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| Waccamaw River |
THURSDAY APRIL 29TH- We were abruptly awakened at 5:30 in the morning by the roar of the engines on the sport fishing boat kitty corner behind us. Dick and I couldn't go back to sleep so shortly after 6 we slowly made our way off the dock. It seems we weren't the only ones with an early start we were behind a few sailboats and a very big cruiser. The sun was blinding us, and we had a difficult time seeing the buoys, Winyah Bay, is notorious for shallow spots, but we managed to stay in the channel. Dick had just said I think the cruiser is off course, when all of a sudden we heard on the radio , "Trawler behind Lady Anna I'm aground." Dick told the captain of the other boat he needed to back straight out and then come in our direction.
Our trip today took us through the Wacammaw River which is many miles long. It's a winding, narrow passage through a truly natural wetlands. It's banks have thick cypress/gum swamp, white cedar and pine. The water turns a dark tea color and stains the bow of the boat. When we were coming up in the fall, the eeriness of the river makes you feel like humming the music from Deliverance. However, in the spring, the trees have their beautiful green bounty and the lily pads are just starting to show their blooms and the only music coming to mind was the Mid Summers Dream. We spotted a few turtles sunning themselves on the logs on the banks. But one sure sign of spring on the Waccamaw are the Osprey nests each being meticulously tended to by both parents. No chicks were spotted in the nests yet, its probably too early.
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| Tea Colored Water on the Waccamaw |
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| Cypress Trees with roots above the water |
There is one bridge to contend with on this leg, its the Socastee bridge. In the guide books the schedule is posted as on request. However, that seems to be 'in a few minutes' as standard response from the bridge tender which turns into about 20 minutes of waiting. But don't be in a hurry to have the bridge open, take a look around in the trees you might spy a hawk or two or maybe an American Bald Eagle, or a wild boar, or goats.
After the Socastee bridge the population returns, small homes dot the banks as we enter the Myrtle Beach area. Then real luxurious Myrtle Beach homes start to line the banks. As we move up the ICW, we notice the cable cars taking golfers across.
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| Myrtle Beach , SC |
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| Golfers take Cable Cars across the ICW |
Our stop today was Barefoot Landing Marina. It's a long dock along the ICW, no real slips, your tied nice and close in order to fit as many boats as possible.The dockmaster will tell you which way to tie your lines if your going north/south according to the current and wind. We've stopped here a few times before and enjoyed the outlet retail stores, the restaurants, not to mention the great ice cream counter amidst decor in the 50's store. The bad economy has unfortunately affected this unique spot. A majority of the shops were closed/moved/out of business and they removed the ice cream stand in the 50's store, very sad. The highlight of the day were the turtles and giant blue fish in the little ponds. We walked all around and came across a mother duck with many ducklings and she was clearly giving them instruction to keep them close to her. That evening we enjoyed a lovely dinner aboard the boat, Dick is a whiz with the grill. The winds had subsided enough and the temps were warm enough to grill. Tonight is our last night in South Carolina.
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| Swimming Lesson |
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| Pond in Barefoot Landing Marina |
