Let’s Go Sail Charleston

Boaters are forever open to new ideas, especially sailors. Anything that can make the boat go faster, look better or stay safer is worth examining. Hence, let’s go sail Charleston to visit the City Docks and later Palm Beach marinas.

Find happiness and health outdoors near Williamsburg with exciting fun on an anniversary or birthday. Great memories! Learn navigation to become a sailor. See birds, dolphins, maybe a Navy submarine. Bring your dog too. The best Williamsburg boat tour offers safe “social distance sailing” daily for up to 6 people. It’s an extraordinary experience for couples. Leave your worries behind. Enjoy the thrill of moving with the wind without a care in the world. Let’s Go Sail Charleston.

Charleston is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to improve the river and the docks. From the Army Corps of Engineers website:

“The Corps has maintained Charleston Harbor for more than 140 years and has dredged it every year during that time to ensure the channel is at the required federal project depth, spending approximately $10-15 million and removing 2-3 million cubic yards of maintenance material from the harbor floor each year. Construction to deepen the harbor to the now federally authorized 45-foot depth began in 1999 and was completed in 2004. Charleston Harbor has strategic national importance for military readiness, supporting Joint Base Charleston, and regionally the harbor deepening is of economic importance, allowing Post-Panamax vessels to call upon the harbor.’’

The work includes knocking out the concrete landing called the Mega-Dock for mega yachts and replacing it with floating docks. I watched as a huge barge that was wedged into a lane of boats slowly withdraw, turn and get repositioned. A slight bump of the barge into the docked boats would do thousands in damage. Let’s go sail Charleston.

City Docks is now operated by Safe Harbor, which besides expanding in Charleston has plans to develop the coast of Beaufort SC into an elaborate dockside community, including nearby Port Royal. The replacement of the floating docks is extensive and expensive, running into the tens of millions. You can see from this photo below that all the cables and wires will be enclosed underneath the walkways instead of dangling in the elements. At the bottom of the photo lies the marshy swamp that’s exposed during low tide.

Charleston is known for wicked river currents on the Cooper and Ashley. This is where I learned the benefit of backing into one’s slip. Sailors who return in late afternoon can shout for help from nearby boaters to catch the boat as it backs down. Going out in the morning becomes easy because you just blast outward under engine, without hitting the poles or dock. Many older boats have suffered damage on the gunwales by banging side-to-side from the 6-mph current and big winds. Let’s go sail Charleston.

Wooden sailboats are a thing of the past, thank goodness. Modern fiberglass boats sport very little teak because while it looks good it’s difficult to maintain. The latest innovation is a retro-look of synthetic teak that more resembles fiberglass in composition. It looks almost too good to be true, like a 1980s woody station wagon.

One boat owner showed great imagination by fabricating a teak seat for the bow pulpit. With lines criss-crossed, the seat positions an adventurer before the jib and doesn’t require ducking during tacking.

A 50-footer with not one but two wheels stood immaculate in the sun. The only problem is that there is no seat on either side, requiring the skipper to stand throughout. It looks hard to sit on the gunwale, and there is no stern platform to fold up for easy sitting. What were they thinking, a folding chair?

Maintenance on any boat is a chore, but on this 60-footer the chainplate has begun to rust in key areas that are hard to reach. Spray “passivation” treatments abound for such stains. The liquid penetrates inaccessible places and clears up the rust promptly.

The latest trend in big yachts is to install bigger windows along the hull. This one suggests a panoramic view from the port side, but a closer look reveals that traditional porthole windows are behind the gray plexiglass. Other yachts sport giant picture windows to watch the sea. All well and good until a storm comes up. No matter how well the windows are attached, they still risk delamination from the hull or worse if anything like a log hits the window head-on. Sinking is imminent.

City Docks takes parking seriously. This sign is unique for spelling “Owner’s” correctly instead of the traditional “Owners.” The name Tow Time Towing is cute but redundant. Try saying it three times. The sign omits vessels illegally parked. Florida signs include boats as well as cars.

Finally, a reprise of a pump-out boat that comes to you instead of requiring you to come to the pump-out station. The name is priceless.

Let’s Go Sail

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Take one of 6 sailing adventures near the Chesapeake Bay for your best vacation excursion: Adventure, Event, Appreciation, History, Lessons, Boat Buying. Sit in the catbird seat or up on the bow. The best Williamsburg boat tour offers safe “social distance sailing” daily for up to 6 people. It’s an extraordinary experience for couples. Leave your worries behind. Enjoy the thrill of moving with the wind without a care in the world. Let’s go on a romantic sail. Sit up on the bow for privacy. First-timers or skilled mariners can learn to sail fast on a cruise Near Williamsburg VA. They get to sail a modern 32-foot sailboat in a unique setting of wildlife and Spring foliage. Professional photos for free. Enjoy a romantic getaway. Sail the warm breezes of Spring and Summer. A unique and intriguing event, as well as an extraordinary anniversary idea.