Saturday, May 4, 2013 – Georgetown (Mile 403) to Myrtle Beach (Mile 346):

            We slept like logs last night and sometime during the night the worst of the wind subsided, and we woke up to gray, gray, gray, and a few gusts of wind.  The boats were packed in here last night, but everyone was in a hurry to get going, and pretty soon we were all by ourselves.  As we were one of the first boats into this particular area, we were glad that everyone had left because we had to back out.  We were on an inside face dock and had to make a sharp turn to get of this dock area, so it would have been tricky if there had been a pile of boats in here.

            We had to go back out into Winyah Bay, but the weather had calmed down and it was an easy, short run to the Waccamaw River.  We pass Butler Island, which looks like it would be fun to explore, but there is a fence across the west side of it so you can’t get through there.  I thought I saw some construction barges at the north end of the island, so maybe that is why they have a fence across the south end.

            It is starting to drizzle now, which makes visibility difficult again.  Bob said he thought about driving from the inside, but once you start up top, there is too much stuff to do to move down below.  We made a smart decision to completely enclose the flybridge before we ventured out on this trip!  We are pretty protected up here, but if it rains really, really hard we still get wet.

            As we approached Mile 390, the chart plotter indicated we were passing by abandoned rice fields.  As rice used to be a big part of South Carolina’s economy during the civil war, my imagination wondered and wandered back to what it must have been like in “those” days.  Nice for some – not so nice for others.

            The Waccamaw River is probably one of the most scenic and beautiful rivers on the whole waterway.  The shoreline is bordered by trees that hang right out over the water.  There is no bank or shore for the most part, and the water is deep for the most part right up to the treed shoreline.   I can’t imagine how beautiful this must be in the fall.  I am so disappointed that it is not a sunny day, because this river is perfect for picture taking.  This river is also very protected, and no matter what the weather you can travel in here in relative comfort. 

View along the Waccamaw River

Another view of the Waccamaw River

            One interesting scene we passed was a “school boat.”  I guess this is a boat that picks up the children that live on the islands and ferries them to school on the mainland or wherever.  What an interesting way to get to school. 

The School Boat

            I keep hoping that I will see an inkling of the sun, but we are just engulfed by a blanket of dark gray clouds that just won’t give up. 

            After awhile, the beautiful river ends at the Socastee Bridge, and we go through an area that is not very attractive.  In addition we have to go through the “rock pile,” which is a stretch of the waterway where the bottom is hard shale or rock with rock ledges lining the deep part.   The Waterway Guide and the chart books warn you to use extreme caution and make sure you stay in the middle of this 20 mile stretch and to call ahead to check for any tugs or barges that are entering the channel in the opposite direction you are!  I did call ahead and no one answered me, and really there is only a three-mile part (mile 347 to mile 350 or so we were told) that is really worrisome.  We got through here fine and didn’t even see a rock!

            We made reservations at the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club for the night.  This is the marina where we stayed when Hurricane Sandy made an appearance last year.  I was looking forward to going to the restaurant for their famous wings, but when we checked in, the manager said the restaurant was having a “Derby” party, and we better go ask if we needed reservations to have dinner there tonight.  Well, we went up to the restaurant, and they said we could make reservations, and so we did.  But as we were in there, some people came in, and the ladies had on hats.  I happened to remark sadly that I didn’t have a hat to wear, and the hostess promptly pulled out a yellow, straw hat decorated with silk flowers from her station and said I could wear that.  I then thanked her, profusely, and assured her I would return the hat when we left, but she said, “Oh no, honey, the hat is yours to keep!”  So we will be attending the Derby party in style!

            As I finish writing this, Bob has informed me that we have three “problem” areas that we have to get through tomorrow, and that we have to leave by 7:00 a.m. at the latest.  Aaarrgghg.  I am not that early a morning person, and then to have to face “difficulties” right away on top of that!  Oh well, we are now on the border of North Carolina so we will be that much closer to home.  North Carolina, in my opinion, is the hardest state to travel through.  There are so many inlets that have shoaled in and are shallow, and you have several rivers and sounds to cross where you have to be careful of the weather.  Oh well, one more state closer to home!