Entering South Carolina

K We have been making steady progress south and although I am still wearing my fleece pants, it has been warming up during the days. This section of the ICW parallels the Atlantic Ocean.

               These are newer cookie cutter homes with the very popular "widow's walk". 

                                           A widow's walk with outdoor stairs

                                              The traditional widow's walk. 

 We have had occaisions where there are houses on the west side of the ICW and on the east side there was a sand bank, a swampy bit of water and then rows and rows of homes packed together facing the ocean. In some places the houses on the ICW have docks that are almost as wide as the "ditch". 

   An opening to the Atlantic, we are now in the area where there are tidal issues to deal with.  The currents rush in and out of these openings so you will have the current against you approaching the opening and once you cross it the tide with be with you!  Going across the openings you have to adjust for the push or pull of the current and crab sideways across the opening.  Since it is so shallow and sandy in most of this area, shoaling is a big issue, so one must be extremely diligent in paying attention to where you are and not necessarily believing the water depths published on the chart. 

We passed through Camp Lejuene the other day and we stopped for 90 minutes while they conducted  a live firing exercise. There was a lot of BOOMING, and rat a tat tatting, and then they stopped and we got to transit the firing range. 

         This target looks pretty beat up, I would not care to walk in those dunes. 

We stopped in Southport, NC for our weekly laundry run and hot running showers.  After we tied up the fellow informed us that the water was off and we could not shower or do the laundry, that was the bad news, the good news was we got to stay for free:)  It ended up being a lovely stop, we walked along the waterfront and saw the very well kept historic homes there, mostly built in the late 1800's. 

One house had the most marvellous display of blow up Christmas decorations, I had ever seen. 

With true southern style, the waterfront park had swinging benches and the museums had rocking chairs out front. 

We just past through the Myrtle Beach area, it apparently has 120 golf courses in the area.  

We would be in trouble on this course, way toooooo close to the water. 

This gondola style lift is to take the duffers from one side of the ICW where they park their cars to the other side, where the golf course it.  There were signs for the shark exhibit in an aquarium so probably more than just the golf course to travel back and forth across for!!

Sailing Info.

We are using "The Intracoastal Waterway, Norfolk to Miami, A Cockpit Cruising Handbook" by Jan and Bill Moeller. It is a small guide with few pictures and has references to bridges, anchorages and marinas by the mile number along the waterway. We just purchased the Waterway Guide, Atlantic ICW, Intracostal Waterway, Norfolk VA to Jacksonville Fl, published by Waterway Guide Media.  It is a great guide, with introductions to cities along the way, plus it is updated yearly about conditions on the waterway.  It is sponsored by Marinas, etc. But also mentions anchorages and their pluses and minuses. 

Southport Marina    33*55.1 N  X  78*01.7 W

Very helpful with docking, nice facilities

Water was off in showers and laundry so we got to stay for free, otherwise $2.00/ft

Hank a retired meteorologist gives a free info. session every night during the boat migration season, he gives a weather forecast and a handout on all the bad spots from Southport to Savannahon the ICW It was super.  He also runs a yacht care business and drives cruisers around for $15 a round trip. 

Calabash Creek    33*52.4N  X  78*34.2  W

Anchored in 4 m of water at half tide. Good holding, good protection

No services nearby

Do not anchor at south entrance to the creek, shoaling badly. 

Prince Creek off the Waccamaw Rivee  33*35.8 N  X 79*04.95

Anchored in 7m of water in small creek with strong current

Very Good holding and great protection

Short scoped ourselves a little because the creek was very narrow, no problem, did swing close to east bank but did not go aground.  More water on the east side.