The first half of today’s 45-mile transit was in the Waccamaw River a few miles west of and parallel to the coast between Georgetown and Myrtle Beach. The second part of the trip was in a dredged channel heading northeast toward South Carolina’s Grand Strand.
Five miles south of where the dredged channel and Waccamaw River go their separate ways, a chart note said: CURRENT REVERSES. I’d been watching the river, gauging the depth and shoals, and checking my eye against the chart. I didn’t see the current reversal coming. Nobody could have.
The note – current reverses — reminded me of a literary device: reversal of fortune. Something happens to change a character’s luck for better or worse. She or he has to respond, make choices, hope for the best.
Today’s weather was a change of fortune. We’ve been in rain since Savannah. But today the sun shone brightly while a cool breeze blew the clouds and humidity out to sea.
Katie — whose leashed-walk fortune changed for the better yesterday at Georgetown’s park — got in another ball-chasing session early.
On the way back to the marina, I turned to take a photo of Front Street’s tunnel of live oaks, glistening under the morning sky. Its houses were washed clean, as some of them have been doing after rainfall since the early 18th century. One, since 1737.
But my phone was locked. The password I’ve used for at least a decade wouldn’t open it. I got the dreaded Wait 1 Minute prompt. I tried again after that minute, then after 2, then 4, then 15. Finally, my phone informed me I wasn’t myself. I was a security risk. It wouldn’t unlock at all.
My fortune had reversed for the worst.
Back at the marina, I stopped to wish friends well. Others were already gone. I took in lines. Pete drove out. Then I did what you do to make your phone work again. Support desk. Shut down this. Turn off that. Enter this. Restart that.
Finally, I was on the cusp of a fortune reversal for the better. But then we lost cell coverage and again it turned to the worst. I gave up electronics to take a breather at the helm.
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The Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge is one of my favorites. The trees begin to be more cypress and hardwood and less live oak and pine. It’s hard to tell exactly where you cross an invisible line between ecosystems.
It’s also hard to tell where you cross the line between the channel’s tidal currents and its river currents, water simply running downhill from the mountains to the sea. There’s a result – water is pushing you or dragging you back — though it’s not always clear why or which influence is stronger.
The chart note explained that north of the point current ran toward Myrtle Beach and south of it, toward Georgetown. Like fortune, it reverses without explanation, though I imagine someone somewhere has the answer.
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Today, Irish Hurricane’s fortunes held. We reached Myrtle Beach safely. Pete put her right on the dock despite a stiff wind and lots of eddying current.
My phone is working at least as well as it was before my fortunes reversed this morning. It has a new password. Fortunately, everything it held was backed up to the cloud. Contacts, apps, old texts, and voicemails from people who are gone but I still love.
Katie’s fortune held. There’s an enormous dog park adjacent to the marina. There, she met an enormous Great Dane named Elvis which, despite his great size, was unable to keep up with Katie the Deckie.
She chased her ball until the sun set and the stars appeared. On balance, it was a very good day.
Irish Hurricane 