited to get out into it. It was also a chance to practice with Tilia under sail.
Our path to the sea took us past Fort Sumter. It’s easy to see how the fort had a commanding presence for entering Charleston harbor. Once out in the sea we quickly realized we needed to put on much warmer clothes! After getting properly dressed and clearing the channel to sea, we got busy raising sail.
There was plenty of wind (about 20 kts) and a moderate sea (swells about 6-8 feet), so we were able to get the sails up and make good speed. We haven’t had many chances to actually *sail* Tilia, so this was a welcome opportunity, and we learned a lot. Then, abruptly, the autopilot declared it could no longer help us. We tried a few basic troubleshooting steps to get it back into the game, but nothing worked — even turning it off and back on again :-).
With that, we took turns hand steering to bring the boat to our next anchorage, just off Hilton Head Island. We were relieved to be anchored in a quiet creek with good protection and pretty views. In the morning, dolphins greeted us, swimming all around the boat as we raised anchor to continue on — “inside” this time.
