Sailing South: North and South Carolina |
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Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Swansboro, NC
Thursday, November 5, 2009Swansboro, NCWe headed out early the next morning in a light fog. By the time we had gone a half a mile, the fog, which was predicted to clear, closed in instead. We were one of 3 sailboats and a trawler who left the anchorage early and we were heading for one of the tricky inlets – where shallow water had already hooked a few boats. Fortunately the fog dissipated and we were able to clear the inlet with only minor touching. Actually we did go aground once (OK twice) but the second time was later in the day. Crossing ocean inlets took careful concentration, quick adjustments to the changing current speed and direction and a certain amount of luck. Let me break this down for those boaters who have not experienced tides and currents. If the tide is flooding, the boat is going into the current while approaching the inlet. This slows the boat down. Also, the current speeds can be very high as ‘all that water’ is being forced up a narrow channel – the ICW. The current can run from 1 to 5 knots. The current is also changing directions. When first encountered it tends to come from in front – up the waterway. As you come into the inlet, the direction changes to where it is coming at almost right angles. This requires ‘crabbing’ the boat into the current so you are actually moving sideways across the inlet. As you pass the centre (axis) of the inlet, the current continues to change direction and actually starts coming from behind and with it also speeds up the boat. Add to that, the tides shift the sandy bottom, silting at natural turns in the waterway and inlets. In fact, most of the new charts don’t show the navigation buoys at all because they are moved so often. So while driving what sometimes seemed like a white water rapids course, figuring out where the navigation buoys were and adjusting for the rapidly changing current direction and speed, each inlet presented 3 to 5 minutes of challenge and excitement. After a little practice, we were navigating the inlets with the best of them. We were motoring along the coast and got regular glimpses of the ocean. The weather was warming as well. We decided to go for a higher end marina tonight at Wrightsville Beach, NC, something near civilization and right on the ICW. There were a number off the waterway and some anchorages. We opted for good showers and a dockside happy hour. We also need fuel and to pump out our holding tank. Once docked, we found a seafood store and purchased large local shrimp. That and a nice steak on the BBQ was a great end to a fabulous run down through North Carolina. Friday, November 6, 2009Wrightsville Beach, SC ICW Mile 28312 miles south from Wrightsville Beach, the ICW goes inland via Snow’s cut to the Cape Fear River. The entrance to the river was being dredged and as we approached the dredge seemed to be taking up the entire channel. We radioed the dredge on VHF Channel 13 (the ship to ship channel). The dredge operator informed us to make a ‘2-whistle pass’. We had heard the term before but this was the first time we were part of it. Near as I can figure, the terms 1-whistle and 2-whistle pass are based on the signals that a vessel (usually a large one) is altering course: 1 whistle means I am turning to starboard, 2 whistles means I am turning to port, 3 whistles = going astern and 5 or more blasts – “whoa baby” one of is in trouble. Please note this is the strict Coast Guard interpretation of the signals. So a 2-whistle pass would mean we are both altering to port and we would pass starboard-to-starboard. The barge was square and we could see we could only pass with the barge on our starboard side. The barge is square, with no discernible markings for bow and stern. That means determining it’s starboard side is problematic. Add to that, there is a large orange ball in the water – marking it’s anchor and there are the channel markers. I radioed back, asking for clarification. He replied, “a 2-whistle pass,” again. I asked for ‘plain English’. He took offense. (After we realized I should have said ‘plain language’). Finally I asked “close to the barge or close to the marks.” He replied that if I stayed too close to the markers I would go aground – that’s why he was dredging. I altered course and got closer to the barge and passed well into the Cape Fear River. The dredge operator and another operator (probably a tug operator) engaged in a conversation that “You (me) are supposed to know that.”
There are hundreds of buoys throughout the river and harbour and it is critical not to get them confused. The ICW bouyage system is north to south with red (triangle) on starboard and green (square) on port. Harbor systems are ‘red on the right returning’. To differentiate, the ICW uses the river and harbour buoys, but puts a small triangle on what should be an ICW red and a square on an ICW green. Thoroughly confused? You should have been there with us! 2 miles before the Cape Fear River empties into the Atlantic Ocean, the ICW exits at Southport NC heading towards Charleston, SC. Mary had had enough of Cape Fear! At mile 343 – Little River Inlet, we passed from North Carolina to South Carolina. We stopped around 1pm between the 2 bridges in North Myrtle Beach – the Ocean Isle Fixed Bridge and the Sunset Beach Pontoon Bridge. We docked at Ocean Isle Marina for the night. Saturday, November 7, 2009Ocean Isle Marina, North Myrtle Beach, NC
During the stay, I also came to understand that some sail boaters (despite popular belief) are as inconsiderate to other boaters and the environment as some power boaters. First of all, marinas are an ‘no-wake’ zones. With boats docked so close to the well-traveled river, any wake can make living on the boat uncomfortable. Considerable wake is dangerous to those on docked boats and to the environment, causing significant erosion to the sensitive marsh grasses and the natural shores and berms. Modern sailboats carry much more power than older boats. Plus, when out fitted with a 3-blade or power propeller, sailboats are capable of creating a bow and stern wake comparable to heavier displacement power boats such as trawlers. While power boaters I observed tended to slow through the marina area, not one sailboat did as I watched while working on the engine mounts of Sojourn. (The mounts had still not settled properly from the incident on Alligator River.) Sailboat after sailboat blindly steamed past the marina throwing wakes that forced the fenders away from the boat and dock and rocked Sojourn so violently, I was concerned for my safety. I communicated with several boaters, both manually/digitally and over the radio, and never received even one apology. So, fellow sail boaters – watch your wake. You can and will be held responsible for any damage you do. We took extra time to replenish groceries and clean up the boat and dinghy before heading off to Myrtle Beach. Our first company was coming on board. We left the marina when the chores were completed and moved the boat down to Myrtle beach.
Sunday, November 8, 2009Harborgate Marina Myrtle Beach, SCWe enjoyed breakfast ashore then Brian and I took Sojourn from North Myrtle Beach (33 53’ 23.6” -78 28’ 21.75) to south of Myrtle Beach while Mary and the girls enjoyed a beach day with some shopping added in for good measure. This area is known as the Rock Pile (Mile 350 to 365) because it is built on rock. The Waterway Guide warns of running aground on the hard bottom. To date we had been able to power through the mud and soft sand. There is no negotiating with rock. There are a number of bridges on this stretch, though most of them are mandatory 65 feet above the water. It was a glorious day of cruising down the ICW and catching up with my brother. We docked at Osprey Marina and Grill – a fabulous marina built in an old quarry site. It is a few hundred yards off the ICW and fully surrounded by forest. The crew met us at the dock and assisted with the landing. We re-fueled and topped up the water and settled in. Turns out there was a fund raiser that evening with 4 local (successful) songwriters. Mary and I were treated to an outstanding concert, all included in the price of our docking. Some days just have more than others. This was one of them. Monday, November 9, 2009Osprey Marina, Myrtle Beach, SC
Tuesday, November 10, 2009Awendaw Creek, SCLeft the anchorage at dawn heading for Charleston, SC. The ICW is very straight in this section between the Isle of Palms and Goat Island. Isle of Palms is well developed as a waterside suburb of Charleston. The homes and boats along the passage are incredible. Charleston Harbor is large, open and easily navigated, if you identify and follow the correct buoys. We did and passed across the harbor entrance and up the Ashley River. We were able to get quite close to Charleston, the old part of town and the Coast Guard station. The ICW enters Wappoo Creek across from the Coast Guard station. We motored under the James Island Bridge (fixed at 67 feet) and hustled to catch the opening of the Wappoo Creek Bascule Bridge. We were motoring at full speed and noticed no one was waiting to enter the bridge. We radioed the bridge operator and were told we missed the bridge by 3 minutes. Had a boat been at the bridge, it would have just opened and we would have made it through. The next bridge was in 30 minutes. This was our first ‘not nice’ bridge operator. There are very few along the ICW that do not care for boaters – this one was having a bad day. Not wanting to be pushed into the bridge by the current we started motored back up the creek for 10 minutes or so, turned around and drifted in the current back towards the bridge. Feeling we were a little too close for safety, we turned back up the creek one more time. That is when the bridge operator came on the radio telling us in a pedantic tone, if we were too far from the bridge we would not make the “exact” timing of the opening. We ‘thanked’ her for the information and turned back towards the bridge. We had to hold the boat in place as she was a little late on the signal to stop traffic and 5 minutes after the scheduled opening (timing that would have allowed us through on the prior bridge) we motored under the Wappoo Creek Bascule Bridge. We decided not to allow her demeanour to impact on us. Just past the bridge is Elliot Cut between Wappoo Creek and the Stono River. The current can run from 2 to 4 knots through this short cut. We figured it was at the high end as we went through the cut at 8 knots although our engine was only idling. A northbound boat flitted from side to side up the cut (vessels traveling with the current have right of way) making way while getting ready to let us pass. Both sides of the cut were lined with houses and boat ramps. It was quite an exhilarating ride. Once on the Stono River, we turned south towards the St Johns Yacht Harbor, our chosen destination for the next few days. We had been tracking the progress of hurricane Ida and she was to visit Charleston for 2-3 days. We were docking on pilings one more time and the dock staff were excellent in getting us landed safely in the wind and current. We hunkered down for the next 3 days, waiting for the weather to pass on a wide-open river with fast moving current. We knew that when we left we would have to choose slack water or we would never get out. Friday, November 13, 2009St Johns Island, SCIt was still raining, but Ida had moved off and posed no threat. At dawn (and almost slack water) we back off the dock and up the Stono River. This was a day we were glad we had not left our warm clothing at home. Long johns, sweats and foul weather gear, wool hats and gloves. Lots of tea and coffee all the way to Beaufort, SC. (Remember it is pronounced bowfort in NC and bewfurt in SC).
There are two approaches to a Bahamian mooring. One is to set the first anchor and use the dinghy to set the second one. The second approach (which we used) was to set the anchor with the most rope and ease it out well past the scope required for the anchorage. We then set the CQR and chain rode then pulled back to the centre. What you are left with are two anchors at 180 degrees that allow the boat to rotate with the change of flood and ebb current. Rob and Mary MacLeod Aboard s/v Sojourn |
It took 3 tries to get anchored in the fast moving current, but once we did, we were treated to a beautiful sunset and a fabulous view of downtown Swansboro. We were one of 3 boats in the anchorage when we started, but there were over 20 by the time things settled down. The current in Swansboro runs at 2 – 3 knots, reversing every 6 hours. I was up a couple of times in the night checking our anchor and the positions of other boats in the anchorage.
We turned south on the 
The marina had undergone much updating and renovating and was well on its way to becoming a first class destination marina. We had never seen such large dry storage facilities. Being on a river, it made sense and is an excellent use of land space. Of course, it is difficult to dry sail a 36 foot sailboat and therefore the process is limited to powerboats.
My brother Brian and his family met us on the dock at Harborgate Marina. They had booked 3 rooms at our favourite Myrtle Beach hotel, so we joined them on the beach for Saturday night.
Great day. Motored from Myrtle Beach (Mile 373 to Awendaw Creek (Mile 435.6) just past McClellanville, SC. Glorious sunset.
We wanted to catch the first bridge in the morning so we anchored just west of the marina on FREE Download
9 Things to Consider Before Leaving the Dock
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