Waking the next morning we hoist up the anchor only to find that the windlass ( the anchor winch) is struggling. It is struggling to the point of not coming up. Scott is very efficient in using the boat to bring up the anchor and not using the windlass other than to bring up the chain yet it is unable to lift. After several attempts and Scott coming to the bow to help get the anchor engaged the anchor is settled in its cradle. Phewwww, that could have been some drama.
At this point he figures we cannot rely on the anchor coming up so we have to head to a marina where he can do some research on the windless. I find a nice marina in Hilton Head which will be considered a side trip as the marina will be about 45 minutes to an hour off the ICW.
The trip down the river shows the wealth of this little island. Huge multi million dollar homes and properties line the shore. There is an area on the island that is restricted to homeowners only. Must be some big names that have homes there. The river is deep with at least 15 feet below us until we reach the marina entrance. It is a narrow passage that shallows quickly. We are at high tide and see some concerning depths of about 6 feet. With a 7 foot tide that should make it interesting getting out of here.
Our slip is way back on I dock. Not a lot of space between vessels in here but with no wind Scott masters it like the pro he is. Now tucked into the slip he begins looking for information on the windless and where we can play pickleball.
The marina is a resort, abreast to the Disney Hilton Head Resort. There are shops, restaurants, entertainment all on ground level and condos and rentals to about 12 stories. The marina is beautifully landscaped. We head out for a walk and find that the grounds throughout are very natural in the setting. Flowers, trees, paths are very well landscaped. Meandering paths for bicycles are the norm with paved paths everywhere you want to go. There are bike paths in Palmetto Palms county throughout. A courtesy van will pick you up at any point in Palmetto Palms County here on Hilton Head Island. I wouldn’t say folks are friendly here though. We have definitely left the hospitality of the South.
Scott finds us pickleball for the morning and continues the windless research. He finds that the manual operation of the windless is an option that yacht manufacturers don’t usually buy. It is an add on. What that means is that if you have an issue bringing up your anchor you have no way of bringing it up. We have never had a boat without the manual operation so this was news. Scott ordered the parts but now we have no way of recovery if the windless fails. That means marinas for the duration of the trip.
We play pickleball at the Palmetto Palms Tennis Club, bike around the county. We have also been having an issue with electronics overheating in the 90 degree heat. We run to Walmart and buy 2 more fans. Scott takes apart the ceiling in the bath and now it has significant ventilation. Hopefully this helps with the 1 display not working or throwing out “man overboard” signals which crashes all the electronics. Boat maintenance in exotic place…..right?
It’s Scott’s birthday too. We celebrate with a special home cooked meal and carrot cake where we had our first instacart grocery delivery. Not sure I would use it again. Happy Birthday Captain!!
