TRADING PLACES

On our fourth day at Fernandina Beach we were joined by a friend from Burlington—Hugh McCully—who drove down to Florida for the opportunity to sail offshore and spend some time experiencing the ICW with Vince. And so for one unforgettable week Hugh and I traded places as he climbed aboard Fortnight and I drove off in his car.

Just before high tide the next morning Vince and Hugh sailed out St. Marys Inlet and into the Atlantic bound on an outside passage for Beaufort SC. They sailed for 24 continuous hours under favourable 12k winds in 3’-4’ seas arriving at Port Royal Sound shortly before dawn. After a subsequent three hour trip up the ICW to Beaufort, they dropped the hook and spend the rest of the day catching up on some well-deserved sleep. Over the next 2 days they traveled inland through the lovely lowland portion of the ICW to Charleston where they took a slip at the city marina to wait out the weather.

In the meantime, I was sampling the delights of inland Georgia and South Carolina, exploring some of the most beautiful places the south has to offer. My first stop was Savannah where I spent a morning on a trolley tour of the city followed by a scrumptious lunch of southern style cooking at “Mrs. Wilkes’ Boarding House”. In the afternoon I drove out to “Middleton Plantation” and walked for miles through incredible gardens. Then it was on to Beaufort to poke about the little shops and enjoy the comforts of my lodgings across from the marina. I could see Fortnight anchored out in the harbour and felt very guilty lounging by the hotels pool and stretching out in a kingsized bed knowing that Vince and Hugh were “cooped up” in a boat within sight of my luxurious accommodations. But when I called them on the cell phone inviting them to come ashore they declined—stoically choosing to stay aboard the boat rather than launch the dingy and fight the strong current separating Fortnight from the dock.

The next day while they were out negotiating the shoals plaguing the “Ashepoo Coosaw Cut,” I was already registered at a Charleston hotel. As for the “Ashepoo”—been there, done that, on the way down—with no desire for a repeat performance on my part! And so, after settling into another comfortable room, I set off for “Boone Plantation” where much of the miniseries “North South” had been filmed, to spend another sunny day touring the great house, enjoying a “Gulah” cultural performance and strolling through more spectacular gardens.

Georgetown was my final stop. Here I found a lovely Inn conveniently located directly across from the marina where Fortnight was expected to arrive sometime within the next two days and where we would once again trade places—with Hugh going back to his car and me onto the boat. As usual however, the weather refused to cooperate and we were forced to alter our plans. While Vince was tied up in Charleston and I was waiting in Georgetown, an horrendous storm system developed just west of us bringing gale force winds, heavy rains, strong thunderstorms and several tornadoes our way—conditions which made it impossible for Vince and Hugh to leave the marina to continue their journey northwards. And when I turned on the TV in my cozy room I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! ALL of the news channels had suspended regular programming and were issuing tornado warnings for the Charleston area directing people to seek shelter immediately. The “Doppler Radar” was shown tracking severe weather RIGHT OVER THE MARINA where Fortnight was tied up and I watched in horror as the TV showed TWO tornadoes touching down less than three miles from the boat!—one to the south and the other to the east with the marina positioned right in the middle!!

After the worst of the storm had passed over Charleston the winds continued unabated. Bridges outside of the city refused to open and our plans were changed yet again. After a gusty night I was forced to return to Charleston to look for Fortnight. I found her unscathed with Vince and Hugh still in high spirits. Mary, Hugh’s wife, was scheduled to fly into the city later in the evening and so I gave Hugh back his car and joined Vince once more aboard the boat. Tomorrow we hope to continue our journey north, but with this unpredictable weather it’s anyones guess when we’ll actually be able to leave.

The “trade” was a great success allowing all three of us to experience things we would not otherwise have been able to do. Hugh enjoyed a taste of exploring southern waters. Vince finally got an opportunity to really SAIL the boat—offshore, at night, in the company of another competent guy—without a skitterish wife holding him back from sailing the way he’d really like to. As for me, I got the best deal of all—a week of unrestricted freedom in paradise! But despite enjoying some remarkable experiences over the past few days, I found that I missed being with Vince and was very happy to be reunited with him once again. At one point in my travels I imagined what this week would’ve felt like if I really WAS alone—with no one to go back to. It felt horrible—everything that I was sincerely enjoying suddenly seemed empty and meaningless and I experienced a true empathy for those forced to live without the company of family or friends in their lives. It was a good lesson to learn and, if possible, I now appreciate my good fortune in having Vince in my life even more. How blessed I am!