Schedules

 The most dangerous thing on a sailboat is a schedule. While it may appear that this lifestyle is one of carefree anchorages with rum drinks with friends under a glorious sunset, that's only occasionally true. 


Sometimes a schedule is created by the weather. Sailing from Charleston SC we had the choice of coming back in at Beaufort GA, Fernandina, Jacksonville or St Augustine. We had a good west-southwest breeze, which was predicted to turn south at some point. When it turned, we came in at Fernandina. 


Meeting with people can also present a challenge. We chose this boat so that we could have guests. She has a nice aft cabin for the two of us, plus a v-berth for one or two guests. There's also a quarter berth which is mostly full of tools, and the salon setee. Weather permitting we occasionally set up on the deck under mosquito netting. But coordinating when to be where to rendezvous 


We took advantage of the free dock in Jacksonville FL, where the outgoing tidal current was quite ferocious. No problem when it was hitting the bow, but when it reversed, it actually pushed the rudder over to the side, despite the wheel staying still. Athena has hydraulic steering, so it effectively pushed fluid through closed valves. When we set off back down the river, our autopilot complained. It took Kristen the digital wizard until noon the next day to get it all straightened out. 

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