Out Of The Dead Zone

SHIP'S LOG:

Wednesday- Location: Minim Creek 33'1.383N/079'16.387
I hatred to leave Charleston as the weather did not promise goodness in the immediate future, but leave I had to as an overnight, electricity, pumpout and fill up cost $202.67 and who can sustain that amount of expenditure. In other words, I didn't have the money, at least not enough to spend there as there is still fuel and food to buy up ahead.

Crossing Charleston Harbor in the wind was "rollicking" to say the least. The storms of yesterday were gone but the wind remain, out of the south and with the out going tide, it produced a nasty chop. Bouncy, bouncy,bouncy. To continue up the ICW, i had to cross the harbor directly and that meant across all the traffic as well. The big ships have good radar, I suppose, or at least they have someone actually using it.

Getting into the river on the other side of the harbor means going from 40 and 50 foot depths to 10 feet. Hey 10 feet is plenty, but it is nice not to have to worry about the bottom. I had to pass"through" the Ben sawyer Bridge, which as a swing bridge, doesn't open if the winds are above a certain sustain speed. I believe it is 25 miles an hour, a number we were fast approaching and I hated to think that I would get there and they would say, "Sorry, too windy." But either the winds was slower than I thought, or the bridge tender was a sailor, because he opened and I got through. The next bridge some miles up was a fixed bridge(65ft. high) so there would be no further problems. I passed the guy in the canoe heading to Indiana. . . again!


The wind continued to blow and the water over the next stretch got thin. I spent a lot of time looking for deep water, moving side to side, trying to stay off the bottom. The only consistency to water depth in the ICW is that there is none at all. The numbers jump all around and seem to lower quicker than they rise. In addition, the wind was stirring up the water sufficiently so that it was stirring up the bottom and sometime the mud in the water was enough to really screw up the depth sounder reading. It would go from "14.5" to "3.7" and you didn't know whether to believe it or not. Then again, the depth sounder reads what is directly under your boat and but then, it is too late.

Got to Minim Creek just south of Georgetown about 5pm. The wind was still blowing but the trees of the creek cut it down some. I set the hook in the perfect spot but ABISHAG danced around in a figure "8" through the night. The wind picked up some as the tide went out and I sat up again watching the little boat move around on the GPS. AT midnight, I left it to God and went to bed.

Thursday-April 28, 2011- Enterprise Creek: 33'40.690N/ 079'04.145W

The weather report for today, from the night before, was "Torrential rain, near 100%." This morning, it hadn't improved, save for the winds which were supposed to increase. There was sure to be "thunder and excessive lightning" and there was no sense in leaving . . . . Yet, I didn't like Minim Creek. too exposed, and had a course laid in all the way to Enterprise Creek which was very sheltered, and it wasn't raining yet though the wind was blowing. At 8:34 it didn't look like it would rain any time soon and as I had four fall back anchorages on the course, I decided to chance it and try and out run the weather. Foolish but what the heck.

I took off and up the rive to Winyah Bay and Georgetown, The wind and the tide were good and really moved me along. . . .until I got to the bay. Then it was slow going. A little bit of sail steady the roll that was coming in the bay and up my backside, but not too much as it was blowing about 25, with gusts to 35. Did a little bit of surfing but I had too work hard not to broach so the sail got furled.

North of Georgetown, passing the "Great Pee Dee River," a good portion of the wave subside but not all. The wind up the Waccamaw River was still sufficient to produce some serious waves when river course and wind were in agreement. Passed my first anchorage off Butler Island but decided to continue. The next one was Thoroughfare Creek where I had to call TowBoat/US to retrieve my fouled anchor. No way I was going in there again, not without a gun to my head. I kept going. The next spot was a place called Cow House Creek which was right across the river from the Wacca Wache Marina and a golf course. Talk about out in the middle of nowhere.

By now the wind had decreased a bit and while cloudy, it had not begun to rain. Traveling on this portion of the ICW you get "optical Illusions." You can be heading down a straight and see the far end but you can't see any place to turn. Even when you know that it is a left or a right, you still can't see it. Even when the GPS says turn, you still can't see it and then, BANG, suddenly there it is and you turn, but carefully. Sharpe turns are usually bad for the "insides" of corners are usually shallow while the "outsides" is where the water is deeper."

Once again, it is important to remember that "Crab Pots Rule!" They tell you where the deep water is NOT! Another strange thing in this stretch are the gates people put up to keep people from anchoring in creeks. You would think a "No Trespassing" sign would do the trick.

Got to Enterprise Creek and drop the hook at 4pm and nary a rain drop fell. By the time dinner was finish so was the wind. ABISHAG sat unmoving all night. NOAA could not have been more wrong on their forecast, at least as I experienced it. If I had stayed in Minim Creek and had the day that I experienced, I would have been angry with myself for not going . . . . so I hope it rained like hell in Georgetown.

April 29, 2001, Friday Calabash Creek :33'52.338N/ 078'34.188W

I almost hated to leave Enterprise Creek. It is a beautiful spot. But it is also out in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone service or Internet access. I had a jaunt of 30 miles to make and then a decision. I would be heading to Calabash Creek and then I would decide id the next day I would try for Wrightsville Beach or duck into a marina in Southport. There are not a lot of places to anchor for a small boat between Calabash Creek and Carolina Beach. A lot will depend on the travel today.

The GPS had me sailing on land for a good part of the day. The GPS screen presents a picture of the chart and you location on it and it is supposed to accurately plot your over the chart. It probably does but reality and the chart don't always jibe. Today, if I never took my eyes off the GPS, I would have gone aground constantly. It really just provides information and you have to take it and relate it to the world you see outside the cockpit. The best piece of info is actually the depth but again, you have to take that with a grain of salt too. what made this of "concern" was a stretch of three miles where the ICW transits rock barrier know locally as the "Rock Pile". There is no soft sand or gooey mud should you stray from the channel , simply a flat rocky shelf that will open up any boat like a can of peas should you stray aground on it. Thank goodness it was low tide for you could see the cut through the rock and all one had to do is stay in the middle. Easy enough when no one is coming the other way or wants to pass you from behind. . . .both of which happened. But as far as I can tell, everyone made it through unscathed. It doesn't help that there are snags - partially sunken trees - and "deadheads" float (and so moving) partially sunken trees all over the place. These "wheel inspectors" have to be watched for or one could ruin your whole day.

Pass by Myrtle Beach, I passed through the land of ugly condos facing lovely home across the ICW. And there were ugly houses facing even more ugly houses across that water way. It is also the land of GOLF, and I passed 7 golf course that were on the ICW, including one that you take a cable car across the ICW to go from the parking lot to the first green. I can't even begin to contemplate how may courses there were out of my sight.

Dropped my hook in Calabash Creek and laid out the course for Wightsville Beach. Southport is on the way. When I get to Southport, I will decide then whether to go or stay. In any event, it means rising early tomorrow. Ugh!

Oh, by the way. It "snowed" down here today. I am not sure what it was,milkweed or something like that, but for awhile it was everywhere. It looked like the real thing . . . except for the temperature!

Boat Names: AWOL; Hugit; Dirty Laundry; Pagan Chant; The Plan; Lost Naviogator; Haven On The Water;