I was sweating today in tee shirt and shorts as I cooked my favorite summer lunch, fried squash. That should have prepared me for the sight of girls sunbathing in bikinis in Marion Park, some in thongs but, it didn’t. Sorry, no pictures.
I then walked down one of the main shopping streets which had been turned into a pedestrian mall for the afternoon. Even at 4:00, it was still warm enough to keep me walking slowly back towards the boat. This is a lovely city and, I think, maybe far enough south.
Some rough figuring:
I’ve traveled 1538 miles since Portland, say, 90% under power so 1384 nm. My average speed overall is a consistent 5.0 knots according to the GPS odometer function, so I have run the engine for 276 hours. I move right along so burn about .9 gallons per hour. That’s 250 gallons of diesel. At an average price of $4.00 per gallon, I’ve spent $993 dollars in fuel to get this far. That’s still less than half the price of shrink wrapping and storing the boat and a lot more fun.
I’ve had 43 travel days so my daily fuel cost is a bit over $23.00 and my monthly cost is about $693 if I travel my usual amount every day. I’m 86 days out so traveling about half the time though. Since I have fewer friends in the south, I’m likely to travel more.
I’ve just learned that I could stay here in this slip with my BoatUS discount for $520 a month. Hey, that’s cheaper than traveling! I find the Maritime Center way nicer than the Megadock on the other side. There are two great food stores and a hardware store a five minute walk away and the French Quarter and Market are five minutes beyond that. Believe me, I’ve been thinking about it.
However, I think I’ll probably be headed south in the morning unless something changes my mind overnight. The depth of winter is yet to come. I’m having fond memories of everything to the south, reinforced now by how nice it has been to revisit everything that lies behind me. A month in Charleston is just as good an option in January or February.
Where will I be tomorrow night, here or somewhere down on the South Edisto River? Hey, your guess is as good as mine. I wonder what kind of mood I’ll wake up in? That’s the great thing about this life.
I then walked down one of the main shopping streets which had been turned into a pedestrian mall for the afternoon. Even at 4:00, it was still warm enough to keep me walking slowly back towards the boat. This is a lovely city and, I think, maybe far enough south.
Some rough figuring:
I’ve traveled 1538 miles since Portland, say, 90% under power so 1384 nm. My average speed overall is a consistent 5.0 knots according to the GPS odometer function, so I have run the engine for 276 hours. I move right along so burn about .9 gallons per hour. That’s 250 gallons of diesel. At an average price of $4.00 per gallon, I’ve spent $993 dollars in fuel to get this far. That’s still less than half the price of shrink wrapping and storing the boat and a lot more fun.
I’ve had 43 travel days so my daily fuel cost is a bit over $23.00 and my monthly cost is about $693 if I travel my usual amount every day. I’m 86 days out so traveling about half the time though. Since I have fewer friends in the south, I’m likely to travel more.
I’ve just learned that I could stay here in this slip with my BoatUS discount for $520 a month. Hey, that’s cheaper than traveling! I find the Maritime Center way nicer than the Megadock on the other side. There are two great food stores and a hardware store a five minute walk away and the French Quarter and Market are five minutes beyond that. Believe me, I’ve been thinking about it.
However, I think I’ll probably be headed south in the morning unless something changes my mind overnight. The depth of winter is yet to come. I’m having fond memories of everything to the south, reinforced now by how nice it has been to revisit everything that lies behind me. A month in Charleston is just as good an option in January or February.
Where will I be tomorrow night, here or somewhere down on the South Edisto River? Hey, your guess is as good as mine. I wonder what kind of mood I’ll wake up in? That’s the great thing about this life.
