Southport NC to Charleston SC - 2018

Nov 26 thru Dec 1

—Blogpost written by Bob

Southport NC to Barefoot Landing SC (Nov 26)

We had three major obstacles today: Lockwood’s Folly, Shallotte Inlet, and the Rock Pile. We departed from Southport Marina at 6:45 AM while the sun was rising, even though it couldn’t be seen through the clouds.

When we left Southport it was about 65 degrees F and raining lightly. We were grateful for the warm temperature and the light rain didn’t bother us one bit with our cockpit enclosure. We motored about an hour and fifteen minutes before we reached our first major obstacle, Lockwood’s Folly. Using the information we obtained in the navigation briefing by Hank of Carolina Yacht Care in Southport Marina and the timing our departure so that we arrived at about an hour before high tide resulted in a trouble-free passage. The second major obstacle, Shallotte Inlet, about 9 miles further down the ICW, was trouble-free as well.  It really pays to hit these two trouble spots at high tide!

A couple shrimp boats docked
near Little River.

The sun came out by the time we met our last major obstacle of the day, the Rock Pile. The Rock Pile was completely uneventful. We docked at Barefoot Marina about 2 PM.

The only real obstacle we experienced today was when Maggie dropped her new embroidered baseball cap into the water, just before we docked. It took me three passes with the boat until she could get close enough to hook it with our long boat hook. The people waiting for us to dock wondered what we were doing, motoring in circles.

We went through two opening bridges today, the New River Swing Bridge and the Barefoot Landing Swing Bridge. Both opened on signal and we didn’t experience a delay at either one.

Our two cats comforting one another
at a point in the day today.

It was nice getting into Barefoot Marina so early in the afternoon. We got showers, had a cocktail, and got caught up on our blogs. 

Rainy Days docked at Barefoot
Marina on November 26.

Tomorrow is another 40+ mile day...but with no major obstacles in our path.

Barefoot Landing to Georgetown (Nov 27)

It was COLD (36 degrees F) this morning!  The damp cold hit me like a slap in the face, the first time I stepped outside the boat. I wore socks, hiking shoes, and a heavy jacket for the first time this season. Freeze warnings are in effect for this area tonight. We left Barefoot Marina at 7:30 AM and immediately vowed to get a slip tonight in Georgetown as opposed to our plan of anchoring near Butler Island.

We passed through the Socaste Swing Bridge
at 10:30 AM—it had to open for us.

Just before the Socaste Swing Bridge (as well as immediately after the bridge), the homes were built very close to the high water mark. As we came past at high tide, the level of the water was well into their lawns and appeared to be very close to the level of their foundations.

This house was particularly close to
the water level at high tide.

During a recent flood this sailboat was
deposited on someone's lawn.

The tide was against us until about 11 AM.  During the remainder of the day, we were moving with the assistance of the tidal flow.

Maggie at the helm while motoring
down the Waccamaw River.

S/v Rainy Days docked at the
Georgetown Landing Marina.

Since there are freeze warnings for tonight and tomorrow night, we decided to change our travel plan by staying over a day in here Georgetown and making a long (55-mile) travel day on Thursday getting us all the way to Isle of Palms. We will have a stay over day at Isle of Palms before going onto Charleston on Saturday.

Stay Over Day in Georgetown SC (Nov 28)

The temperature hit the freezing mark early this morning. I’m glad that we were in a marina where we had shore power. I’m also glad we are staying here another night because another freezing night is expected. (We have to leave to go south a little earlier next season—right after the Annapolis Sailboat Show, or mid-October, seems to be the perfect time as long as no hurricanes are on the horizon at the time.)

The boardwalk at Georgetown. 

The clock tower behind a building
that was demolished.

Three shrimp boats were in
port at Georgetown SC

We spent about 3 or 4 hours in Georgetown.  We had some excellent coffee at Coffee Break in Front Street, had a tasty lunch at Atlantic House Restaurant, and saw all the normal tourist sites.

The biggest employer in town is a paper mill which can be seen from the center of town.  (Next time we stop here we will stay at the Georgetown Harborwalk Marina because it is in the middle of down town and it is better protected from northerly winds.)

Georgetown to Isle of Palms (Nov 29)

We were off and running at 8 AM, our departure planned around the tides at certain areas along today's trip.  We had to enter Fourmile Canal at mid-tide and rising (11 AM) and we had to be completely through Jeremy Creek during high tide (1 PM).  Of course, we also had to be in Isle of Palms Marina before they closed for the day. 

The day started out with frost on the docks at Georgetown SC and quickly turned into a beautiful fall day with the outside temperature in the 50's.

This is what most of our
day today was like.

Our cats cuddling in the quarter
berth during the today's trip.

s/v Rainy Days docked at Isle of Palms
Marina at the end of the day.

We arrived at Isle of Palms Marina at 3:45 PM--today's 55-mile trip took 7-3/4 hours.  We averaged 7.09 miles per hour (or 6.17 knots)! 

Stay Over Day in Isle of Palms (Nov 30)

We are not due in Charleston City Marina until December 1–so today is like a staging day. Charleston City Marina, where we will be spending the winter, is only a few hours away. We met another couple here at Isle of Palms who will also staying at Charleston City Marina—they (previous C&C sailboat owners) are in a trawler and will be docked one pier away from us. They will be staying through the end of April whereas we will be staying only through the end of March. (I’m hoping it will be much warmer going back north during next April than it was coming down south during November!)

We got provisions at the nearby Harris Teeter—this took more than half of the morning. (We got a ride to the grocery store in the marina’s van and took an Uber back to the marina.) Lola got her chance to play in an empty grocery bag as we were stowing the groceries.

After lunch we walked to the
beach at Isle of Palms.

Some of the beachfront
homes at Isle of Palms.

One of three shrimp boats working
the coast about a mile off the
beach at Isle of Palms.

s/v Rainy Days docked at
Isle of Palms Marina.

Isle of Palms to Charleston (Dec 1)

Today's short 14-mile trip had to be timed around the tide and one bridge opening, the Ben Sawyer Swing Bridge.  The Ben Sawyer Bridge is closed to marine traffic between 7 AM and 9 AM (only on weekdays but we didn't know this ahead of time).  We have to enter our slip at Charleston City Marina during a slack tide--the daytime low tide is at 8:47 AM and the daytime high tide is at 2:57 PM.  The only option for us to enter the slip at slack tide is to do it at slack high tide in the afternoon.  So, we plan to depart from Isle of Palms Marina (MM 456) at 11;45 AM so that we could make the 1 PM opening of the Ben Sawyer Bridge and arrive at Charleston City Marina just before high tide.

The sky was overcast as rain threatened before we departed from Isle of Palms—it actually started to rain lightly at 9 AM.  We have to wait until 11:45 AM to leave—I hate waiting!  It is relatively warm outside--we are dressed in jeans and short-sleeved shirts.  I'm sure we will need our foul weather jackets when we dock in Charleston.

We are waiting in the rain at Isle of Palms
Marina.  The trawler in front of us is
from Peach Blossom Creek
which is near Easton MD.

I got caught up with my improved waypoint entries (on our chart plotter) this morning. I try to keep track of questionable or troublesome areas on our trip southward to make our trip going back northward easier and trouble-free. This careful maintenance of waypoints plus working around the tides saved us from going aground on this trip—we only had a minor “bump” just north of Wrightsville Beach.

Well, 11:45 AM finally came (we actually left a little early!) and we departed isle of Palms Marina.  As it turns out we were at the Ben Sawyer Swing Bridge about 25 minutes early.

The Ben Sawyer Swing Bridge opening
for us on December 1.

As we got to Charleston Harbor it started to rain harder and it got very foggy--it was like motoring in pea soup.  We had to dodge a car carrying ship that was coming our the North Channel.  Our AIS really helped in this situation and it convinced me that we have to get an AIS transponder, not just a receiver.

Our track (red line) coming into Charleston Harbor
shows how we changed course and went parallel
to the North Channel to avoid a collision
with a big car carrier ship in the fog.

We docked at Charleston City Marina
at 3:10 PM during slack high tide.

We are glad to be docked in Charleston for the winter.  We will continue our blog posts about our activities while in Charleston.  Stay tuned...


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