May 31 - June 7 Charleston to Wrightsville Beach NC

Ivory Lady departing the City Marina

Our two weeks flew by and we departed Charleston early Saturday morning with gloomy & overcast skies.  Navigator took the lead for this portion of the trip - and Ivory Lady followed in her wake. Charleston harbor was relatively quiet for a Saturday, thanks to the weather and early departure time.  Regardless, we had to dodge a barge towing what seemed like a mile of pipe.  

Navigator approaching Ben Sawyer Bridge
(you saw this in the prior blog - they did go through the correct side!)

We then headed up the ICW sharing memories of Hurricane Hugo and the bridge-tender on the Ben Sawyer Bridge - it was reportedly a wild ride for him that night as the bridge spun around & around!

Our destination was Georgetown SC, making it a longer day than normal. We cruised past waterside Southern mansions, along civil war historical dwellings and into the endless miles of coastal islands with their multitude of boat docks that dictated idle speed for a good portion of the trip. As we turned into Winyah Bay we pushed the power up to beat the arrival of a threatening thunderstorm, which we did and arrived at what can only be described as a charismatic marina that stands as the gateway to a town time forgot.  Friendly and inquisitive dockhands greeted us, wanting to know about our travels and then proceeded to talk of their town with much pride.  We decided to forego dinner on the boat and instead walked "uptown" to enjoy this lovely Southern Belle, stopping at a wonderful restaurant call the Big Tuna for dinner.  Food was very good and the service was stellar - recent negative reviews on social media must have gotten their attention, as we had no fewer then 4 waiters, actually running back and forth to ensure we had everything we needed!

The town itself was a collage of circa 1700 and 1800 homes as witnessed by small signs affixed to almost every building.  No new construction was evident.  The movie theater evoked a sense of the 1950s along with its Ice Cream Parlors and old-fashioned Hardware Store.  Given the abundance of American flags and the manicured nature of all the homes and buildings, it was apparent that the residents take great pride in both their country and their town.  The historical district boasts an impressive Maritime and Paper Mill museum, collection of impressive churches and their HarborWalk elevated wharf along the entire historic riverfront area is delightful.  The city has begun to recover from a ferocious fire last fall that devastated the historic area. The only drawback to this stop was our unfortunate decision to arrive late Saturday and stay Sunday when everything is closed; of course, this is the South.  And it truly is the South - from monuments to fallen war heros to their literature and conversations -- it is The War Between the States (not the Civil War, as there was nothing civil about it).

Founded in 1729, Georgetown is the third oldest city in South Carolina - we had already visited 1 & 2, Charleston & Beaufort!  As with all these stately cities on the water, their heritage begins as shipping ports for initially indigo, then rice and lumber.  The indigo trade came to an abrupt halt at the time of the Revolutionary War.  The major customer for indigo was Great Britain and, hard to believe, they quit purchasing the indigo when we declared war!  The reason the Revolutionary War uniforms were dark blue -- an excess of indigo!  In Georgetown's case, the lumber harvesting was a great boon to the area and by 1914, they were the largest lumber producing plant on the East Coast.  Then in 1936, International Paper built a plant here, and by 1942 it had become the largest kraft paper mill in the world.

AJ atop Ivory Lady

Sunday dawned cool & beautiful - and being diligent boaters, we used the time most effectively to clean our vessel homes!  Navigator was spic & span by mid-day; Ivory Lady got a well-needed cleaning & sealing of the canvas as well as eisenglass cleaning & polish (took all day!)

Monday morning we elected for a late departure in order to bicycle through Georgetown once again and stop for breakfast at a diner that came straight-out of Andy Griffith’s Mayberry.  A gathering place for the locals prior to their busy day, it was truly a flash back to the 50s. 

Navigator leads up the Waccamaw Neck

Heading north from Georgetown, we all enjoyed the splendor of the Waccamaw River & the region known as the Waccamaw Neck.  As we meandered up the river surrounded by the Waccamaw River Heritage Preserve, the landscape changed from river marsh to forested black water with cypress, oak and water tupelo trees growing from the water to extreme heights - you quickly become immersed in your surroundings.  

The river magnifies the forest's beauty by both reflecting and adding its black coloring; a result of the tannic acid leaching from the fallen leaves and trees.  Occasionally, along the water edges, large fields of lilies mass in areas of low tidal flow. Wild life abounds with the largest concentration of ospreys we have encountered to date. It was truly an emotive experience and one that should not be missed by boaters.

The Osprey Marina was a delightful & unique experience.  Entering through a narrow tree lined canal, you find the marina nestled in a small lagoon protected from both current and wind.  Civilization is apparently a $30 cab ride away so you are truly surrounded by only nature and a few contented boaters.  

At night, you hear strange animal sounds that apparently originate from a private zoo close by, where we are told reside lions and tigers and bears – oh my!  If you enjoy turtles, the basin is full of them, as well as alligators just to keep the population balanced.  The marina is well protected and used by the locals as a hurricane hole.

The following morning, timed around boats at the fuel dock, had us anxious for another day of mystical cruising - but, alas, we quickly got into civilization and the typical South Carolina marshlands with many communities along the Myrtle Beach expanse. The only real novelty of today’s cruise was when we traveled under a suspended gondola across the ICW that apparently takes golfers from the east side of the ICW (clubhouse) to the west side (first tee). Given the number of golf courses in this area, it is apparent a novel attraction is needed to standout from the rest.  One was obviously a Greg Norman Course, given the number of buildings (store, restaurant, golf shop) that flaunted his name.

Somewhat confusingly, we cruised well past Myrtle Beach to Little River to reach the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club (our destination for the day).  It is an imposing marina with its own 50’ lighthouse at the channel entrance and some 150+ docks.  Once secured in the slip, you find the people and the marina exude the low-country charm and gracious hospitality of the smaller marinas we have visited.  We were directed to their favorite seafood restaurant and after a $6.00 cab ride found ourselves at a settlement consisting of six “restaurants” and a casino riverboat all nestled at the shoreline of the ICW with their fleet of fishing trawlers scatter about.  To say the “restaurants” were rustic would be kind.  Once you got passed the dishwashers using garden hoses to clean their pots out front, and a bar being used as a portable kitchen, the friendly atmosphere and dockside view was actually quite engaging.  When asked if their fish was fresh, the waiter was very proud to point out where they cleaned today’s catch – on the same dock where we were eating!  The food was very good and we escaped with no ill affects.

Off again the next morning, we eagerly anticipated Bald Head Island.  Sue Grote (during dinner in Charleston) said it was her favorite place on the east coast and a destination we could not miss.  She was SO right!  Once again, we were blessed (better than lucky) to have planned two days at Bald Head Island, as the weather the following day was forecasted for stormy & windy - and we were again in a protected marina. Dinner the first evening was at Delphina at the Marina - billed as a Spanish with Mexican flair.  CB took it to heart with a Cucumber Mint Martini!

With a plan to stay two days, CA arranged for a mechanic to investigate a hydraulic leak/pressurization issue with Navigator's throttles.  Mechanic arrived (via boat) as promised and, like most mechanics, provided substantial education along with issue resolution.  CB, AJ & PC spent the morning renting a golf cart (transportation of choice, as there are no cars on Bald Head Island), getting some provisions and hitting some of the boutiques in the center of the island.  By noon, mechanic was finished & CA joined us for lunch and then visits to the historic and notable locations around the island.  This trip included a visit to the hardware store - for no good mariner passes up a hardware store.  And - they had exactly what CA needed for his continued hydraulic throttle maintenance!

Remaining foundation of Cape Fear Lighthouse

The mouth of the Cape Fear River and Frying Pan Shoal off the coast are aptly named. Many a vessel ran aground on the shoals, making this area a haven for pirates & other nefarious "gentlemen".  The Cape Fear Lighthouse operated on the east end of the island from 1903 until its deactivation in 1958 (replaced by the Oak Island Light).  The Cape Fear Lighthouse had a radius of 18 1/2 miles, guiding ships around the dangers of Frying Pan Shoal.  











Old Baldy Lighthouse was on the west end of the island and marked the entrance of Cape Fear River. While decommissioned, she provides a majestic obliques on the western point of Bald Head Island.

Friday morning dawned with substantially reduced winds, but the impact on the ocean kept us going up the ICW rather than off-shore.  We keep hoping for opportunities to break free from "the ditch" and feel better about it now that Navigator throttle issues are resolved. We cruised up Cape Fear, cut over to New River and arrived at Wrightsville Beach early afternoon.  

Seapath Yacht Club was a welcome face dock just east of the ICW with a friendly and very capable dockmaster, Chris.  A courtesy car was too much to pass up - so off we went on an excursion to Best Buy, AT&T, JoAnn Fabric and Grocery that took all afternoon.  The Amigos had an early dinner aboard Ivory Lady and retired early, as the plan was for an unusually early departure slated for Saturday morning.

With 78 statute (66 nautical) miles to travel to reach Morehead City, we wanted to get off the dock at 7:30a (not really THAT early!).  It's CA & PC's 41st wedding anniversary, so we wanted to be in port at a reasonable time.  As well, there is a major Marlin Tournament in Beaufort/Morehead City and we needed to time our arrival around those activities.  The ICW along the North Carolina coast has many small inlets that make maintaining the waterway a challenge and shoaling is extremely prevalent.  Unfortunately, Navigator ran afoul of a green marker that appeared to be loose when really it had been moved far to west to mark a shoal. While CA had slowed considerably, the impact bent two blades of each prop!  After calls to every marina or boatyard we could find, the decision was made to return to Seapath, get a diver, pull the props and be ready for the prop shop to open on Monday (this is Saturday). So, here we are - enjoying the journey and thankful that the damage appears to be only the props!  Well, there is a bit of gelcoat repair needed from the boat that helped them get off the shoal.  We'll celebrate their anniversary regardless and enjoy a weekend in Wilmington & Wrightsville Beach!