THE GREAT LOOP

Princess V48 owner Maurice Elliott battles steering issues, notorious reefs, dangerous reptiles and the might of the US Navy to visit some of the East Coast’s most historic harbours en route to New York and the Great Lakes

- Elliott Maurice

SAVANNAH TO NORFOLK

Commencing a 115nm leg of a 2,500nm cruise with mechanical issues is never a desirable option, particularly across open ocean. Our only hope of reprieve is a respected outfit of marine engineers kindly recommended by Fairline after a call to a friend who works for the brand. An electronics specialist, a plumber and a mechanic are awaiting our arrival in Charleston. But first we have to get there. As the British navy’s former gateway to the Caribbean and the northern end of the Bermuda Triangle, we’d planned to spend three days in Charleston so at least we had time on our side.

Founded in the 1670s, it is steeped in history including, sadly, as a former centre of slavery. However, these days, it is one of the most beautiful and cultured cities in the US as well as the home of several legendary US warships. Our reservation at Patriots’ Point Marina offers the perfect base for our stay.

The leg from Savannah, Georgia, along the South Carolina coast involves a short route out of Ossobo inlet followed by a 100-mile open water stretch without any worrisome shoals, reefs or tides, finishing in the wide, safe confines of Charleston Harbor. With this in mind, an early start and thorough briefing about the importance of monitoring the engine temps and pressures were essential. We’d made a temporary repair to the hole in the starboard engine’s exhaust but not before it had covered my lovely clean engine room in black soot! The risk of further overheating also meant restricting our speed to a lowly 22 knots for the five-hour ocean passage. At least the 2-3ft following sea should make it a relatively peaceful one.

SWEET CAROLINA