Retracing our steps

We are anchored in the May River, across Calibogue Sound from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (map).  We anchored in more or less this exact spot back in December on our way south, meeting up with friends who had already scoped the spot out.  On that pass, we remembered coming in Port Royal Sound and looking for a suitable anchorage closer to the entrance with no luck, so we knew we'd better stop here in this direction, too.

We left Savannah Bend this morning just before high tide, when it was mostly slack.  The tide changes direction at the Causton Bluff bridge, and we had a free ride all the way to the Savannah River and then down the river to Tybee Roads.  I ran 1200-1300 RPM the whole time, and still we found ourselves doing eight knots in the main river channel.  This whole stretch of waterway is very familiar to us now, and we had a pleasant and relaxed cruise.

Getting a free ride down the river meant I was fighting the current the whole way up the Calibogue Sound, but we kept a low throttle and were content to do four knots.  Stretching the time out like this meant the current got progressively slacker throughout the afternoon, so we had great fuel mileage today.  Of course, it really helped that we're no longer dragging a colony of barnacles through the water with us, and my first quick calculations seem to indicate we're back to our expected burn rates.

Tomorrow morning we will leave early to make Charleston in the daylight.  Unfortunately, that means we will hit Port Royal Sound during the flood, and will have the current against us once again.  We should have a bit of help at the other end, though, and I expect we will be anchored in Charleston Harbor before sunset.