Our stop at Beaufort, SC was extended by several days at Terri was laid low with some intestinal bug so we did not extensively tour the town as we did on the way down. We did walk to the “Big Chill” house to see the site of our generational film. Note to self: Got to rent that movie for another look. From Beaufort we got a late start and ran to the North Edisto River, close to the site where we helped Mike G on the way down unground his boat. This time with lessons learned from the incident in the Duplin River we anchor well off the shore and in fact we were not set upon by hoards of no-see-ums as you see we were still in the marshes of SC. However, when we woke up in the early morning a thick fog had descended and the visibility was less than ¼ of a mile. We could not see any of the shore that surrounded us, but it eventually burned off and we were off, only an hour later than usual. We got to our next destination (Wappoo Creek) early enough to take a hike to the grocery store to get needed groceries. Wappoo Creek is just outside Charleston, SC. Grocery shopping is a major consideration as we move along the ICW. We have to be attuned to the presence of stops that have grocery store within easy access and we have to do it with some frequency since we can’t store fresh foods for long because the ice locker doesn’t keep stuff cool as the home frig. Terri has manage to provide us with a rich diet in spite of no refrigeration (except for ice) and an alcohol stove to cook on and a galley with about 6 square inches of counter space. With regard to our diet, we are NOT camping. All said and done I am sure that she will be glad to get back in her kitchen at home.
We woke once again in Wappoo Creek to a thick fog, again unable to see the banks of the creek we were on. But again we waited it out and got a later start. However, when we entered Charleston Harbor we were greeted with a large dense fog bank that sat on the harbor. Now Charleston Harbor is a major seaport with lots of big fellas going in and out, fog or no fog. We could hear them announcing themselves on the radio. All of my dead reckoning skills we put to use and we felt our way outside the major shipping channels to our ICW mark. About half way there the fog thinned and finally burnt off. After passing Charleston we passed along Price Creek. Since Terri’s maiden name is Price and her genealogy traces back to South Carolina we made the assumption that this may be named after some relative. Moreover, as we were transiting the Creek we passed two houses on islands at the creek side (see pictures) which we assigned as the Price homesteads.
Our travels took us on to the North Santee River where we again put into practice anchoring well off the shore away from the marshes, no bugs. This time we awoke to a clear morning, sun shinning and it was on to Georgetown for another small grocery stop and a search for an auto parts store where I could buy diesel oil because it was time to change the oil. This is something that needs doing every 100 hours of engine running time, with a filter change every other oil change. Yanny the Yanmar must be kept happy and thus far other than the fuel filter problem has performed flawlessly, knock wood. While this trip could have been made with the Atomic four gas engine, and has been by the previous owner, I am glad that I installed the diesel. It has more power that is delivered to the water and burns about ½ the fuel that the A4 burned. Last but not least, the A4 was looong in the tooth.
Georgetown was a drive-by stop since we got our stuff and hit the road (ah water) continuing on to the cypress swamps of the upper Waccamaw River to anchor in Bull Creek. It is beautiful country with the tall cypresses coming right down to the waters edge. A peaceful anchorage far from civilization.
From here it was on to the Shallotte River where we stayed on the way down, but this time we knew how to avoid the shoal that sits in the middle of the river and anchored for the night. We are in “horse to the barn” mode on the trip home. We are not lingering as we did on the way down. It’s long days with early morning departures. Based on our present track record we should get back to MD in the first week in May.
After a overnight stop at the Carolina Beach State Marina (a bargain at $20/night with free electric) to do some needed laundry, we left headed for an anchorage called Mile Hammock but the winds were not cooperating. It began to blow a near steady 20 knots with 30 knot gusts right in our faces so we diverted after going only 14 miles to Wrightsville Beach once again to sit out high winds. As you may recall we spend two days here on the way down when the tropical storm Noel was raging out in the ocean. We hope to get out of here tomorrow if the winds settle down a bit. We are the only boat anchored in this very large anchorage unlike when we came down in the fall where we could hardly find a spot to put down an anchor. Now we have it all to ourselves.
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