Off Shore in a 290

Sadler

Sadler

Member
Nov 29, 2006
907
Live in Western NC, boat in Charleston, SC
Boat Info
2005 Nordic Tugs 37 FB
Mercury RIB dinghy with Honda 2 hp 4 stroke,
sold: 1997 290DA,
Engines
Cummins QSB 380
Wife and daughter and I overnighted at an anchorage just inside Folly Island Sunday. Great spot overlooking the Atlantic and fairly protected. (Not where we did the Rendezvous anchoring--that was off the Stono). It was a flood tide and the high views of the ocean over the marsh were great. We woke up to beautiful morning views. That's the ocean in the background. You can almost make out the breaking waves. The view is over the Folly River and Bird Key.

I've removed all the pics from this posting to free up space on CSR. They can all be viewed here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Sadlerlv/OffshoreInA2902007
 
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Later that morning my wife asked about going back to Charleston outside, out the Stono River inlet, rather than going back inside to Charleston the way we had come, up the Stono River via Wapoo Creek and the Elliot cut (the way we came for the Rendezvous anchoring).

I checked the weather first, agreed to go outside, and then headed out the inlet and immediately noticed that the inlet markers had been moved since I last ran this inlet. But, it was a high tide with no wind, excellent forecast, and waves of only 1-2 feet and it looked easy, so out we went. Once we were outside and off shore about 5 miles, I decided to navigate from the Stono River inlet sea buoy off shore out to the Charleston sea buoy. I found the Charleston sea buoy on the GPS, clicked on it, set the autopilot to navigate, and off we went. Soon, we were twenty or so miles off shore, paralleling the coast, but moving slowly off shore out to the more distant from shore Charleston Sea buoy. We averaged about 25 mph.
 
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No land to the port.

Actually, we could see land barely to port, but the morning haze was obscuring it in this photo.
 
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Wow looks perfect - I am envious. I always have land on both sides on the Mighty Miss and Illinois Rivers.
 
My wife was ecstatic. This was the smoothest off shore we'd ever done, and with the weather a 10, it was very enjoyable to just sit back and let the boat steer itself, and not have to worry about depths or other boats. My nine year old daughter wasn't so sure this was a good idea.
 
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We were off shore about two hours, and the only thing we saw were range towers (or at least from a distance they looked like range towers), dolphins, and one other and larger boat running farther out, headed south. It was a Monday, and the ocean was vast and empty.
We reached the buoy, turned toward shore, and followed the Charleston inlet back in and eventually back to the marina. Cleaned the boat up, and then it was off to the Aquarium.

I don't recommend going off shore in such a small boat unless the conditions are absolutely perfect. Monday was such a day.

Sadler
 
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Sounds like a great time :thumbsup: Wish we could have been there. :smt089

Still have not got MS Judy back in her slip yet. Since I pulled it for the Charleston trip. Did a complete wash/wax detail. Had to address a couple items while she was out of the water. Hope to get her back in this weekend.
 
There's nothing better than being offshore in weather like that.

You feel sort of small, but it is the most peaceful small feeling you could ever have.
 
Sadler, I've never seen the ocean as smooth as that for a Bahamas crossing but if you think about it 25 miles out from shore is almost a crossing. It's about 60 miles accross to West End so 25 miles is about half way and after that point you get closer to shore, to the Bahamas shore but what the heck. You basically did a sudo crossing. Just think, do that from fla, and cracked conch and bahama mamas are on the menu. Mike
 
I'm glad folks enjoyed the photos and write up. There are lots of people and many probably on this forum, who go off shore frequently, and who go much farther than we did. But, to me the trick is to stay well in your comfort zone, and with my wife and daughter, a single engine, and without a partner boat or two, but with excellent weather and still inside the TowBoat US towing range, I was within my comfort zone.

I was caught off shore in a sudden and very heavy thunderstorm once going outside from Hilton Head to Charleston in my first 290. My friends and I were not worried until we saw a waterspout, and the radio began to light up with maydays from boats apparently closer to the waterspout. With my boat barely making headway into the very large waves, my problem was overload--keeping the boat pointed into the waves, peering through the wipers overrun by rain, and trying to decide what to do and where to go. No one else on board was a coastal boater. Using the then very small and primitive GPS, I found the North Edisto Inlet which I had never run, and with much luck, got safely inside. To have run aground in that storm could have been disasterous. We were all wearing pfds. A little time at Bohicket marina to high five and celebrate our good fortune, and we were back on the water. The ICW was our friend for the remainder of that trip. Since then, I've been a little more careful off shore.

Sadler
 
chuck1 said:
Sounds like a great time :thumbsup: Wish we could have been there. :smt089

Still have not got MS Judy back in her slip yet. Since I pulled it for the Charleston trip. Did a complete wash/wax detail. Had to address a couple items while she was out of the water. Hope to get her back in this weekend.
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Chuck,

If we do the rendezvous again, maybe we'll get smoother water and can venture outside. I thought about it this time, but when we got to Ft. Sumter, and Paul complained about his teeth, I knew it wasn't meant to be. :wink:

Sadler
 
DuckBoater said:
Thank you so much for posting this.....what a great weekend!
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Thanks DuckBoater. I see you're in Eugene, Or. Love Oregon. Wanted to boat there first time I laid eyes on the Columbia River. Still on my must do list. My daughter and her husband are in Eugene.

Sadler
 
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GJarrett said:
:thumbsup: Awesome writeup and photos Sadler. Thanks for sharing :smt001
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Gerald,

Thanks. Those photos are for you to show "OffRoad Dancer" as a get well soon card. Tell her we all hope she's out of the engine hospital and back enjoying the water asap. :smt001

Sadler
 
islandhopper00 said:
Sadler, I've never seen the ocean as smooth as that for a Bahamas crossing but if you think about it 25 miles out from shore is almost a crossing. It's about 60 miles accross to West End so 25 miles is about half way and after that point you get closer to shore, to the Bahamas shore but what the heck. You basically did a sudo crossing. Just think, do that from fla, and cracked conch and bahama mamas are on the menu. Mike
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Mike,

You're tempting me. With Hey Babe "water locked" I need to check into those rental boats you told me about. Can I say "CSR Bahamas Crossing?? I think I can! :smt038

Sadler
 
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