November 22, 2014

Plans change.

0930 – Leaving Charleston to take advantage of this clear, warm day with favorable NW winds and strong currents. The weather is deteriorating tomorrow with predicted SW winds 20-25 and lots of rain. Not pleasant in our unprotected cockpit. As a result I won't get to see Jane Custer, a much loved cousin of mine from Staunton. We are going to catch her on the flip side.

This day’s entry is dedicated to our good friend Paul Rogers who lives in Greenville, NC and who has lived in a wheel chair for the last 25-30 years, a victim of multiple sclerosis. He is paralyzed in maybe 80% of his body and can pretty move only his arms and head. MS is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system in which nerve fibers essentially become nonfunctional, resulting in paralysis, but interestingly enough, not loss of pain perception. Go figure. There is no cure.

Paul is undaunted by his condition, astonishingly courageous and an inspiration to me. He is an artist and earned a Master’s degree in counseling after being confined to his wheel chair and for many years twice weekly he goes to the Vidant Medical Center hospital to volunteer at the heart center.

I’m thinking about Paul because, remarkably, there is a 70 foot world class sailing vessel 3 slips down from us by the name of Ocean of Hope. The stern port side had a website painted on it – www.sailing schlrosis.com. I walked down to this orange hulled thing of beauty and was greeted by the chipper and smiling ship’s bosun, Bertram Christensen from Denmark. He proceeded to tell me all about boat and its mission. It is currently on a world cruise, a global voyage to change the perceptions of multiple sclerosis. The entire crew excepting the captain and Bertram have MS in various stages of progression. One is a retired Parrish priest with five children. The global pharmaceutical company Biogen foots the bill for this adventure.

The boat is a Challenge 67, with a beam of 17 feet, displacement 40 tons, and a steel hull. She was built in 1966 to race around the world “wrong way” – against the prevailing winds and now she carries a message of hope for all of us. Who knows why some of us are stricken by calamitous conditions like MS and others not. I don’t know whether I could be as strong as Paul in his place.

Anyway, I’m thinking about you today Paul.

 

 

0940 – Leaving Charleston to make miles south before bad weather. Wind NE 10-15, current favorable. Doing 7 knots, passing the 12 deck Carnival of Fantasy, a behemoth of a boat. Who knows what decadent things goes on aboard this star ship.

 

 

 

 

Pretty nice real estate in Charleston

 

 

1030 – Passed under Wappo Creek Bridge

Just south of the bridge we went through Elliot’s Cut at Mount Pleasant, a very narrow and short but deep canal where the tidal current can reach 4 knots and, sure enough, we were traveling against it. We went from 6.0 knots to 2.5 knots in a matter of seconds. Thankfully the cut is only about 1.5 miles long and we clawed our way through.

Pretty nice real estate here too. Damn Republicans.

 

1100 – Crossed over into the Stono River to run down through more beautiful marsh lands. Channels sometimes wide, sometimes narrow, sometimes shallow, sometimes deep. Thank goodness for the depth finder. Crossed over into yet another river, the Wadmalaw. This land is dotted with islands and many rivers, tributaries and tidal backwashes (lots of places for alligators to hide.)

 

At mark 102, the confluence of Toogoodo Creek and the Wadmalaw we encountered a disabled sail boat hailing out of Cambridge, MD, vessel Island Time. Spoke the captain who told us his engine had quit. He thinks it’s the fuel pump. Declined assistance. We mush on.

After a while on the Wadmalaw we crossed, yet again, over into another river, the Dawho, then through Watts Cut into the South Edisto River where at 1630 we anchored in 10 feet well off the main channel with not another boat or human being insight. Bad weather tomorrow. Hunkering down!

Eat rice, be nice and let the good times roll.