Saturday, May 1st - Day 17
Our first obstacle of the day was transiting Elliott Cut then the Wappoo Creek Bridge that had to open for us to get into Charleston Harbor. I had checked the current prediction last night for Elliott Cut and it would start running against us at 7am. We have seen 5 knots of current in this cut (sometimes it seems like the houses on shore are going to pass you) so I wanted to make sure the current wasn't against us. Since it was a weekend, The Wappoo Creek Bridge was not on a schedule and would open when we asked (or shortly afterwards).
I had the alarm set for 5:30am thinking we would try to be underway by 6am. It was still pretty dark when the alarm went off but I could see the sky to the east just starting to lighten. After engine checks and getting the cockpit setup for cruising, we pulled the anchor right at 6am. Perfect!
Pre-sunrise color in sky and water was our reward for the early start.
We slowly motored the 1/2 mile to Elliott Cut as I let Gertrude (our Perkins diesel) warm up. As we entered the cut, our speed picked up to 10 knots and we zoomed through like a watermelon seed at a spitting contest. 10 minutes later we were through the Wappoo CreekBridge and motoring out into Charleston Harbor.
Sunrise was just after the Wappoo Creek Bridge. Here the Sun is shining through the Hwy 30 high-rise bridge just before Charleston Harbor.
I was a little concerned about the winds today which were supposed to run into the mid-20s right on our nose. When we had pulled the anchor, the winds were only about 10 knots but we were protected from trees on the windward side. As we motored into the more open harbor, the winds did pick up to the mid-20s and we started rocking through a 2 foot windchop. Our ride did improve as we motored closer to the shore and back into the ICW. Laura had to go out and wash down our cockpit windows that had become salt-stained from the spray off the waves.
The Ben Sawyer Bridge was next but they don't start their on-the-hour schedule until 9am on weekends. By 8am we were through the bridge and had open water to Winyah Bay about 40 miles away.
This section has been shallow in the past but recent dredging made it much better. No problems as we motored passed the Isle of Palms and into the more open South Carolina flats.
Winds continued to crank as we made our way through the more open countryside but the wave never picked up enough to start throwing spray onto our cockpit windows. The high winds did slow us down as Second Wind has a very high freeboard - lots of boat out of the water for the wind to affect.
As we passed Minum Creek several hours later, a large Bald Eagle flew in front of the boat. Laura got her good Nikon camera as the eagle settled into a tree next to the waterway. He sat there looking at us until we motored by. This camera has a great zoom lens.
The ebb tide had already started in Winyah Bay before we got there so I knew it would be hard to motor up-river against the current. But, I was hopeful the winds would remain strong enough to help us with some sail out. I was hoping to get to Butler Island which has a nice anchorage that would be protected from the winds tonight.
It worked out rather well as we put out the full jib to catch the 10-12 knot winds once we turned up the river. The boat held around 5 knots and we probably would have been doing 3 knots if the wind wasn't helping. Here we are jib motor-sailing up Winyah Bay toward Georgetown, SC.
The winds remained helpful for the next couple hours and we dropped anchor behind Butler Island at 6:30pm after a long 12 and 1/2 hour day. Once again, we were rewarded by a colorful sunset.
After dinner we watched a little TV but hit the sack early. Good news is the flood current won't start until about 11am tomorrow so we can sleep in. No alarm!
66nm today, 707 total mile for the trip
Sunday, May 2nd - Day 18
We relaxed in the morning and I worked on a few engine issues - added a little oil, tightened a belt, etc.. before pulling the anchor at 10:20am.
Weather tomorrow was supposed to be stormy with rain and thunderstorms so we had hoped to hunker-down in a marina. Our first choice was Myrtle Beach Yacht Club because it is in a protected cove, has a great restaurant on-site and is good for walks. I called them at 8:30am and was able to make a reservation for tonight and tomorrow. I also told the gent on the phone that we would probably be arriving after they closed at 5pm and was hoping I could just come up to the office and pay tomorrow morning. He agreed and we were happy to have a nice home for a couple days.
It was a nice ride up the Waccamaw River. As we've learned in the past, sometimes traveling the ICW on weekends can be a little crazy. Today was no exception. Small boats were everywhere having a good time and waving to us. My arm was getting sore from all the waving!
The flood currents started helping us a few hours later and I knew from experience they would help push us all the way through to North Myrtle Beach.
As we entered the narrow Myrtle Beach Cut off the upper Waccamaw, the local traffic was even busier. Everybody that knew anybody with a boat was out on the water. I took this picture of a good rafting spot for the local boats. The shore was shallow enough for folks to anchor and get out and walk around. It seemed like fun and this one section had probably a hundred boats anchored along the shore. Sorry the boats are a little fuzzy. I guess the camera focused on our canvas but you get the picture (pun intended....).
No problems with all 3 bridges that had to open for us and we pulled into the Yacht Club at 6:15pm. I had called a little while ago and spoke to the dockmaster who gave us our slip assignment and directions. We tied up with help from a few other boaters and settled down for a couple days of relaxing.
The Officers Club restaurant is closed on Monday and Tuesday so we hoped to get a table for dinner tonight. After all the folks we saw out and about today, we were worried that the place would be very busy. Laura called and was able to make a reservation for 7pm. Yea!
We were only 1 of 5 tables occupied in the whole restaurant. Where did everybody go? Food and drinks were excellent including a brownie-sundae we split for dessert. Back to the boat, watch a little TV and off to bed early. Tomorrow is another day....
Monday, May 3rd - Day 19
No alarm set again today as we relaxed in the morning. We were watching the weather RADAR closely but it seemed like most of the storms were west and north of us.
Our refrigerator was getting low on fresh fruit and veggies so, around 10am, Laura and I decided to walk to the Food Lion down the street for groceries. We planed to Uber back to the boat with the load.
I stopped by the marina office and paid for 2 nights - $140. Nice! A few days ago we had stayed at Brunswick Landing Marina and it cost almost $120 for one night. Not so nice...
As we walked down the highway, it seemed like the grocery store was a lot farther than we remembered. I guess we had only gotten off the boat and walked a few times in the last couple weeks. The 2.5 miles to the Food Lion seems like a lot.
But, no worries as we stocked up on things we needed. It seems like they had just put out fresh vegetables and fruit since everything looked great. Even the prices were reasonable compared to the Florida Keys were we spent the Winter.
Pauline (the Uber driver) picked us up and dropped us off at the marina a short time later. I love Uber! About $8 for a ride in a fairly new Chrysler Town and Country mini-van with all our groceries. Plus, running for groceries on a boat are so much easier when the dinghy is not involved.
We will leave early tomorrow for the Cape Fear river and the Carolina Beach mooring field. Unlike the last 2 years, winds are not good for the off-shore run so we will take the ICW through the shallow Shallott and Lockwoods Folly inlets near low tide.
This is my 31st trip on the ICW. I try to make a game of how far we go before the boat touches the bottom. I have only made it 2 trips between the Hudson River and the Florida Keys without touching at all. Sometimes, I'm happy when we ground somewhere early in the trip so I don't have to worry about it anymore. So far this trip, we have not touched. Wish me luck tomorrow navigating through the shallow inlets at low tide! I'll be the one going really slow...
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