Georgetown, SC to Bald Head Island, NC

We woke up Saturday morning to chilly temps both inside and outside the boat. We decided to go out for breakfast and hot coffee. We ended up at Aunny’s, a local restaurant serving southern food on paper plates. The selection was limited but the food was good. After breakfast we went for a walk around town, admiring more of the stately homes and large, old live oak trees. At noon we left the marina and motored down Winyah Bay with the tide. We chose an anchorage close to the mouth of the bay. The anchorage was tucked behind a long island and had access from either the west or the east. We chose to access it from the east even though it took us longer. We intended to leave in the morning well before sunrise and wanted to lay down a track we would be able to follow when we left in the dark the next morning. It was a good thing we had that track to follow. Not only was it dark when we left at 5:00 am but it was also quite foggy. George turned the radar on so we could “see” boats, buoys, or other obstructions that wouldn’t be visible to the eye. We rarely use the radar but we were pleased to see how well it worked. Another boat had apparently come in to anchor after we went to bed last night. As we were motoring out of the anchorage I could see the boat on the radar long before I saw its anchor light in the fog. After leaving Winyah Bay we set a course NE for Cape Fear and Bald Head Island. It is a 70 mile trip which we thought would take us about 14 hours. We had a few hours or nice sailing on a beam reach. The rigging on the boom seemed to be making more noise than usual. Then it suddenly became quiet. George discovered why a short time later. The wire to which the topping lift connects at the end of the boom had become detached and the end of the topping lift was floating in the breeze. The purpose of the topping lift is to hold the boom up whenever the sail is down. Since we were sailing at the time it wasn’t a problem—the sail was filled and holding the boom up. When we were ready to furl the sail, however, we would need the topping lift to be attached to the end of the boom to hold it at the proper angle for furling. As a temporary fix George wrapped the topping lift around the boom and attached it to itself. When we get to Beaufort, NC he will buy some more hardware to fashion a better temporary fix and then he will replace the lost wire when we get home. The temporary fix worked just fine and we were able to furl the sail when the wind subsided. At one point I looked up through one of the windows on the top of the dodger and saw something small lying on the window. George investigated and found a nut and bolt that had apparently held one end of the wire to the end of the boom. The wire and other nut and bolt must have gone overboard. Darn!

We arrived at Bald Head Island last evening and plan to leave here this afternoon and sail overnight to Beaufort, NC. We will most likely be in Beaufort a week while we wait for an opportunity to sail around Cape Hatteras and into the Chesapeake Bay. This morning I did a load of laundry while George worked out a more secure temporary fix for the topping lift. 

Topping lift line wrapped around the boom.

This is how the topping lift should be attached. The wire is attached to the boom with a nut and bolt on each side. We found one nut and bolt on top of the bimini but the other nut and bolt—as well as the wire—went overboard. 

New temporary fix.