Drifting Through South Carolina

October 9, 2005

Friday, September 30, 2005 - Barefoot Landing, Barefoot Landing, SC
By Amy

Captain Thomas had good news for me this morning. We absolutely could not leave first thing! You mean I don't have to gulp down my coffee and dash into the cockpit half-dressed and half-awake? What a luxury!

This good fortune comes thanks to the tides. The stretch up ahead has a strong current, and it's best to go with the flow--which in this case means leaving at noon.

I took advantage of the late departure to paddle my kayak up the river past Calabash, where it ended in one of South Carolina's million and one golf courses. On my way, I saw another prime example of MOGUHI, but didn't have a camera available to capture it. Suffice it to say, it was part Tara, part mosque complete with minnaret.

The noon departure and subsequent two-hour motor down the ICW was uneventful, and the bridge tenders here were much less surly than last year. We arrived at Barefoot Landing just after 2 PM.

Longtime readers may remember that Barefoot Landing is actually an outlet complex that has free docking for passing boats. Good business for them, as most of us drop serious cash here during our stay. It is also home to various wildlife.

These include imported pond-dwellers--turtles, exotic water fowl, and huge fish. And tigers!

A preserve in the area raises money by bringing tigers, chimps, and other creatures to visit tourists in the evening. For a mere $40 you can get your picture taken next to things large enough to swallow you whole. Being poor cruisers, we watched the fuzzy baby tigers and infant chimps, and their very large parents, behind glass.

This weekend only, there are also hogs, of the motorcycle variety. I'm sure Thomas will make sure that all future passages through this area coincide with Bike Week in Myrtle. We got to stroll through and look and various custom bikes, including some radical revisions of his Honda 1800 (see photos). Thomas was, I believe, in seventh heaven. Or at least sixth. I thought it was mega-cool until I was serenaded by unmuffled pipes for most of the night.

Saturday, October 01, 2005 - Barefoot Landing, Barefoot Landing, SC
By Tom

We decided yesterday that we would be staying here today, so most of the crew(Amy) slept in late. The rest of us (Me) were up by 7 and working on miscellaneous boat jobs by 8.

Post morning chores, the rest of the day was spent lounging about. Amy mostly read and played on the internet while I strolled the parking lots and looked at all of the motorcycles on display.

The bike show is a mostly harley thing, but I did manage to find a Honda dealer who had some very well done custom Honda based motorcycles. I've got nothing against the Harley crowd, it's just not my thing. Personally, I wouldn't pay twice as much for a bike that is half as powerful, four times as noisy and has the all the ride characteristics of a farm tractor. But thats just me.

Tomorrow morning we'll catch the tide and head for Georgetown

Sunday, October 02, 2005 - Georgetown, Georgetown, SC
By Amy

It was a long motor 44 nautical miles down the ICW to Georgetown, SC. Fortunately, we played the tides pretty well and it was quicker than it might otherwise have been. Houses crowded around the waterfront almost the whole way.

We thought we might see Art and Carol on Oz of Kansas, a couple we met first in Wrightsville and shared drinks with at Barefoot Landing. Rumor (i.e., Skipper Bob's guide) had it that new mooring balls were being put in, and Oz was hoping to tie up and run some errands. Alas, it was not so. We entered the harbor to find the same selection of ghetto boats as last year and no city moorings. We later found out that the marina had put them in without getting permits or whatever, and the Army Corps of Engineers made them remove them.

Oh well. We found room amidst the debris nonetheless and proceeded to the waterfront bar for NASCAR. Thomas was a wee bit peeved that a New York Yankees fan was hogging the outdoor TV, even though they've already cinched the penant. Whatever. He got to see some major crashing on the big screen inside.

Returned to the boat for steak and salad for dinner. And that's all she wrote.

Monday, October 03, 2005 - Price Creek, , SC
By Tom

We set off early again and motor sail our way towards Charleston. We have never been on this portion of the ICW so at least it was a completely new set of marshes and weeds we got to see today.

What is it with the damn weather? At this rate I am beginning to think we are never going to get offshore again. The ICW isn't bad, it's just boring. At least offshore I am too worried about drowning or getting eaten by a sea monster to be bored.

The weather doesn't look any better for the next 3 to 5 days, so I suspect we will continue our trek down the inside.

We stopped tonight in a quite little corner of South Carolina marsh land near McClellandville. There are no house and no sign of human life in any direction. Tomorrow we should pass through Charleston and we hope to stop and get groceries just beyond there.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005 - Wappoo Creek, Charleston, SC
By Amy

We continued in the water version of Iowa today. Since leaving Georgetown, SC, the land has flattened out and the number of trees has decreased. What remains is tall grasses which, at least this time of year, have brown puffs at the end and look like wheat blowing in the wind. Since this is real swamp, we've gotten a welcome break from MOGOHI (a.k.a. large, ugly houses). Anyone building here has to do it a ways west of the waterway.

The goal for today was groceries, so that meant a reasonable start time to make the last 18 miles to Wappoo Creek. The anchorage here isn't great--currents make the boat wander quite a bit. But Piggly Wiggly is only about two blocks away. After putting the anchor down just after noon, we suited up with backpacks and duffles for a major provisioning. I think we may have over-bought for our carrying capacity, leaving Thomas looking a bit like Quasimono. (How does one spell that?) The added weight in the dinghy even threatened our sick engine prop, but the Honda held on and we didn't have to row the wet noodle home.

I will reward him for being a good pack mule by buying him a beer at the Charleston Crab House before returning to the boat for what I expect will be a dinner of salmon and possibly potatoes and/or salad. Provisioning sucks...until you have all that good stuff on board!

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 - Beaufort Marina, Beaufort, SC
By Tom

We sailed along in the rain from sun up to sun down. Sometimes it was little rain, sometimes it was big rain. Often times the rain came in sideways. The wind blew a steady 25 knots all day long.

After a long day it was a 15 minute dash to catch the 4 pm opening of the Lady Island Bridge. If you miss the 4 pm opening, you have to wait until 6 pm to get through. We made it with about 4 minutes to spare.

At some point during the ride down here today, we called a head to the Down Town Marina and reserved a slip for two nights. Tropical Storm Tammy is coming our way and we figured we would be safer tide up than in the marginal anchorage off of town. The last time we were hear we got hit with a severe thunderstorm and ended up dragging, so we aren't taking any chances this time.

The leading edge of Tammy hit around 6 pm. A 70 foot shrimp boat tide up across from us temporarily to wait for a bridge opening and we were able to get 5 pounds of 30 minute old shrimp for 16 bucks.

Needless to say, we had shrimp and salad for dinner. Most excellent.

The crew is now resting comfortably below decks with the air conditioners running and cable tv playing Law and Order while Tammy bashes us around outside.

Thursday, October 06, 2005 - Beaufort Marina, Beaufort, SC
By Amy

Tammy rocked and rolled us last night, but we were safe in the harbor. By morning, the worst had passed, leaving a bit more rainy weather. We weren't sure at the time we booked the slips when Tammy would clear out, so we've got the place through tomorrow. Not bad to have a day down from motoring.

Being a lover of Beaufort, I was disappointed to see that the waterfront has been ripped up. It's usually quite pretty, and there are a number of waterfront bars and a waterfront coffee shop. Now it is all mud. I worried that some hotel complex might be going in, but I am told no. Only "refurbishment."

An excursion to find books for Thomas at the used bookstore in town was a failure. Other than that, we pretty much hung out on the boat until 4 PM, when we dodged the raindrops to hit Kathleen's for a drink. More shrimp for dinner, and we still have mondo left over. We might need to find some friends downstream