4/5/16               Tuesday          boonies between Beaufort and Charleston, Steamboat Creek


Sleep in morning for me. I got up at 6:30 AM to pee and feed Amelia. Back to bed since we weren't planning to leave until after noon so as to avoid some, at least, of the negative effect of the tides. Work up at 9:00 Back to sleep. David woke me at 9:20, just to check on me, I think. Up and at 'em, I say.

It was a morning of thwarted projects for David. He'd planned to change the oil but after opening the engine compartment (a task that includes moving some furniture, rolling the rug, lifting the engine compartment doors, removing some enclosures around engine) and getting the oil and filters all laid out, he remembered he was supposed to change the oil when the engine is warm. Bummer. So he decided to replace the internal zincs. Got those tools and parts out only to discover the zincs had to be assembled. He DID get the water filter washed out which was a good thing. We'll check the zincs at another time. Oil change in Charleston.

I, on the other hand, made mac & cheese, 1/2 recipe, with Bisquick rather than flour. So, who knows (yet) how that will taste. It looks pretty. Dinner later tonight.

We chatted with Sharyl to catch her up with where we are and catch up w/her a bit...say hello. Keep trying to figure a way, multiple ways, to support her best interests as she meets the challenges of aging and compromised health. And, keep getting frustrated that our efforts aren't effective. At least they don't look effective from where we sit. These are not easy times. I can't imagine how/if I would cope with chronic pain. Still. How to support/assist. Stymied.

We made good time - traveled long and didn't stop until 7:30 (1930 hours) tonight. David did most of the helms work. He seems to want the helm more now than coming down. Not sure what that's about. The water was skinny (shallow) much of the time. It is tense, always alert, driving. I took over for awhile on a broader, deeper stretch. We got into a tiff when I was at the helm late in the day. Both tired. I didn't respond as he demanded I respond in what he obviously felt was an emergency situation that I didn't see the same way. His concern was that I was going to out run out of the channel into a marked 2' area (it was high tide going higher). I was concerned about hitting a crab pot and wrapping the prop (stopping us dead in the water as we've done before). Yelling match. No running aground. No wrapping the prop. We'll probably process, both think we were right, and move on.  We were successful in our efforts to cooperate and get ourselves anchored securely. The place is so isolated, at least from the water. A little creek/river and marsh, marsh, marsh. Only lights are a tower and a couple of navigational aid lights just over there above the marsh grass.

Charleston tomorrow!