ICW Part IV - Isle Of Palms to St. Mary's Georgia

Charleston wading fountain

It's been awhile since our last post and we've really got a lot to talk about.  We left Isle Of Palms on the 15th of November and went to Charleston, SC.  We had debated for several days whether or not we would stop at Charleston and finally decided to do so.  Our main reason to stop was to catch the tides and bridge openings to pass safely through Elliott's Cut a particularly nasty section of the ICW just south of Charleston.  We are so glad we stopped.  Charleston is a beautiful old southern city with a rich history and amazing architecture.

Dock Street Theater

 Our friends Jeff and Marjorie aboard Far Niente were also in Charleston.  We met for cocktails and appetizers at Tom Condon's Irish Pub located in Charleston's historic district.  This is the first time we'd caught up with Jeff and Marjorie since the Chesapeake and we had a lot of catching up to do.  We had planned to stay only one day but the winds the next morning were 35-40 mph so we stayed another night at the Charleston City Marina.





 We left early in the morning on the 17th and made our way through Elliott's Cut on a rising tide.  The current in the Cut is very strong and at times it is running at 4-5 kts.  If the current is behind you you're flying through the Cut at 8 kts.  If it's on your nose you're looking at shore thinking you're being pushed backwards.  Another very tricky section on the ICW is a very short channel called Fenwick Cut leading into the Stono River.  We saw depths in this section at mid tide of 5-6 ft.  We were worried we might run aground but the depths rose quickly once we entered the Stono River.

The Rutledge Home

  The evening of the 17th we anchored in the South Edisto River about a quarter mile off the ICW.  We were the only boat in the anchorage and we realized we were many miles from any civilization.  It was a truly beautiful night at anchor.

Edisto River Anchorage

 The next morning it was off again bright and early to make Beaufort, SC by dark.  Jeff and Marjorie had taken Far Niente off shore the previous evening and we planned to join them once again in Beaufort.  We arrived in Beaufort within 15 minutes of each other and docked immediately behind them at the Beaufort Downtown Marina.

Far Niente & Dalliance

 This was their final stop until after the holidays.  They will leave Far Niente at the Marina during the holidays and travel home to visit family.

Marjorie & Jeff

 Marjorie's mother Doris lives in Beaufort and she invited us over for dinner that evening.  It was a wonderful meal, great conversation and we were made to feel right at home by Doris and her husband Dick.

Doris & Dick

Shannon, Kris, Jeff, Marjorie

 Beaufort is another charming southern town and a certain stop for us when we pass this way again.  South Carolina is beautiful along the ICW and we enjoyed travelling this section very much.  Hilton Head was our last stop in South Carolina the evening of the 19th.  The next evening we were in Isle Of Hope, Georgia.  By this time Kris and I realized it was possible for us to join our New York friends Rob and Sue in St. Mary's, GA. for Thanksgiving.  In order to do so we'd need to spend two nights at anchor along the Georgia ICW and one night in Brunswick, GA.   While at Isle Of Hope and Brunswick, GA we reconnected with Teresa and Lonn aboard Sapphire.

Teresa & Lonn aboard Sapphire

We first met them at visitors Center in the Dismal Swamp and had run into them several times since.  Lonn kindly shared tide table and chart information on several tricky sections of the Georgia ICW.  We timed our passages through Hell's Gate, the Little Mud River and Jekyll Creek to be sure we were going through on a rising tide.  Thankfully the high tides were mid morning coinciding nicely with our travel time table.  We arrived in St. Mary's at 2:30pm the day before Thanksgiving.  We had a fabulous Thanksgiving meal put on by the town of St. Mary's for the cruisers anchored in the harbor.  The townspeople cook the turkey's, ham and pork roast and the crusiers each bring a side dish.  We're told 300 people enjoyed this years Thanksgiving meal.  We dined with Rob and Sue and a number of new friends we met around the dinner table.

Sue & Rob

  The food was fantastic and we enjoyed the conversation and comraderie very much.

Seagles hosts Cruisers Thanksgiving




 



Moon River



St Mary's Anchorage

  When transitting the Georgia ICW just south of the Isle Of Hope you pass Moon River.  This is the same river which inspired the song Moon River made famous by the singer Andy Williams.  Another point of interest was BlackBeard's Island located in Sapelo Sound and is said to be the pirates favorite hide out.  We've had so many wonderful experiences on the trip it's impossible to list them all.  We do want to point out the fabulous nature scenes we've seen including wide meandering rivers, bald eagles, dolphins and amazing sunsets.  Kris and I had much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. 

Foggy Sunrise at Cattle Pen Creek



ICW Part III Topsail,NC - Isle Of Palms, SC

It's been a week since our last blog, it's been a busy week and cold on the water.

COLD!

We've moved everyday except for Friday and Saturday Night. We stayed in Carolina Beach so we would be positioned for the trip down Snow's Cut.  This also gave us an opportunity to get to the beach.We said good-bye to our friends Anne and John. We had been traveling together since the Great Dismal Swamp. We're sure we'll see them again. It was a sunny afternoon and the warn sun felt good to our chilled bones.

Carolina Beach

The transit through the cut went smoothly. We entered the Cape Fear River at the end of the cut and "fear" was in Kris' eyes. All the navigation markers had to be sorted out. Which ones do we need to follow? Yikes! We managed, no problem. We moved leisurely down the ICW to the St James Plantation Marina. The marina was surrounded by condos, but it was beautiful. They had a deli/market and restaurant and a bar that had live music. We listened from the boat.

St James Planation

We moved on the next day to Myrtle Beach Barefoot Resort. We could tell we were getting close by all the development, condos hotels and golf courses with some major water hazards.

Golf transport over ICW

Across the ICW was an outlet mall, restaurants, shops and tourist traps. You could walk across the bridge if you wanted. We didn't. As we left Myrtle Beach, the scenery changed and became almost desolate. The ICW enters the Waccamaw River which is wide, deep, winding with thick forests on both sides. It was breathtaking. However, the Bucksport Marina allowed us to dock even though they were closed for renovations.

Bucksport Marina

No explanation needed

 Free power, water and dockage, a cruisers dream  come true. All for the promise of a return trip when they open after March 2011. This is where we met Andree and Chuck. We took a walk near the abondoned rice paddies and enjoyed the sun. In the morning, it was on to Georgetown, SC where we spent two nights. We were able to get groceries, fuel for the boat and ourselves. We spent Saturday evening with Andree and Chuck, sharing information and experiences. We strolled the streets, looking at the old homes that have been restored. We found the oldest tree in South Carolina, 23 ft in diameter and over 500 yrs old.

Isle Of Palms Beach

 Now we are at the Isle of Palms Marina and again were able to walk the beach. On the way, we had several dolphin escorts. One took a liking to us and stayed next to the boat for several minutes. I could almost reach out and touch him. We are planning today's (Monday) trip to Charleston.

ICW Part II Elizabeth City to Topsail NC



Anne & John aboard Luna

 We realize it's been a full week since our last post.  It's the end of our first day on eastern standard time.  We're in Topsail, NC.  We've been moving Dalliance everyday since Elizabeth City with the exception of a 2 day layover in Oriental, NC for routine maintenance.  We crossed the Abermarle Sound on Monday November 1st in conditions which caused NOAA to post a small craft advisory. This usually means winds in excess of 20 knots and waves 3-4ft.  The good news was the winds and general direction of the waves were on the stern of our boat.  Although challenging for the helmsperson it makes for a much smoother ride.  The other good news, we made the crossing in "warp speed".  The entrance to the Alligator River was very tricky and we had been warned not to follow the channel markers as indicated on the charts.  As we've mentioned previously shoaling occurs throughout the year on the inra-coastal and channel markers are moved on a regular basis.  Even with the excellent "scouting report " from our friends Jeff and Marjorie on Far Niente we almost missed one of the green bouys marking the entrance to the channel.  It turned out to be the exact bouy Jeff and Marjorie had told us to watch out for.  Had it not been for the kind radio communication from a trawler following us into the channel a grounding certainly could have occured. We've been travelling with another couple from Baltimore, MD.  John and Ann are sailing a 35' Pearson Yawl named LUNA.  John and Ann left Baltimore in mid- June and spent the summer exploring the coast of Maine as far north as Bar Harbor.  Returning to the Baltimore area at the end of August they took care of some landlubber stuff and refit to start LUNA on a journey south in early October.  We met them while rafted up in the Great Dismal Swamp.  Given our boat speeds are approximately the same we've stayed together for the past week.  We've enjoyed their company and consultation.  In Oriental, NC we went out to a restaurant together.  It was called Oriental Steamers and it had  a great menu.  Arriving at the restaurant via a car the restaurant had dispatched, Kris and I both had an Oh Shit! moment.  It was the very same restaurant we had dined at with our friends Sam and Barb in 2005 while transporting their new boat from Wilmington, NC to Little Sodus Bay, NY.



Our Friends Sam & Barb


 We both felt a very nostalgic moment.  We're trying to move Dalliance everyday at least 30 miles.  This totals 5-6 hrs. on the water each day.  If we find ourselves making exceptionally good time we'll adjust our plans and make as much as 45-50 miles.  We had this opportunity mid - week lifting anchor in Pungo Creek on 11/3 @0715 hrs and sailing to Oriental arriving at 1600 hrs.  Although it was a wet trip, winds and seas were favorable for Dalliance to comfortably make the passage.  We really like Oriental.  Although development is starting to affect real estate prices the town retains a small town friendly atmosphere.  It boasts itself as the Sailing Capitol of NC.  Given the number of sticks we saw in it's anchorages and marinas it gets our vote.  Across the Neuss River and down Adams Creek we found ourselves in Morehead City, NC on Thursday morning.

Gorgeous Morehead City Sunset

  We stayed the night at Sanitary Seafood for $10 with no electric or water.  It was a bargain and once again we ran into the Marrs the Canadian couple we first met in Amsterdam, NY.  They left Morehead City @ 0200 hrs for an outside passage to Wrightsville Beach.  They have a deep draft on Messenger and felt it prudent not to test the channels of the NC intra-coastal.  We also mention this meeting to underscore the fact that people you meet along the way become friends and you're sure to meet up somewhere down the line.  After Morehead City it was onto Swansboro and Surf City on
Topsail Island where we are at this posting.

Surfers

 We've been escorted a number of times by dolphin in the NC intra-coastal.  Beyond that excitement it's pretty much keep in the channel and stay off the shoals.  We expect to be in South Carolina by weeks end and we'll share our adventures from the next leg of our trip.
P.S. - I'd like to thank Knute and Mike at Whitaker Creek Yacht Marina for their staying with me until my engine once again purred like a kitten.     




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