Georgetown, South Carolina - at Dry Stack Marina at a dock

Walking down main street, peaceful

One of the most beautiful parts of the ICW is from Barefoot Landing Marina, down the Waccamaw River to Georgetown, South Carolina. It was rice growing country in the past due to the fresh water from the Waccamaw River and the 4 ft tides that allowed the water to irrigate the rice fields with the rise and fall of the tides with gates at the fields to control the amount of water. Even with the incoming tide, the water was always fresh where the rice plantations were. This is alligator country for sure!  Still, we didn't see any alligators but we know they're there from our trips to the rice plantations in the past.

We thought these were cute, little dinghies - but then they had no bottoms!

We are now in Georgetown and he had heard of a serious fire a month ago that burned in downtown Georgetown so we took a walk to investigate. Sure enough, it burned down a block of houses but did not damage the harborwalk, all made of wood. The rice museum was undamaged as was the town hall.

They were actually planters!

Fortunately, the fish market that we like was likewise undamaged so we stopped by for grouper fillets for dinner! Ann prepared them to perfection and we had a wonderful meal. You just can't beat fresh fish.

Devastation from the fire in Georgetown

So now we're sitting in the cockpit, enjoying the night and getting ready for an early departure on Tuesday. The route south from here is filled with very shallow spots, some of the least water areas of anywhere on the ICW. It used to be white knuckle time in the past but now, if you run aground, you just back off and try a different route a little to the right or left. Running aground is no big thing on the ICW, you get used to it after awhile, especially with the lack of funding for dredging and the current state of affairs where the Army Corps of Engineers is on furlough due to the budget problems. The ACOE said, if you have a problem, call 911 (not us, we won't answer)! We'll see how far we get.

And a peaceful ending to the day

Barefoot Landing Marina - we have a great meal at Greg Norman's Australian Grill

How would you like to meet this fella going through the Rock Pile?? Note the "helper" strapped on the side

Getting the boat ready for moving on Monday involved filling the water tanks and cleaning out the cabin. Even cruising the ICW, you still have to do "housework". We were reminded today why we call ahead and ask whether there's any commerical traffic (barges, etc.) entering the ICW Rock Pile from the south. There were three barges pushed by large tugs over the past 24 hours that went north up the ICW. Furthermore, they are not just one barge wide but rather two barges side by side or in one case, a barge with a "helper" for going around curves beside the line of barges. Either way, there just cannot be very much room for south bound traffic in the Rock Pile when these guys are headed north! On the other hand, there's got to be more room than we think in the channel through there in order to pass two barges side by side!

Well, he did seem to make it through the bridge

I got a photo of the last of the three barges that passed us today. At least he showed up on AIS so we knew when he was coming. He's the one that appeared to have a "helper" tug strapped to one side of the barges., effectively making the push tow a double wide. In addition to the photos above, here's a video of the barge passing by. You get a better feel for the size of the barge from the video.

One of many couples that stopped by to chat

We're on a face dock here and as people walk by, they often stop and chat awhile. Of course, Ann is not shy about chatting so there usually ensures quite a conversation. Many are attracted by Hoolie, his breed has quite a reputation around here as a good bird dog. Most would love to be doing what we're doing and we would need the Queen Mary to house everyone that offered to come along.

On Monday we'll move on to Georgetown, SC for a stopover. Hopefully the fish market will be open even though it's a holiday, it would be nice to have fresh fish for dinner.We had a great meal tonight at Greg Norman's Austrialian Grill, highly recommended when you're in the area.

Barefoot Landing Marina - at their face dock

Looking north from Barefoot Landing Marina - the swing bridge we have to pass through

Today was a restful day. We spent the day walking through shops but mostly just resting on the back of our boat. There was plenty of sunshine with a high in the 70's, just perfect weather which is greatly appreciated after all the rain we've had the last three days. We met the captain and crew from the 65 ft motorboat docked behind us. He's been down the ICW 14 times and has enjoyed the trip every year. This will be our 4th trip and we're getting to know that way by heart but it's still a lot of fun.

From the back of our boat, sipping wine, nice ending to a great day

I switched my boat insurance from BOAT/US today to the USAA section of Progressive, the one with the annoying commercial on TV (white dress, red lipstick) but their rates are very good. I'm saving about $2000/year on premiums for the same coverage, well worthwhile. And, there's no limitation on when I can go south (no hurricane restrictions).

Handheld photo of the moon, great camera

Otherwise, we just say on the back of our boat and enjoyed the passing scenes. Hoolie attracts a lot of attention so we often have extended conversations with people passing by. We'll have one more day of rest before taking off again on Monday morning for Georgetown. I'm taking Ann out for dinner at Greg Norman's Austrian Grill for one of their signature steaks. Such is cruising down the ICW.

Barefoot Landing - at a face dock

Coming into Barefoot Landing Marina

Finally the weather is turning warmer down here. We wanted to take advantage of the ebb tide but to do so we had to get up early with a 7:00 am start! It was barely daylight but there was enough light to get started. I took Hoolie in for his morning relief in the dark but by the time I got back to the boat it was light.

Turtle heaven

We got off the mooring close to 7:00 am and headed down the Cape Fear river (what a name!) With an ebb tide and less than 10 kts of wind, it was very tame, nothing like it would have been with 15 to 25 kt winds against the tide! We played tag with the ferry, he seemed to want the inside route, to our starboard instead of a port to port pass, strange.

Hummm, seems to be getting intimate  

Eventually we returned to the ICW but had two very shallow spots to contend with. Luckily we had a rising tide and although both spots had very strong currents, we were able to negotiate them successfully without incident. Both shallows were by inlets where the water was pouring in from a rising tide, almost whitewater speed, pushing the boat all over the place.

Barefoot Landing is under new ownership - their first act was to put flowers everywhere

After passing though the inlets, it was "phew", time to relax and run the gauntlets that is the Rock Pile. It's a narrow section of the ICW where they would have run over budget if the width was maintained to spec so instead of going over budget, they made the cut narrower (what an idea, staying within budget!!) That leaves ledges on either side ready to catch the unwary if you stray out of the narrow channel. We didn't and made it okay.

We're now at Barefoot Landing Marina, one of our favorites since there's lots to do with shopping and restaurants aplenty. I'm sure Ann will spend most of Saturday looking through the shops. We plan on staying until Monday morning when we take off for Georgetown and points south. It's nice to be in warm weather again!  

Carolina Beach - at a mooring

Carolina Beach - we had expected more wave action from all the winds we've been having

The winds were only going to be 10 to 20 kts and the rain wasn't supposed to be very heavy so we headed south again, this time for Carolina Beach. The thing to watch out for on this leg of the ICW is the timing of the current on the Cape Fear river. The incoming tide can run 2 kts and the outgoing tide can reach 3 kts. So you don't want to transit the area against the tide when you can only do 7.3 kts. Carolina Beach is the last stop going south before you enter the Cape Fear river so it's a good staging area for timing the best departure for a good tide.

The dinghy dock for the mooring field, well kept

On Saturday, we'll get up at first light to take full advantage of the ebb tide to get to Barefoot Landing by late afternoon. Not only will we experience the Cape Fear river but we also get the enjoyment of going through the "Rock Pile" on a Friday afternoon. For those not familiar with the Rock Pile, it's a section of the ICW where the builders encountered ledge, something they were unprepared for and also not funded for. As a result, the width of the ICW there is only just barely enough for one boat to pass through at a time. It is not a good thing for two boat to meet where one has to get over to one side for the other to pass. There simply isn't enough room and the sides are guarded by rock ledges. The Active Captain logs are sprinkled with examples of where one  boat got over too much and took out their props and shafts (twin screws) on the ledges which are only 2 to 3 feet under the water immediately adjacent to the channel.

We are deep into palm tree country now

So the procedure is to call ahead on channels 13 and 16 (and maybe 9 for good measure) to announce your intention of entering the Rock Pile and ask if anyone else is headed towards you. If no reply is received, then you enter. Over the last few years, many captains have gotten lax and no long announce their presence much to the annoyance and surprise of boat going in the opposite direction. So far we've never encountered an oncoming boat for the 15 miles or so of Rock Pile (knock on wood).

Carolina Beach just this year installed moorings for visiting boaters for $20/night. The anchorage where the moorings are located was not known for good holding so the moorings are welcomed as far as I'm concerned. It's totally protected from waves and has some protection from winds. There's dinghy dock for Hoolie relief and a downtown typical of a beachfront area. I'll get up before dawn and take Hoolie in so we can be off the mooring by first light to take full advantage of the ebb tide down the Cape Fear river.

Harbor Village Marina - Last day

Mike Moran of Norrie Point (at one time)

Mike Moran is the manager of the marina which is actually the privately owned slips for the houses surrounding the docks. At any one time there are empty slips and he rents them out for the housing association that owns the marina for a fee. Plus, the marina also sells fuel to members and transients.

Well, in paying my bill today he mentioned that he knew exactly where Lagrangeville, NY was which surprised me since most people have never heard of the town. It turned out that he used to manage Norrie Point Marina! In fact, he knew many of the old timers at the Poughkeepsie Yacht Club including Einar Reeves, Joe Mastri and Ernie Klopping. He had intended at one time to apply for the job of Steward at PYC but when he asked Einar when he intended to retire (so the job would be open) he received no definite answer so he explored other options down south. So it's a small world after all.

The strong winds have pushed water into the ICW and the marina, much higher than normal

The marina that most of the snowbirds stop at near here was at Surf City but that marina went bankrupt. It seems that one of the condo owners in Harbor Village is negotiating buying the marina and if so Mike would manage it too. The marina at Surf City offers access to town facilities and restaurants as well as the beach, all things that Harbor Village lacks. I hope they succeed in taking the facility off the bank's hands.

The wind continues to howl here, presently still at 17 to 19 kts! If you  believe the weather forecast, it's supposed to moderate on Thursday at which time we'll head south to Carolina Beach and take a mooring. We've made great use of our ground tackle to date but now we're entering a section of the ICW where finding an anchoring spot will be difficult, especially with shore access for a dog. Not only are alligators starting to be a possibility but the shore also becomes more crowded with homes which limits shore access. So Thursday will be a mooring at Carolina Beach followed a a stay at Barefoot Landing, Georgetown and on to Charleston by Wednesday, if the post wind weather holds (10 to 15 kts instead of 15 to 25 kts).

Harbor Village Marina - Day 2, lots of rain and wind

Great place to be in a storm!

We really can't complain, the weather has been so good up to now - so a couple of days of rain will still put us ahead of the average number of rainy days going south. That's not to say the weather hasn't been awful the last couple of days. We have winds of 15 to 20 kts with occasionally higher gusts, especially along the coast but in the marina we are very well protected by the surrounding buildings and the fact that there's no fetch at all. Add in excellent TV reception, 5 Mbps free internet and 120 volt power, it's hard to beat. So we're snugged in with both ceramic heaters going which do a good job of fending off dampness as well as keeping the cabin cozy.

Bill Spencer, do you know this boat?

For entertainment, we rented a car today from Enterprise for the usual price of $30/day. They drove the car to the marina for our pickup and after I return it tomorrow morning, they'll give me a free ride back, not bad. So we took advantage of the rental opportunity and shopped at the The Town Center, a great shopping center in Wilmington styled in the new format of separate stores simulating a downtown area. Each store is separate with small streets between them for parking, like old downtowns used to be except this is all new. Nobody seems to be building Galeria type shopping centers anymore.

All cruisers wind up at a Walmart during provisioning and we were no different. We walked out with a ton of stuff we needed and then proceeded to call around for a place to refill our propane tank, not as easy as you might suppose. However, it eventually dawned on us that we ought to look for an RV park. Everybody has propane tanks there so they must have provisions for refilling them and sure enough, the local KOA Kampgrounds did just that. Then it was on to a Harris Teeter for the final topping off on supplies before returning to Fleetwing to be greeted enthusiastically by Hoolie who thought he'd been abandoned.

It is still still raining heavily outside, inches and inches of rain and lots of wind. We'll probably be here again on Wednesday with winds predicted in the 20 kt range and even more rain. The first day that appears good for going south is Thursday, we think. We're still way ahead of last year's schedule so we're not concerned, besides, we're on vacation - nice to be retired.