We ended up spending five nights in Georgetown on the Sassafras River. Strong winds and rain triggered by Hurricane Ian parked nearby and we huddled on the boat trying to keep warm. I’m sorry not to have seen the Sassafras River in good weather as I’m sure it’s lovely, but at least it made a good hurricane hole. Low tides got progressively lower and high tides never really seemed to happen. Our keel was stuck in the mud and we weren’t going anywhere!

On Wednesday 5th the water returned to the river and we were able to move. We travelled almost 50 miles down to Corsica River off Chester River. There we found a lovely sheltered spot to anchor. It feels remote and peaceful, except for a rather gregarious colony of geese in the marshes nearby. On Thursday morning we finally woke up to sunshine for the first time in a week! It felt so good to be warm and dry!

With almost no wind and flat water, we decided to get on with some jobs. First of all, dry everything out – absolutely everything on the boat felt soggy! Then I had to go up the mast to run new jack-stays, after ours broke on the passage down. Splicing, whipping and sewing were all required. As a leftie, I have my very own sailmaker’s palm, and I’m not afraid to use it!

We enjoyed a lovely sunset on deck. After much arguing, the geese nearby decided it was time to leave.