We departed from Southport around 8am and headed into Cape Fear. Right away we had to contend with several large ships. There was the ferry going to Bald Head island as well as a car ferry. We tried to stay out of their way by traveling just outside the channel markers. Eventually we passed the turnoff for the ICW at Snow’s Cut. This day we would be going off the beaten path for about 15 miles up to Wilmington, North…
We departed early in the morning from Barefoot Marina because of concern about rocks along the ICW in this area. Our plan was to traverse this part at high tide so we could have a little extra safety margin. Since the tide was highest at 7am, we got up extra early. Fortunately we didn’t see or encounter any rocks. It was pretty busy on the water for a Monday, but this is a boating area. We arrived at Southport Marina…
We stayed at two marinas in the Myrtle Beach area. Although they were both along the ICW, they were very different. The first one was Osprey Marina, and the second one was Barefoot Marina. But first we have some photos from when we left Georgetown. The terrain has definitely changed from even a few days ago. Instead of swamp and grass, we now see trees, and lots of them. Osprey Marina was a quiet and secluded spot that was down a…
Because of the low tide we had to wait until 10am to depart. Even with this delay the water had only just started to rise from low tide, so it was interesting to see how shallow the entry to the harbor really was. Also interesting was the number of derelict boats that were out of the water. We saw more alligators today than all other days combined. In one place we saw seven or eight gators all in the same area. …
It was so good to leave. We felt so relieved to finally head back onto the ICW and put some miles between us and Charleston. It wasn’t the city that we wanted to get away from, it was the marina. Every minute of the day we were in constant motion as the wind would push waves into the marina and against the hull of our boat. And when it was time to sleep we would almost get comfortable and then…
Beaufort, SC was awesome. We wished we had planned to stay an extra night. But our goal was Charleston, so we got another early start and headed north. We had a fairly uneventful trip. There were lots of dolphins accompanying us on our route. I think this was the most dolphins we have seen on any day. At one point they were jumping in front of our bow. It was really fun to watch. The boat traffic definitely picked up…
Our departure from Isle of Hope was at 6:15 in the morning. It was right at low tide, so the water was calm and glassy smooth. We quietly idled out of the marina and out of the area before speeding up to our 8 knot cruising speed. As the tide came in we were headed into the current, so that meant that our speed was reduced to 7 knots much of the morning. It was a beautiful ride as we…
The trip from St. Simons Island to Savannah was to be our longest so far. 78 nautical miles over nearly ten hours. It involved some tide swings as well as a very shallow section called Hell Gate. So we got another early start and headed north on a rising tide. It was also our turn to take the lead for the boat convoy, so I had to pay attention. The majority of the day was uneventful except for dodging an…
Mike has researched and prepared to make this adventure amazing. Feeling very blessed for this opportunity. He does a great job writing about the experience, so I will just add some more photos. We walked across the street to the beach a couple of times. Very cool that we were in a marina on the ICW & could walk a short way across to be at the ocean! The garden at Washington Oaks State Park…
Today was supposed to be a difficult travel day because of the types of water we were going to encounter as well as the potential for trouble. First there are the tides. They create currents. There are areas where the sand at the bottom of the waterway has moved, creating shoals. Take a waterway at low tide that has shoals and you can potentially run aground. So we were careful to leave on a rising tide and arrive at our…