2025 November: Entering South Carolina

 3 November 2025

Depart: Carolina Beach, NC dock 7:20

Arrive: Enterprise Oxbow anchorage SC 5:05

Distance: 74.5 nm

We had a long day today with a mix of ICW and ocean travel. I had so many picture opportunities throughout the day, I truly overdid it!

Our plans for the next few days do not include marinas, so we have seen the last of heated nights and limitless electricity. We will be anchoring and bundling up! With the time change, we started our day today at 6:15 and woke to rain! Fortunately, the rain was moving away, and by the time we had eaten breakfast and pulled our lines in, the rain had passed. 

As we planned on  an ocean voyage today, the first leg of our journey took us down Snow's Cut and into the Cape Fear River.

As we approached the end of Snow's Cut, we found a multi-vessel tow up ahead. It had what I thought of as the "Papa Tug", "Mama Tug", and "Baby Tow" working together to move a very long load of pipes. "Papa Tug" ("Coastal Trader") was in the stern and in control of steering. "Mama Tug" ("Listo") was in the lead, and "Baby Tow" ("Pusher 16") was in the middle. We had to wait until they made the turn out of Snow's Cut into the river to find a way past the "parade".

Initially, from our viewpoint, it looked like a single tug ahead.

"Coastal Trader"

Then as they started to turn the corner, the full extent of what was in front of us came into view.

"Coastal Trader" at 90 degree angle to tow
as they make the turn

After the turn, we found an opportunity to pass the whole tow. 

Papa

Baby

Sea Foam covered pipes being towed

Equipment portion of tow

Mama in the lead

As we traveled the Cape Fear River, I was awestruck by the cloud cover. 

Car Ferry "Floyd J Lupton"
on Cape Fear River

People Ferry "Patriot"
on Cape Fear River near Southport, NC

We passed Southport, NC and Bald Head Island as we exited the Cape Fear River to the Atlantic Ocean.

As we approached the ocean, the sun fought with the clouds to make an appearance. 

Southport lit up by the sun

Meanwhile, across the way, the lighthouse was still missing sunlight.

The picture below was taken looking east as the sun found a whole in the cloud cover.

The next 3.5 hours we traveled south on the ocean headed to the Little River Inlet in South Carolina. We expected to arrive at the inlet at 12:30 and had a decision to make. Should we anchor with plans to travel the ocean the next day, or continue down the ICW until almost dark?

Ocean Travel today - Cape Fear Inlet, NC 
to Little River Inlet, SC

We did a number of calculations and listened to the weather station reports on tomorrow's conditions. Ultimately, we decided that tomorrow's ocean condition would be the same or worse than today's and sounded a lot less pleasant. We would continue onwards instead of dropping anchor.

Red / White Marker for Little River Inlet
(the "ball" on top indicates it is a RW marker)

As we entered the inlet, we saw several small fishing boats. 

I liked the single brilliant white cloud peaking out from behind all the dismal gray ones.

As we came in Little River inlet, a boat came in behind us and followed us all day long until we finally turned off the anchor and they continued on.

Shortly after entering the inlet, we noticed a sailboat anchored where Clark initially planned for us to spend the night. Instead of dropping anchor, we continued on for another 4+ hours.

Next, we saw a trawler up ahead with his "wings" spread. Turned out the vessel was at anchor.

"II Crelle's" at anchor

I took a number of pictures as we traveled the waterway leading to the ICW.

Off to one side behind a sand bar, I saw a disabled vessel.

For years there was a wrecked fishing trawler at the border of NC  and SC near the Calabash River. That boat eventually was removed. Now a another wreck has made an appearance in the same general area.

Wrecked Trawler

We always see the same boats through here. The Casino boats below take gamblers out beyond the 3-mile limit for some money-spending fun.

Casino Boats in SC

"Shrimper Girl" at dock

The boat shown in the picture below is, I believe, aground just outside the markers leading into the marina where he appeared to be going. Clark said the current was pushing him further and further onto the hard the longer it took him to get out of there. After we had passed, I saw the boat owner standing in his cockpit surveying the situation. It looked grim.

Boat aground outside 'reds' 
marking entrance to marina 

When we calculated how far we could get tonight if we traveled the ICW, we estimated the trip at 8 knots. Well, the next thing we know we have a bridge coming up to complicate our estimates. Fortunately, the bridge was "on demand" and we did not have to wait a half hour for the next opening. In fact the bridge tender held the bridge open for several minutes as we fought the current and a no wake zone to get there.

Little River Swing Bridge

 The scenery was very changeable today as we passed various places populated with houses packed close together to areas with no houses whatsoever. 

As we entered the "Rock Pile" Clark called a Security call to announce our travels down this narrow and dangerous portion of the ICW. Today we got to travel this section near low tide. On high tides, the yucky bottom consisting of thick mud and rocky terrain cannot be seen. It seems a bit scarier to me at high tide as one can only wonder what's down there.

My favorite part of traveling this section near low tide is that I usually get to see the turtles sunning themselves. Today I was not disappointed!

Our travels today took us past Myrtle Beach. You know you are in South Carolina as golf courses appear on both sides of the ICW.

They waved as we went by!

Looking behind us at the boat "Joy" that
followed us for mile after mile today.

"Barefoot Queen" Riverboat

We passed a restaurant with interesting décor outside.

A variety of ocean markers "on the hard"

After that we had a section with no buildings.

Wrecked boat on side of the ICW

Later we saw a section where the houses were packed together like sardines.

Up ahead, I saw a truck on the water!

Truck on dock

"We build docks!"

I had gone down below briefly and came back up to find Clark taking a picture of an "obstruction" in the water. The obstruction turned out to be a tree growing in the waterway.

ICW "Obstruction"

Large home on the ICW

"Make More Wake Please"

Party zone

with Pirate Ship "Treasure Hunter"

Railroad bridge in open position ahead

We had one more bridge to be opened before we concluded today's travels. Fortunately, this bridge also opened upon request, so we had no wait time.

"Joy" coming through Socastee Swing Bridge
behind us

The last few miles of today's travels were fairly miserable. We headed west directly into the setting sun. We struggled to see the waterway and at some points hoped that no boats were coming the other direction around a bend in the ICW as we could not see them clearly. We turned to a more southerly direction for a short time to get a respite and then it was back in our faces again. We were both happy to find our chosen anchorage empty save for one other boat and turned in to drop anchor without the sun in our eyes.

After dropping the anchor, I decided to clean the salt off the front panels of the full enclosure.  We had acquired the salt from spray on the ocean earlier in the day as waves broke over the bow of the boat. 

It was either clean it now or in the morning. For me the choice to do it now was a "no brainer"! To make the job "easy" I climbed over the upper helm instruments and out the flap of the front panel to wash the panes from the outside. It requires a bit of gymnastics to get out there, but it was that or stretching exercises to try to reach the piece parts from inside the boat. 

The side windows on the boat are also salt covered but not required for visibility as we motor down the ICW tomorrow. My priority after finishing the front panels was to make dinner. Perhaps it was changing the clocks over the weekend, but we both found ourselves hungry and eating more and at unusual times throughout the day.