Bridge, that is … Get your minds out of the gutter!

My second full fledged bridge passage on the ICW! My first was the Ben Sawyer Bridge coming into Charleston. I know, we’ve done two states worth of bridges, and I am just getting my nerve up to captain the boat through the bridges. It can be very intimidating! I’m starting to get the hang of it though.

We left the Bull River anchorage early morning, headed for Beaufort, SC (that’s Bew-fert as opposed to its sister city in North Carolina with the same name, but pronounced Bo-fert). It was an early departure because the info we had on our chart, the Waterway Guide, and Skipper Bob indicated the bridge did not open from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. So, we wanted to be there to make the 11:00 opening.

The bridge opens every half hour and we were pushing hard to make the 10:30 opening. Alas, the tide and current gods were against us. Midway down Brickyard Creek, the current reverses, thus an opposing 2 knot current slowed us down just enough to miss the 10:30 by about a quarter mile. We had not yet called the bridge as it does not come into sight until rounding a bend at about the quarter mile distance. Oh drat! Now I have to idle and wait for 30 minutes with a good current running.

To make my nerves worse, the navigational info on the bridge states the following, “while there is ample maneuvering room, the strong side-current is tricky–adequate power and careful boat handling are required.” At this point, I’m tempted to let my husband take over. But, I did not, and I’m glad of that decision.

After hailing the bridge tender on the VHF radio to indicate we would be standing by for the 11:00 opening, I settled down and focused on feeling how the boat moved at idle speed in the current. With the current coming at us, it was easy to motor up where we needed to be, and drift back with the current. The key was keeping the boat pointed into the current at idle, which was easy once I learned which way to ease the wheel to get the bow around in the direction I needed. Fortunately, their was lots of room and no other boats waiting, so it made for a good learning experience.

I even enjoyed the sites as we waited our passage of Ladies Island Bridge, while dolphins surfaced all around the waterway.

I feel empowered now, so bring on the bridges!

After getting in to the marina in Beaufort, I celebrated my accomplishment with a Bloody Mary!

And, for any movie buffs out there, in the movie bearing his name, Forest Gump ran across Ladies Island Bridge.  This is her at sunrise.