Myrtle Beach, SC - free dock

3/27/2017 

Clark and I both had our cameras out and were busy this morning to capture last minute pictures of historic Georgetown.

Reflections in Georgetown, SC

Blackbeard Fishing Boat

Blackbeard w/ Fumes

Before we could leave, however, we had to return the rental car. Since Clark has more boat-prep duties, I offered to be the car returner. When I arrived at Enterprise, I found one clerk and two people in line ahead of me. My primary concern quickly became getting a ride back to the marina based on the apparent lack of agents.

The two gentlemen in front of me in line started chatting – very friendly folks. I gathered from the conversation that one was, and the other had once been, a pastor.  The current pastor was returning a car that he used to attend a pastor’s conference in Virginia. That topic was the focal point of their conversation. I found their discussion so interesting I interjected a comment and became part of the conversation.

The second gentleman was picking up a car.  We continued to banter even after the first man left. As I had still not seen any sign of another agent or driver, I asked for confirmation that I would be able to get a ride back to the marina. The man renting a car asked me where I was headed, and when I said the marina, he offered to drive me there.

I don’t normally accept drives from strangers; however, in this case, I decided to accept. It turned out that the agent was at the shop by himself. His plan was to close the shop while he drove me to the marina. I had no idea what time of day I might finally arrive at the marina with that plan in place. As the agent worked with the man ahead of me in line, another customer came in. I pictured one customer after another coming in, and the agent (and me) not leaving the shop for hours.

As I talked with “my driver”, I learned that, besides his time as a pastor, he used to be a fireman and is currently a roofer. While driving down Front Street, he proudly pointed out a roof he had recently repaired. We chatted and laughed all the way back to the marina. 

I learned one very interesting helpful hint from him that he uses in his roofer job. He said the only repellant that works to keep the gnats away is Bounce Scented Dryer Sheets. He keeps them in his glove box and rubs them on his arms, hair, etc. He said everyone he meets asks him “why he always smells so fresh”!

Dropping off the car and getting back to the marina took over an hour. I expected to find Clark ready to go and wondering what was taking so long. Instead I found him merrily chatting with a fellow boater. I truly don’t know why I expected any other scenario. With some coaxing, I managed to get him focused on pulling in lines and readying for departure.

We saw lots of interesting sights today as we traveled the ICW through South Carolina.

Brush Fire - we could see the flames from the boat

Tree with roots mostly submerged in Channel

Sailboat on the ICW

Tree-lined ICW in SC

Reflections on the ICW

Wacamaw River - SC ICW

Carolina Bays Parkway – bridge under construction

Carolina Bays Parkway – bridge under construction

Carolina Bays Parkway - heavy yellow line on map
Our boat is at the blue dot
where the bridge construction is taking place.

Swing Bridge

Homeowner with a sense of humor “Make More WAKE Please”

Red / Green Buoy Repository

Red /Green Buoy Yard Ornaments

Meeting Barge Gold Coast at bridge

Waiting for Gold Coast to pass through bridge

Barge and Tug Gold Coast heading south on the ICW

Immediately after passing through the bridge we came to our stop for the night – a free dock at a boating facility. Seeing water depths below the hull of 2.5 feet made Clark uncomfortable during docking. He checked after we secured our lines and found that we had docked precisely at low tide, so water levels would rise from here. Yay!

The boating facility had a dual-lane boat ramp, a lovely picnic table area, and some bench swings.

Pelican Bird Sculpture at Boating Facility

Bench Swing and Picnic Table Area

Since we docked just after 3:00, we had plenty of time to explore the area. Clark suggested bikes which turned out to be an excellent plan. Looking at Google Maps, we could see a variety of shops located in two different malls in the area.

As we exited the boating facility with the free dock, we passed a stop sign that Clark said, "... makes no sense whatsoever!"

Perplexing Stop Sign

Street sign at entrance to the facility with the free dock

 For our first stop, we visited the Bass Pro Shop. I found the decorations of the store way more interesting than the merchandise.

Gator Sculpture in Pond at Entrance

Welcome Sign to Bass Pro Shop

Hunting / fishing lodge and giant fish “Myrtle Beach, SC”

Zoomed-in view of 3-D lodge

Something for the hunters to admire

Faithful Dog

Retriever at Work

Carved Tree Artwork

After visiting Bass Pro Shop, we biked across a major highway (fortunately at a traffic light) to a second plaza. Here I found a Dollar Tree and a Marshall’s where I bought some goodies to bring back to the boat with me. Clark had the backpack, so he got to carry my finds back to the boat.

Pickings were slim for sunset views but Clark found an interesting one.

Sunset under the bridge

Preview of New Bern, NC

3/26/2017

Yet again we needed to move our car northward ahead of the boat - this time to New Bern, North Carolina. Since we picked up the car yesterday, we got an early start as Google Maps indicated we had a four-hour drive each way to drop the car.

Walking up to start our trip, Clark took a few morning pictures of the marina area. Like yesterday, we had overcast skies.

Georgetown Harborwalk Marina

Boats anchored near Harborwalk Marina

We traveled Route 17 north for most of the route with speed limits ranging from 60 mph on open highway to 35 mph as we passed through some towns along the way. Fortunately, we did not have any traffic issues and arrived in New Bern just after noon.

Some of our looper friends make New Bern their home port. Clark called Carey from Tug Lee Loo as soon as we arrived at the New Bern marina, and he came up to greet us at the Dockmaster's Office. Before heading back to Georgetown, we walked over to visit Carey and his wife, Nancy, on their boat. Time flew by as we chatted and talked "boat talk". We left for the trip back to Georgetown shortly after 1:00.

We did not get very far. As we approached the bridge near the marina, the gates went down and the drawbridge went up. Unlike all the other people waiting in their cars for the bridge to reopen, Clark and I stepped out for a view of the action. Clark took the camera to capture the moment.

Here comes the boat requiring an opening

Drawbridge going up

View including the New Bern "Bear" banners along the bridge

There he goes!

Since he was waiting for the boat to pass under the bridge, Clark took some pictures looking down from the bridge on the surrounding area.

Having experienced "the shoe on the other foot" while watching the boat go under the bridge instead of looking up at the cars waiting for the bridge to open for us, we jumped back in the car for the four-hour drive back to Georgetown. When we got back to our boat, we both needed some down time and set a date to watch some TV tonight after dinner. Of course Clark had one more task before he could go "off duty".

Tonight's Sunset picture in Georgetown, SC

Historic Georgetown, SC

3/25/2017

The sun hid behind cloudy skies for a good portion of the day today. When we left the boat at 9:00 this morning to run some errands, I captured a picture of the sky over the boats anchored next to the marina.

Cloudy Skies in Georgetown, SC

Because we have to move our car northward as well as our boat, we visited Enterprise Rental Cars early to pick up our reserved car. When we got there, however, they told us that they had no cars! We left there with a promise that they would call us when a car became available. We had other errands to run, so we went first to the post office to mail a letter and then back to the plaza where Enterprise is located to visit the Food Lion food store next door.

As we walked towards the food store, I told Clark that I was uncomfortable with the "we'll call you" arrangement due to the number of people that appeared in line behind us also planning to rent cars. I figured that a person standing there had a better chance at a car than one waiting on a phone call.  Clark went to tell the man at Enterprise that we were shopping right next door to let him know we were immediately available for car pickup, and I went into Food Lion to do my shopping. While there, I got a text message from Clark to say he got a car. Phew!

We completed our food shopping and then headed back to the boat. Since it was a Saturday and I saw online that Georgetown has a farmer's market every Saturday, we walked up to the main street to look for it. We found no sign of a farmer's market at the specified location. I stopped one of the locals and asked her, and she said it normally took place right where we were standing. Oh well. I got what I needed at Food Lion anyway so no big deal.

Walking back to the boat, Clark stopped to snap a picture.

Mallard Ducks enjoying the marina waters

After lunch, my next task of the day was laundry. I took my laundry and my Kindle up to the building and sat on the porch and read for a big chunk of the afternoon while my laundry washed and dried. I never enjoyed doing my laundry more. The weather was pleasant and the rocking chair on the porch comfortable. A vending machine on the porch indicated that I could buy either a bottle of water or a soda for 75 cents, so I bought myself a diet Coke. I don't remember the last time I had a soda, and I also don't remember when I last bought one for only 75 cents!

Just as I was folding the last of my clothes, Clark texted me to say we had visitors coming to the boat - new loopers, Judy and Marshall, who will be traveling the loop on Let's Go! We spent the rest of the day getting to know these two wonderful people. I hope very much that our paths cross again. Perhaps we can meet up as they travel through the New Jersey area.

Clark very diligently took the sunset pictures of the day (PoDs). He used both his cell phone and our Canon camera. I could not decide which I liked better, so two sunset pictures made it into today's blog update for comparison purposes.

Georgetown, SC sunset (taken with Samsung cell phone)

Georgetown, SC sunset (taken with Canon camera)

From Charleston to Historic Georgetown, SC

3/24/2017

We left the dock at 9:10 this morning for the long trip to Georgetown, South Carolina from Charleston. To dock the boat yesterday, we practically had to do the equivalent of parallel parking. The captain of C Way, Craig, paced off the length of the space before we arrived because he heard a large boat was coming in, and he did not believe a boat our size would fit in the allotted space.

Clark used some scientific principles and physics to determine which lines to use to his advantage to move the boat out this morning. His boating skills never cease to amaze me! We pulled out of the space slick as anything.

As we headed away from the marina and back towards the ICW, we passed a dock used by the US Coast Guard.

USCG Cormorant

Another USCG boat on the dock waiting to be launched when needed

USCG Anvil

As we left Charleston behind, we could see the silhouette of Fort Sumter in the distance.

Fort Sumter, South Carolina

On route, we saw lots of things that one would consider normal, such as when we passed numerous homes sporting docks with long, and sometimes short, walkways. However, we also saw a number of bizarre things on the water today. For example, we passed what looked like a floating rock. After studying it for a while, we discovered it to be a pelican sleeping on the waterway with its head tucked under its wing.

Friends of ours, who also completed the loop, had a favorite expression ... "you never know what you'll see on the water". Well, we missed the picture on that "sleeping -pelican oddity", but we captured quite a few others throughout today's travels.

First off, as we approached a swing bridge with a 30 foot clearance allowance, it suddenly blew its bridge-opening siren. We did not need the bridge opened, and looking in every direction, we could not see any vessel coming towards the bridge that would require an opening.

I stood and watched as the gates came down, the car traffic stopped, and the bridge opened. No boats passed through the fully open bridge. Then, after a couple of minutes, the bridge closed and the gates went up so the street traffic could resume. This occurred precisely at 10:00 a.m. Neither Clark nor I have seen a bridge open for the sake of opening. Normally boat traffic is required to warrant it.

Perhaps this bridge opened just so we could capture a picture for the blog?

We see some interesting water craft on our travels. Today we saw a boat that defied description.

Houseboat for little people?

One boater we saw clearly wished he lived in a different century.

Yo-ho-ho my matey!

Throughout the day we saw a variety of other boats. Several of those were boaters working their crab traps. One of them was very popular with the locals who clearly know the captain's regular routine.

Here pelicans wait patiently for the captain working his crab trap.

Here they get the cue to move in ... "Okay guys, let's go!"

 The further we got from Charleston, the more desolate the terrain.

Marshland along the ICW in South Carolina

In the midst of a section of uninhabited marshland, we came across this house all alone with no road access and difficult boat access.

No neighbors for this guy. "I vant to be alone!"

Clark told me ahead of time that we would be traveling through shallow areas today with low tide unfortunately occurring at midday. We had to watch the depth very carefully as the water continued to go out. Since they are called "floating docks" for a reason, I was not expecting to see the floating docks sitting on top of the mud.

What does this owner do with the boat at low tide?

It would seem that when you live on the mud, you make the most of it. I heard laughter, so I went to investigate and saw children wading in the mud which came up to their shins. They clearly enjoyed getting their arms and legs covered in slime. The one girl I watched (on the far left in the picture below) got her feet stuck in the mud and nearly fell over trying to extricate them. She thought it all a very fun game.

3 Girls play in mud by boat ramp while a boy their age sits on dry land. 

We passed several sections of the waterway where we had to be careful to avoid crab traps. Still I was not prepared for the sight that greeted us on one stretch. Bobbing in the water was a colorful display of crab trap markers in orange, white, and blue.

Each floating, white and orange ball is a marker for a crab trap.
Are there really that many crabs available to be caught???

Actually, the crab trap markers make reasonably good aids to navigation. In some cases, they almost appeared to be positioned specifically to keep boaters out of shallow water as they lined the edges of the waterway.

Due to the low water, we had to be on constant lookout for the red and green channel markers. I did not see the red ones pictured below until Clark told me to look at the docks!

Docks cum Aids to Navigation, i.e. Red Markers
If you hit the dock, you are out of the channel!

Continuing on, we passed through another uninhabitable section of land. Clark said, "Look at the petrified forest!" That certainly made me jump up with camera in hand. "Where? Where?"

Petrified forest? No. Just nature's artwork.

Although, to me, we seemed to be many miles from an inlet, we found numerous dolphins on route, or should I say they found us. When they heard us coming, they seemed to make a b-line to arrive at the boat for playtime.

Keeping up at about 10 mph.

Later, off in the distance, we could see the evidence of a fire.

"Smoke, on the water, ..."

Continuing on with today's theme of "unusual sightings", we passed by a floating swing bridge.

"Caution: Floating Swing Bridge"

Floating swing bridge at dock.

Miss Ellie

Miss Ellie stern

Floating swing bridge, Miss Ellie, left the dock!

After a full day of boat travel, we entered the Georgetown area around 5:00 p.m. Here, the scenery returned to more status quo.

Fishing Fleet in Georgetown, SC

Shrimp Dock in Georgetown, SC

Another pirate? These guys should get together with the one I saw earlier today.

After eight hours of traveling, we reached our dock and secured our lines. As we walked up to check in, I told Clark that I fancied going out for burgers tonight. When we paid for our stay, we asked the man at the desk where to go for a good burger, he told us to go to "The Old Fish House".

Not expecting to hear "fish" in the name of a good burger place, I asked him to repeat the name of the restaurant. Upon hearing the name a second time, I wondered now is that the "old fish" house or the old "fish house". Somehow the former option of intonation did not work up an appetite for me.

When we arrived at the restaurant, however, the sign outside touted the alternate name for the restaurant.

"Big Tuna" Restaurant and Bar
aka The Old Fish House

Outside the front door stood a three-to-four foot tall carved pelican.

Carved, wooden pelican at Big Tuna Restaurant

Inside the restaurant, we found a three-foot tall bird cage with a parrot that nearly filled it due to the length of its tail feathers.

Long parrot in cage at restaurant in Georgetown, SC

For a place that was clearly a seafood restaurant, the burger they served was quite tasty. While I enjoyed my burger, Clark had the fried grouper special. Afterwards, he decided to stop in for an ice cream treat on the way back to the boat.

The place we stopped at is one where we enjoyed an ice cream with my son and his wife (the two-year old, Sierra, refused to eat ice cream). I felt quite nostalgic as I remembered us all sitting there together. Since the shop had no sorbet, Clark got his alternate standard of a vanilla cone.

While he ate his cone, I studied the wall decoration and found it to be a painting commemorating the sinking of a Yankee ship during the Civil War.

Later, after finishing the ice cream, we walked down the street and the historical marker on the side of the road caught my eye. Here again was a remembrance of the USS Harvest Moon. Clark said, "Didn't we take that picture last year?" Yes, we did, but I wanted to include the narrative to go with the picture from the restaurant.

Clark said we had to walk fast to get back to the shelter of the boat. Because the day approached twilight, the gnats were out in force. In fact, he took tonight's sunset picture from inside the boat to avoid confronting the nasty, little creatures waiting outside.

Sunset in Georgetown, SC with Paper Mill in background

Unfortunately, the internet at the Harborwalk Marina has proven itself to be painfully slow. Since this blog entry had so many pictures to upload, this is the only accomplishment I managed to complete after dinner.