2023 - 2024 Cruise ~ Week 3

Sunday, October 8, 2023 ~ Southport, NC to Myrtle Beach, SC
Today:          37 miles         5 hours          S/M   346.0
Total:          531 miles     82.9  hours

     Our furry, 4-footed alarm when off at 6:45 am. We were away from the dock at 7:45 once again. It was a chilly, 48 degrees, with light winds from the WNW were about 5. Skies were clear so temps climbed quickly to the higher 60’s, but stayed there as we traveled.
     We made decent time considering the inlets. Holden Beach’s waterfront has improved. The derelict and sunk boats have finally been removed. It’s been build up and somewhat beautified for recreational uses. 

 

     We were surprised and relieved. Lockwood Folly Inlet showed depth greater than 9 feet at low tide through the ICW pass, while access to the ocean has shoaled pretty bad. Shallotte Inlet had nothing less than 10. The recent dredging of New River out to sea is still looking good and when we crossed it, there were no issues. At 12:13 pm we were just north of New River and officially entered South Carolina and switched the VHS to channel 9. The is the line of demarcation; bridges south of here are on channel 9 while those to the north are on channel 13.

Entrance to the
marina off the ICW

     We were docked by 1. While Pete did chores I took Tillie for a walk. In the parking lot, I called Steph to let her know we had arrived. They, too, just arrived at the marina. The marina bill was settled and we came back to the boat. Pete had finished the after docking chores. Tillie was placed down below, and we headed out for lunch. 

     While on the ICW, about a mile north of the marina, we passed the commercial docks for the fishing, dolphin cruise fast boats and the casino boats. We also noted a group of water view restaurants. Once there, we chose Hurricane Jules, and were not disappointed. We sat on the deck and watched one of the fast tour boats return and dock right in front of us. The calamari, and the sandwiches: salmon & candied bacon, the Po‘boy fish , the Po‘boy shrimp and the cheese burger, were all delish! Unfortunately, all too soon, we had to give our final hugs. They have a 3.5-hour drive home.

View from our outdoor deck table at Hurricaine Juel's

     We passed on dinner as we were still full. I had paperwork to submit for Tillie’s insurance. Pete had high hopes to watch the Eagles game. No luck. We had access to the game if we still had TV service from Norfolk. We just changed it to Myrtle Beach. He tried to follow the updates via the phone, but finally gave up and took a much appreciated nap.
     When Tillie walked around 6.30 pm, I heard a strange bird sounds, then saw a small black body fly out from under the dock ramp. That’s when I realized they were bats! They were gone by the 9:30 when I took Tillie for her final walk.
     It’s off to sleep. Thankfully, tomorrow’s trip is only about 4.5 hours.

Monday, October 9, 2023 ~ Myrtle Beach to Bucksport, SC
Today:          31 miles         5.5 hours          S/M     377.3
Total:          562 miles       88.4 hours

     It was another cool night. We woke to 48 degrees and calm winds. Once back from walking Tillie, Pete did more research on the drip coming from the fuel injection pump stop lever. He sent an email with photos. Our great mechanic in Ft. Pierce, Pedro, got back rather quickly, saying he didn’t think it was serious and gave Pete some suggestions.
     Once out of the marina, we heard a call for opening the Little River Bridge. We were a good 1/2 mile away. Apparently, the bridge tender saw us and held the bridge not only for us but for the sailboat about 1000 feet behind us. When asked by our lead boat how to know if there is oncoming traffic in The Rock Pile, she gave him the info. MY FREEDOM is a beautiful 65-foot Katie Krogan, who has never done the ICW. He crawled through the Rock Pile at 4.5 mph and stayed religiously on Bob’s track. Barefoot Landing has more construction underway as that restaurant, entertainment and shopping area increases in popularity. BTW: the marina looks to be at capacity.

A village of cottage homes were built
 near the Barefoot Landing Marina

I dropped my phone.
 Tillie tried to retrieve it
 and took a selfie

     We were passed by 3 cruisers as we cruised through Myrtle Beach. We still had a way to go to reach the Socastee Bridge when we heard a request for an opening. When we arrived 30 minutes later, they were still waiting for the opening of an on-demand bridge. When the slow sailboat behind us caught up, he finally opened. There was no communication as to why the delay. This is another first: None of the 4 boats thanked the bridge tender for the opening.
     There are a lot of new developments and homes being built in both North Myrtle and Myrtle Beach. I marvel at the many homes that replaced the homes inundated twice with 17- foot plus flood tides in Socastee in the past few years. A fair number did not elevate the new homes more than a couple of feet. Why???

     The current changed once we were clear of the bridge. We only had about an hour to Bucksport. 
     We tied up close to 2. Tillie was so excited, she somehow balled up her artificial turf pad, then proceeded to piddle on the rug. She is 1 day short of being a year old. It is apparent we still have a long way to go!
    The sailboat that has been following us since entered the ICW from the marina, no longer followed us after the Socastee Bridge. We watched TowBoat bringing him to Bucksport about 3 hours later. We hope whatever his problem is, it is an easy fix.
     I spent the afternoon writing the blog and working on photos. There is not enough internet here to post. I hope that once we are at St Johns Marina, I should be able to get current as we will be there for 3 days.

Tuesday, October 10, 2023 ~ Bucksport to Georgetown SC.
Today:          28 miles        4.0  hours          S/M     406.3
Total:          590 miles      92.4  hours

     Our furry alarm doesn’t care that we planned to leave a bit later this morning. She woke is at 6:45. Our plan was to leave by 9 am. The current would be changing and we should have it all the way down the Waccamaw River. Plus, it is only about a 5-hour day.
     Tillie was walked, engine checked and I had time to “style” my hair after washing it last night. Usually, I let it air dry overnight then put it in a ponytail or clip.
    We departed as planned. We headed over to the eastern shore so I could check on the “Old Grandmother” tree, that continues to capture my attention. Somehow, she manages to survive being hollowed out. She has a single branch of her crown that still has life.

 
The beautifully scenic Waccamaw with ancient trees, winding waters,

 "decorated" nav aids, trees in the water and abandoned rice patties. . .and Tillie checking it all out.

     The ride down the Waccamaw was beautiful as always. The current changed about an hour after we departed. We saw our speed increase to 8.4 mph at one point. I did manage to catch up and eventually pass a cruiser doing the same speed as us. He was wiggling and winding along Bob’s track. I took the direct, inside line, using the close, deep waters around the curves. That, my friends, is racin’!

The strong currents in 
the marina

     We pulled up to Georgetown Landing, where 2 dock hands and the dock master were waiting to catch our lines. With the very strong currents here, it can get dicey. We, and they, were ready so it was a smooth landing.
     By 1 pm, fuel was filled, Tillie was walked, and lunch was ready. It was a quick 4 hours.
     After lunch, Pete read up above, while I downloaded a bunch of photos and uploaded the written part of the blog, which I have be writing daily on my phone. I have 3 weeks of the written blog up on the website, but have to sort, prep and post photos. Hopefully, with our 3-day stay in St. John’s, I will catch up.
     Today is Tillie’s birthday. We somehow survived her first year!

Wednesday, October 11, 2023 ~ Georgetown to Isle of Palms, SC
Today:          54 miles             8 hours          S/M     456.8
Total:           644  miles      100.4   hours

     Another successful up-and-out by 7:45. The sun poked through the clouds only 20 minutes prior. It is fall and the days are getting shorter. With the clouds, we still started the day with temps in the high 60’s and a light breeze from the WSW, 5-8 mph.

 
Today's sunrise

     We were against the current halfway down the Waccamaw, increasing to 7.6 before turning into the Estherville Minim Canal. The entrance once again is shoaling slightly. As long as we follow Bob’s Tracks, there is no problem.

Sights between Georgetown and McCllanville

 

     Greg, the harbormaster from Belhaven Marina, was right. We were ahead of the flock by 3-5 days. The past 3 days we have seen an uptick in snowbirds.
     We were passed by 3 cruisers this morning and by midday, we passed the sailboat that left our dock about 25 minutes before us. Otherwise, we saw nothing, but a couple of small fishing boats for the rest of the day.
     McClellanville is always a mystery. Today, we crossed the area slightly below mid-tide and rising. There were a couple of spots where the water thinned to about 3.5 feet. The spot that always requires complete attention is slightly south of Awendaw, where the water on each side of the track appears less than 5-foot at MLW. I managed to stay mostly calm and saw nothing less than 3.4-feet under the keel (9-foot total water).
     The skies turned to grey, the temps in the low seventies, and heading into a raw breeze made it feel as if it might rain. Though predicted, it didn’t appear. Without much contrast, these beautiful areas didn’t show off their charms. Even the dolphins and pelicans appeared to stay home.
     After checking the weather for tomorrow, we will stay at Isle of Palms an extra day. The remnants of Lidia, a tropical storm that formed in the eastern Pacific, will make tomorrow’s crossing of the Ashley River and docking at St John’s “a bit sporty” in 18-25 mph winds with gusts to 30-40 out of the NNE. Friday looks like a better day.

     Docked around 4 with the help of the charter boat captain here at the dock. The marina is shorthanded today. I completed the end of day cruising chores while Pete walked Tillie. Checked and made sure all items above are secure, even with the enclosure up. We don’t want the winds to cause and problems.

     It drizzled on and off, but the heavier rains waited until I walked Tillie around 10:15. I had a real problem trying to locate a dumpster for the trash. Then it was interesting to use the video pad for the code to access the docks. After 4 tries, I thought I might have to call Pete to come and open the gate. Thankfully, the 5th time it worked!

Thursday, October 12. 2021~ Day 2 ~ Isle of Palms

     So glad we are staying put. The rains came around 12:30-1am, and was heavy at times. At one point, Tillie barked, thinking someone was outside the boat. Winds were approaching 20 mph by 4:30 while the rains continued.
     Tillie up by 6:25. Pete took her for a quick walk in the rain. Once back, we both found quite a few burrs with our bare feet. Between the floor and her paws, we found close to 40! Many needed to be cut out of her fur.

     
These are the WINDY App screen shots and the WeatherBug Radar at 11 am

     Pete thoroughly combed Tillie. I stripped & remade the bed, then scrubbed the bathroom. After lunch Pete read while I worked on the blog.
     Around 4, we heard a boat’s thrusters. The 50-foot Katie Krogen, FREEDOM docked behind us on the dock. This is the boat we followed from Myrtle Beach.
     I spoke with Diane, from I Dock, Ft. Pierce. They have a friend coming down from Cape Cod in a Fleming, who traveled through the night arriving in Charleston (about 5 miles from here) around 4 am this morning. They dropped anchor for a few hours, then continued down the ICW. Wind speeds just offshore were 30 +, 10- 12-foot waves and gusts to 60 mph. Even in a large, well-built boat, it would have been a very rough ride.
     After dinner, I was able to complete 2 blog posts. WOO HOO!!

Friday, October 13, 2023 ~ Isle of Palm to St. Johns
Today:          16 miles                 2 hours          S/M     472.6
Total:           660  miles         102.4  hours

     Tillie let us sleep in. . . until 7:15 am. It is a raw, cool, 64-degree morning, with the NNE wind of 15 mph.  Tillie was carefully walked on the decks, pine straw and gravel. Somehow, she still managed to pick up a few burrs. I think/hope we found them all.
     We are five miles north of the Ben Franklin Bridge. It’s closed between 6-9 am and 4-7 pm. We headed out for the opening at 9. Today, we were traveling with tides slightly below high. At one point, just north of the bridge, we only had 2 1/2 feet under the keel. There is no way we would make it through at low tide.
    Crossing Charleston Harbor, we saw the ship HATTERAS from Cape Fear Community College. Their maritime programs are highly regarded.

 

The Ben Franklin Bridge & the college ship

Charleston under the Clouds

     Big boats are usually dock at Charleston City Marina. However, it is unusual to see an 80ish-foot power cat. All those folks with their 50-, 60- 70-foot vessels now feel small.

Charleston Mega Dock and a mega catamaran

     We had to wait about 20 minutes for the Wapoo Creek Bridge. They are now on an hour opening on the half hour. Of course, they also are closed for traffic during rush hour. This is the reason we use Isle of Palms as a stop.
     We were against the current as we made our way more slowly than we have ever passed through Elliot Cut. We “strolled” through at 2.9 mph at our slowest. Some of the former homes along Elliott’s banks have been replaced. The new homeowners have elevated their homes significantly higher than the banks of The Cut.

 
Gardens on the fenders under the Wapoo Creek Bridge and 

the new homes on The Cut

 
 

  

The strong currents and questionable retaining walls of Elliot Cut

     We are on E dock for the next 3 days at St. John’s Yacht Harbor. We are usually on the other docks where the slips are skinnier. Pulling in here around 11 am wasn’t an issue, even in the strong current. Thankfully, as we pulled in the local wind was nonexistent. Just in time for lunch! 

     The rains held off while we traveled, but hung around all afternoon. Pete had a work project to complete and I opted for a short nap hoping to abate a sinus headache. It helped. Pete completed his project, and at 3, we went up and borrowed the loaner car. Traffic was heavy and it took 30 minutes for a 10-minute ride to Harris Teeter’s for groceries. That’s when I realized I left my grocery list back onboard. I remembered almost everything, but 4 items. On the way back, we picked up dinner at Jersey Mike’s, which we enjoyed after everything was put away.
     After dinner, we watched an episode of Picard. We don’t want to binge watch the final season. We want to spread it out.
     We also did some cruise planning for next week. We might have a window to jump next Tuesday or Wednesday to make the 20-hour run outside Georgia. Fingers and toes are crossed. If it is successful, we don’t have to traverse the tricky waters of Georgia AND we will only have the 5 stops in Florida to arrive at Fort Pierce by the end of the month!


Saturday, October 14,2023 ~ Day 2 ~ St. Johns

     Tillie slept in until 7:30. With the rains last night and the fog this morning, there wasn’t a true sunrise. We have concerns for when Daylight Savings Time arrives at the beginning of November.
    Today was dreary and overcast. It was a good day for projects. Pete had a very busy and successful day. Fuel filters & zincs were replaced, engine oil changed, and the helm seat support repaired. I processed photos most of the day. I hope to post them by tomorrow. We will see. . . .