Update; 3/19-3/28

Wow, been slacking off big time lately; my apologies. Last posted, Scooter and crew were in St Augustine, on a mooring ball, waiting out a nasty wind event. That eventually downgraded from gale conditions to mere small craft advisory conditions; winds up to 30 kts or so. So, away we went, north up the Tolomato river and associated environs to Harrison Creek. No major events along the way, no spectacular scenery to be mindful of. Pulled in, dropped Bruce,  the ground connector device, dried out the bilge; little more than usual, and settled in for the evening. About 2 in the am, the captain, as is his wont at times, got up to check on things; see if Bruce was doing his job, etc. The night time scenery was absolutely mind boggling. The water was awesomely still, not a ripple to be seen anywhere, the full moon was reflected in all its minute detail, as were the surrounding myriads of stars. A glistening, sparkling carpet, both above and beside Scooter. And out of the night stillness  what should I hear, but the "whufff" of a hunting porpoise. Stunning!

So,up and at'em in the morning; we had a tide timetable to match if we wanted to get thru Jekyll Creek without running aground. Engine room check; "Whoa, whats with all the water?" Bottom line, the heat exchanger on the starboard engine had a hole in it on the raw water side. When the engine ran, so did the water. MacGyver time, as there isn't really any other way. One engine might get us there, but I'm not sure we'd have enough food. So, PC plumbers epoxy, a #10 sheet metal screw, two small flat washers; Mix the "stuff", put the screw thru the washers, then thru the ball of "stuff", squash over the hole, tighten screw, wait 30 minutes; drive on to Brunswick, GA. 1/2 hour engine checks became routine. Got to Brunswick in good form. Asked the yard folks if they could, perhaps, repair the exchanger unit; braze it, etc. Laughable question. OK. Shopped, walked about, washed salt off boat, etc, and moved on. Next stop involved tidal timing for Little Mud River and Hell Gate, so we stopped for the night in Walburg Creek. Easy, peasy, then on to Herb River, just below Thunderbolt, GA. Lots of wind, black clouds and rumbling noise, a quick blast of rain, over and done.

Next morning Scooter and crew moved on to SC and Port Royal Landing Marina, just above Parris Island of USMC fame and pain. Not sure what is with the wind this trip, but we are certainly getting enough to last a while. A pleasant visit to Port Royal and neighboring Beaufort, SC. Provisioned, another term for shopped; (wonder when the other states will require recyclable plastic shopping bags?) Serviced the boat and headed north for Charleston, SC.. Coosaw,  Dawhoo, and Ashepoo rivers all passed under Scooter's keel today. Tomorrow will find us leaving our North Edisto river anchorage and heading into Charleston Harbor for some Harris Teeter experiences, perhaps a walk around that lovely city, tweak some boat issues, and get ready for more northerly travel.

Be safe, be happy, be thankful that Spring has started, and, above all, be careful out there. Catch you on the flip side.