In and Out - South Carolina

When we arrived at Carolina Beach, NC, we had plenty of time to anchor. We like having plenty of time to anchor, because we've found that at sailboat speeds it can be a major planning factor to get to a safe place to settle down for the night. We raced through Snow's Cut, riding a 2 knot current, and were into the Cape Fear river and promptly found our anchorage. But we didn't like it. It was exposed and I could see large ships traversing the area on the other side of a small island. I re-checked the guide book and chart and realized this was not the place. Even though it was only 2 or 3 miles back to the place we meant to go, it was getting late and we had to slog back against the current in Snow's Cut. We got back to Carolina Beach, and dropped the hook, still with some light. But it wouldn't set. We tried in the same area 3 times. the anchor dragged. Then we got out the Fortress, a Danforth style anchor, and it just skidded like we were just pulling it across the road. Then it got dark. We were tired after a full day at sea and missing the first place, and just didn't want to mess with it. But some healthy winds were forecast that night, so we kept at it. Finally we went into an area that was a bit more exposed and slowly felt our way into position. The hard part was trying to see other boats around us. Some didn't have anchor lights. Go figure. Thankfully, we didn't hit anybody, the anchor held, and we were soon in bed asleep.

The next morning, things again looked good to go outside. We'd missed visiting friends George and Nancy at St. James Plantation as they were out of town just as we were passing through, so we headed out of Cape Fear for another day at sea. Into the Little River Inlet, we were met by so many fishing boats, it was almost like dodging crab pots. But it helps us know when it's a weekend. We quickly tucked in behind Richmond Island and realized we were near the small town of Calabash, famous forlightly battered, fresh fried seafood. Fried is not our favorite, but when in Calabash, lower the dink and check it out. We had a good meal at Ella's. It reminded me a bit of barbecue restaurants back home in Alabama.

The cruise through Myrtle Beach was an interesting way to tour the area, and we found that impressions of a place from the water are very different indeed from land. Although we didn't stop in Myrtle Beach, we passed through with a much more positive view of the area. There are lovely homes and golf courses along the ICW in that stretch.

We were eager to enter the Waccamaw river, and were not disappointed by its beauty. We tucked into Cow Creek, just across from Wacca Wache marina so we could meet up with Lora's Fannie Mae colleague Leslie and her husband Doug, who live only a mile or so away. They whisked us off to Murrells Inlet for dinner, and then to their place for coffee, before heading back to the boat.

By this time it was quite dark and I was a little worried about feeling our way back across the river and into the creek in the dinghy. So on the way I had left some GPS breadcrumbs. With the handheld GPS I had put waypoints at a couple of places so we could steer to them and then know there would be something we could see. That worked out perfect, as we could confidently offset the current in the river and know we were going for the mouth of the creek.

Sunday morning we pulled up the anchor and picked up Doug and Leslie at the marina so we could show them the boat. After a brief tour, we deposited them and were on our way. The cypress forests of the Waccamaw gave we to the low country marshes as we approached Charleston. As twilight approached, we tucked into Whiteside Creek, near Isle of Palms, SC. It was amazing how close we could be to such a bustling metro area and yet be in such a stunningly beautiful and remote spot

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