Charleston SC MM 469 ICW

An early start yet again! After passing Hare and Rabbit Island on Winyah Bay NH enters the Estherville Minim Creek where there is a very unusual bridge.

It’s a swing bridge that opens by being pushed across the ICW by a small boat. As you can see the bridge’ s name is Miss Ellie. This section of the AICW was very shallow in certain areas with the water level extremely low. Many boat lifts were simple in the mud so you certainly could not take your boat our from the dock. It was a lovely cruise and Nana was able to do a little yoga while underway. So many islands along the way Minim, Crow, Murphy’s, Cat, Cedar, Bird, Capers, Dewees, Sullivan’s, Eagle, Isle of Palms and James. The blue herons appear creeping along the marshes, standing tall on the pillars and flying low over the waterways. The dolphin also frolicking along the bow of the boat.

This is the Ben Sawyer Swing bridge which is now closing after opening for a sail boat. It is 31 feet so NH can get underneath easily. It is about four miles from Charleston which is where we will dock for the evening. Safe Harbor Charleston is a huge marina with a mega dock where they can accommodate very large mega yachts over 200 feet. They are building another area for yachts 400 feet! From May to June and Oct to Nov these docks are all fully reserved. They provide an hourly shuttle to anywhere you need to go up to 7.45 pm. Nana and Nandad of course took advantage of this service and stocked up again with groceries for the last leg of our journey. We have approximately 250 miles to go and would like to be at Tiger Point Marina - which is on Amelia Island near Fernandina Beach up Eagans Creek - by November 13 th. Nana is excited to be on the final leg of our journey and is ready for some Nana time. We will fly back to Boston November 16th. 

Although NH does not cruise under the Arthur Ravenel JR. Bridge it is pretty magical looking from the water. The bridge connects downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant. Although we do not have time to explore Charleston on this visit it is a wonderful area and definitely worth staying a few days. We enjoyed watching the sunset , strolling the mega dock and had a wonderful dinner onboard. 

NH cruises into South Carolina MM 402.6

Today was the day to spy on all the fabulous homes along the ICW. They just got bigger and bigger. It took Nana and Nandad nine hours to get to Harborwalk Marina which is downtown Georgetown. It is a very interesting section of the ICW between the homes, the waterways, the beach feel of Myrtle Beach, the spooky moss spilling from the trees all along the Waccamaw River. I guess you can take the Casino cruise and either win or loose all you money! 

Georgetown is a very picturesque town with lots of museums, boutiques, restaurants, art galleries and very eclectic stores. It is on Winyah Bay which is surrounded by four rivers and once was a vibrant rice plantation area ( Hopsewee and Hampton are the most popular ). It is also home to the Kaminski House Museum, the stately former home of a Confederate sea captain. The rice fields were replaced by International paper and lumbar mills. 

SH Southport Village NC MM 311

Another perfect day to cruise at a steady speed of 9 knots. Although we were on the water today for four and theee quarter hours it felt a lot longer. We went under the Figure Eight Island Bridge ( vertical reported at 20 ft ) however we were delayed at the Wrightville Beach Bridge which was also reported as 20 ft but when Nandad called the bridge operator he verified that it was really 16 feet so we decided it was prudent to wait. 

The house in the picture just goes to show that you never know what your new neighbor will build! 

New Horizon cruises through Snow Cut with Pleasure Island to her port side into the wide Cape Fear River. Multiple markers can be very confusing but Captain Aedan has it all under control. We can see the ferry that takes passengers to Federal Point in the distance, we pass Deep Point where you can take the ferry to Bald Head Island so it’s a busy traffic area. The area below is Carolina Beach Inlet which I believe is to shallow to get you out into the Atlantic. Sure looks pretty.

We were secured to the transient dock at SH Southport Village ( after entering the wrong marina first ) by 1.15 pm ready to have lunch onboard in wonderful sunshine. We took on another 100 gals of fuel, got pumped out ( boating essentials ) and settled in for a relaxing evening. Excellent dinner at the lovely Italian restaurant Joseph’s right at the dock. 

Harbour Village Marina

Sunday November 5th.  Another long day cruising starting at 8am ( thinking it was 9am ) and arriving into our slip at 3.15 pm. The marina has new docks and is run by four private HOA’s. It is the perfect spot for a relaxed quite evening looking out into the ICW. Beautiful homes surround the marina and because there is no outlet to the Atlantic Ocean the boats are mostly Center Console and Boston Whalers. The perfect spot for fishing, beaching and simply enjoying the waterways. Our only issue this evening is sunset was 5.15 pm!! 

The cruise today was just beautiful with the ocean breeze and visibility in the distance. The surrounding waters are full of small islands, creeks, inlets and marshes. It is really very difficult to capture its beauty on camera. Nana was able to spot a bald eagle perched on a dead tree, snowy egrets peeping their long necks up unannounced in the marshes, pelicans swooping down to catch their fish, the osprey guarding their nests, the sea gulls following out wake and Nandad got great video of dolphin frolicking along the side of NH -  Unfortunately Nana has not figured out how to post a video on her blog! The picture below is the Beaufort Inlet which will take you out into the Atlantic.

A little blurry but gives you the idea of the beaches that you can access with your small boats and have some family fun.

Now Nana rarely talks about food while cruising however today she could not resist the opportunity to share with you what a late morning snack might look like on NH. Homemade poppy seed bread, yogurt and fresh strawberries. All while maintaining hourly watches and making sure NH stays on course. Life is pretty good. Apologies that the strawberries are not in a pretty container - always room for improvement. 

SH Jarrett Bay

 Nana enjoyed exploring the crystal clear sky last night however at about 10pm she heard this cry and a voice saying I’m in the water. A man on the boat in front of us fell into the water. Nana grabbed a flash light and with plenty of assistance ( and some hard work by the man who fell in ) the rescue was successful , an ambulance was called and the gentleman was taken to the hospital for evaluation. We heard the next day that he had broken a few ribs but otherwise should be fine. Just goes to show how boating is never uneventful. 

Now you need to look at this picture carefully. New Horizon is there on the dock directly at the bow of the mega yacht Island Cowboy! Just when you think you have a big boat this can put it all in perspective. After six hours of cruising we are docked at SH Jarrett Bay. This is a very large boatyard with multiple lifts and lots of mega power boats with the occasional sailboat. We cruised across the Pungo River into Pamlico River and goose creek - a very wide section of the AICW - from there into Bay River and Neuse River heading up into Adams Creek , a total of 62 miles. We are now at MM 197.2. This is the view from the entrance to the shipyard. 

Belhaven

This morning Nana woke early to watch all the larger powerboats and some of the sailboats all leave at the same time. NH left the dock at 8.15 am and at the end of the day tied up at the dock at 5pm at River Forest Marina MM 135. We had a very pleasant day cruising the Albemarle Sound , Alligator River, Pungo River Canal and River. We each did one hour Watch which meant that we remained alert - it can be difficult to maintain attention for longer periods especially when cruising for more that five hours. 

The marina is now taken over and called Grand Manor Marina and lots of new plans are taking place. The 100- year-old Southern mansion is about to have a makeover which includes new kitchens, restaurant, spa, event tent and lots more. We met the new owner who was happily painting the surface of the new pickle ball court which is under the canopy of tall shade trees on the pristine lawn. The marina continues to offer free golf carts and laundry. They have repaired the docks and are about to improve the breakwater. Nana couldn’t resist ringing the bell which is right outside the laundry 

After doing some boat chores Nana and Nandad took the golf cart to the grocery store and then went for dinner to the Spoon River. It still serves a very different menu with delicious food and amazing desserts - they make all their own desserts YUMMY. 

Coinjock Marina NC

November 2nd Thursday we leave SH Bluewater Yachting Centre and start our journey into the AICW - Atlantic Intercostal Waterways. By the time we pumped out the head and filled with fuel we were later leaving than we would have preferred. Before you cruise down the AICW you have to travel through the 10 nm stretch called the Hampton Roads area. It is here that the worlds merchant fleet loads and unloads cargo. It also feel weird as the boat cruises along there are cars traveling the tunnel underneath us. It takes a lot of concentration to make sure you are honoring the correct markers and of course staying our of the Navy Ships way !This particular one is the George W Bush.

At mile marker Zero NH cruises into the Elizabeth River and starts its journey into the AICW. Our first challenge is waiting for the bascule bridge to open followed by the chase to make it to the lock and after that making the opening of the next bridge on time. We gather a flotilla of probably eight boats - a mix of sail and motor - all heading for the same place! 

At mile marker 7.3  you can decide to take the Dismal Canal or the Virginia Cut route ( which is the way NH goes ). The route winds 13 miles on the headwaters of North Landing River ( which is a very wide section but has a very narrow channel ) on to Currituck Sound and into Coinjock Bay. NH did assist a sailboat that went aground so it was a good feeling to have made another boaters day just a little better. Nana and Nandad arrive into Coinjock Marina Mile Marker 49.4 after leaving Hampton at 9.45 am - a long day. 

After washing down the boat and watching the marina fill up with other boats we were rewarded with an excellent dinner at the restaurant which is famous for its steak and prime rib. Tomorrow we will head off early and try to make it to Beaufort Mile Marker 134.