Saturday, April 29, 2017

Barefoot Landing Marina - at their dock

A view along the Waccamaw River
It was not a quiet night at Georgetown Landing Marina. We couldn't find a dock at our usual stop in town so we opt'ed for a marina farther north but exposed to a southerly wind. On cue, the wind came up all night and slapped the waves against the boat. For me I just took my hearing aids out and I was fine but for Ann it was another matter. I don't think we'll be staying there again unless it's a guaranteed calm night.

Ann loves to meet other boaters along the way
We went up the Waccamaw River today to wind up at Barefoot Landing Marina. It's a very beautiful trip up the river. There is very little development and the countryside is pretty. It must have been a blue moon since the tide was even in our favor, something that rarely happens.

The docks here have all been repaired from hurricane Matthew damage
Unfortunately, the Socastee swing bridge is still in operation even though there's a 65 ft high bridge about 100 yards south! It even connects to the same road - but the locals seem to like their bridge and even had it declared a historical resource. Today they had some sort of celebration and people were walking back and forth on the bridge, we never did see any cars use it.  So when we asked for it to open we were told they had to wait to clear the bridge of pedestrian traffic. That was bad enough but they also had an emergency event requiring an ambulance. All the while we're here doing circles and watching the cars that had to get from one side to the other using the 65 ft bridge! So it looks like us cruisers are stuck with this swing bridge that occasionally get inundated with flood waters and doesn't open for weeks at a time. There is no logic here, only emotion. It doesn't affect the locals since they can always get across using the 65 ft bridge about 100 yards south. Crazy.

We plan on being at Barefoot Landing Marina for a couple of days and I owe Ann a dinner at Greg Norman's Australian Grill, her favorite restaurant on the ICW. After that we'll look for weather and if it's good, we'll head out for St James Plantation Marina on Monday. If the thunderstorms develop as predicted, we'll wait another day before heading north again.

2 comments:

greg smith said...

bob, at MM 12 (AYB) and will complete our first ICW trip from Stuart tomorrow. Your book and downloadable routes were invaluable. Thanks

Greg and Lisa Smith
m/v Privateer
Krogen 52

Bob423 said...

Hi Greg, good to hear from you! So much has changed since the fall with all the dredging in North Carolina. I hope everyone looked at Active Captain first before using the waypoints in the spring. The waypoints in non-dredged areas still appear to be good. The most valuable set of waypoints are those giving the red side passage through Fernandina. With all the uncharted shoals in the area, following those waypoints is a must.

I will be updating all waypoints when I return home for the summer and publish the 2017 version of my guide. I found a marginally better route through Jekyll and that will be included. The 2017 version will be greatly expanded, stay tuned.