On the Move Again

After a month at Charleston, taking care of mechanical issues, plus going back to Columbia for Doctors' and dentist appointments and condo issues, we finally threw off the lines at Charleston City Marina on Wednesday, May 4th, headed for Georgetown, SC.   It was great to finally be on our way north again.  Once we passed the Isle of Palms, this was all new cruising territory for us.

It was great to be on our way again, and everything was working perfectly. After a 7 and a half hour cruise, we approached Georgetown and Harborwalk Marina, our destination for the night. Upon arrival at the marina we were heading into the wind and current which would be just perfect for a starboard to dock landing, but at the last minute the dock hand directed us to make a 180 degree turn around the end of the dock to the inside with both wind and current against us for a less than ideal docking situation, to say the least! Oh, well, we made it.

Georgetown has a lovely waterfront area with various restaurants, so we treated ourselves to a delicious dinner at Portofinos. Yum!

The next day we cruised north along the Wacamaw River, one of the most beautiful stretches along the ICW. Here the salt marshes turn to cypress lined channels.

And the tannin from their roots turns the water to rootbeer color.

But thanks to our newly waxed hull, we didn't get the mustasche that marks most boats cruising these waters. 

Since we had visited Myrtle Beach several years ago, we decided to give it a pass on this cruise, but we did enjoy the view from the water as we passed on by.

We especially appreciated the cable car crossing the ICW, complete with golf bags.

Next came Barefoot Landing, which we had also visited before.

We continued on to the town of Little River, near the South Carolina, North Carolina border, but most importantly, this meant that we had successfully navigated the infamous "Rockpile," where many boats have run aground and had their hulls ripped out.

Here we stayed at Lightkeeper's Marina, a delightful spot to lay over before our move on to North Carolina. Here we are on our approach, with Ken preparing the fenders for our arrival.  The marina entrance is at the faux lighthouse seen in the distance. 

We probably chose this marina because of our weakness for lighthouses, and even though we had to navigate our way into the marina and dock ourselves without assistance because the dock hand was on his way back from Walmart, it turned out to be a great choice.  We were only charged $1.00/ft. dockage and were given two hand towels with their logo embroidered, plus two free drinks, and the place is absolutely charming.

On Friday, May 7th, we crossed into North Carolina, Headed for Bald Head Island.  Along the way we passed shrimp boats,

as well as floating casinos, what a contrast!

But, after seven hours of cruising, we finally made it to the famous Cape Fear River, where we turned toward the ocean and crossed the inlet to the entrance to Bald Head Island. The current here runs perpendicular to the channel entrance, which is very narrow, and one has to make sure no other boat is traversing it before entering, but we made it with no problem, and are now safely tied up inside this gorgeous harbor.

This place is definitely worth more time!  Our next blog will document it.