I Have Pulled the Trigger !

[GeoPowers]

Glad you didn't leave yesterday and tempt fate- on top of it being a Friday, it was Friday the 13 th!

[Don1500]

Well, I left at 8:45 this am and arrived in Myrtle Beach at 3:45. Easy sail except for the last 5 miles. Big sign "Stay in Channel! Rock bottom!" The trouble was, the channel center kept moving. I was down to 3.5' under my keel at one point, it made me very nervous. I can't wait to get to Florida so I can go into the ocean (where it's warm!) and I have some crew with me. I don't think I'm experienced enough for the ocean alone just yet. Listening to the WX station there are 19' waves out there! But that might not be so bad if I don't have a bottom to worry about.

[hummingway]

I always find deeper water less stressful! There's a passage in the Georgia Strait between Savary Island and Hernando Island. Even at high tide there's not a lot of water there but I wanted to go through it a couple of years ago. The water was crystal clear and the whole of the way I had my heart in my throat, hoping I wouldn't find an uncharted rock. There was enough water under my keel but when you can see the minutest detail of the bottom it's a little nerve racking! I could see the riffle where it got deep again and couldn't wait to get there!

[Don1500]

Nothing is easy, the dock master here told me I had enough water to tie up, he didn’t say anything about getting off. I am now aground at the dock waiting for the tide. It is coming up so I expect to be out of here in about an hour (it’s 10 AM now). I will only get about 25 miles today but that’s OK since there is a stretch between here and Georgetown that has no marinas and I didn’t want to have to anchor. I don’t want to do that until I have had some practice during the day, I don’t think I would sleep a wink. There are some good anchorages here but without practice I wouldn’t trust the hook.
This is Barefoot Landing, as opposed to Barefoot Marina on the West side of the ICW.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Don1500

Nothing is easy, the dock master here told me I had enough water to tie up, he didn’t say anything about getting off. I am now aground at the dock waiting for the tide. It is coming up so I expect to be out of here in about an hour (it’s 10 AM now). I will only get about 25 miles today but that’s OK since there is a stretch between here and Georgetown that has no marinas and I didn’t want to have to anchor. I don’t want to do that until I have had some practice during the day, I don’t think I would sleep a wink. There are some good anchorages here but without practice I wouldn’t trust the hook.
This is Barefoot Landing, as opposed to Barefoot Marina on the West side of the ICW.

having had a yacht that draws 11ft,and in the past been told by dockmasters that their is enough water,only to end up aground.

i hope you are only paying for the time on the dock you are actually afloat,normally i negotiated a 50% reduction in fee's if im only afloat 50% of the time..............

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by atoll

having had a yacht that draws 11ft,and in the past been told by dockmasters that their is enough water,only to end up aground.

i hope you are only paying for the time on the dock you are actually afloat,normally i negotiated a 50% reduction in fee's if im only afloat 50% of the time..............

Good luck with that one in Myrtle Beach...To bad your passing thru just as it turns off cold..its been mild until this week and wed it will be up to 60 deg again...DVC

[Don1500]

For those of you that missed it I had an incident on Sunday. A Sport Fisher blew past me and clogged my Raw water lines. Long story short I spent the last two days in Osprey Marina (Very nice place, good people). And I also want to thank Hague Marina, if you need parts near Myrtle beach, they have 'em! West Marine sent me there when they didn't have the part I needed.

You can find out all about it Here http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ing-74849.html
I depart Osprey for south of Georgetown in the morning.

[Don1500]

When I started out I had a vision of what this trip would be like. After meeting Tim & Andria, and the crew from Wyld Ride, after meeting old friends and making new, having really good days and some not so good, it has been very close to what I expected. Not Indiana Jones, but not sitting in a house watching TV either. (But I sure would like to see a couple of "Big Bang Theory" shows!)

To those of you that want to, do it now.
To those that are, I hope to meet you soon.

[gpshephe]

Curious, if a boat goes by , albeit at a fast pace, and clogs your water line, what happens in 15 foot choppy seas?

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Don1500

When I started out I had a vision of what this trip would be like. After meeting Tim & Andria, and the crew from Wyld Ride, after meeting old friends and making new, having really good days and some not so good, it has been very close to what I expected. Not Indiana Jones, but not sitting in a house watching TV either. (But I sure would like to see a couple of "Big Bang Theory" shows!)

To those of you that want to, do it now.
To those that are, I hope to meet you soon.

Don - i subscribe to Big Bang on iTunes. Watch it on ipad or pc...

Going to sea these days doesnt mean leaving tv behind - LOL...

[Don1500]

Originally Posted by gpshephe

Curious, if a boat goes by , albeit at a fast pace, and clogs your water line, what happens in 15 foot choppy seas?

In 15' Choppy seas the mud is usually 30 to hundreds of feet down, I was in the ICW with 5' below my keel. And there is no propeller churning up the bottom.

[hummingway]

I've been wanting to ask and I guess this is a good time; what is the ICW like? I've heard it's quite shallow; is it kept clear of obstructions, wide, narrow? Do people sail on it or is motor only? What is the shoreline like?

[Don1500]

Originally Posted by hummingway

I've been wanting to ask and I guess this is a good time; what is the ICW like? I've heard it's quite shallow; is it kept clear of obstructions, wide, narrow? Do people sail on it or is motor only? What is the shoreline like?

Yes





There are wide places (Alligator River), narrow places (The Rock Pile comes to mind). Deep places (Cape Fear River) and shallow places (Most of NC). Places you can sail (The Chesapeake, Alligator River) Places you can't (Most of the channels). You can relax but you have to keep an eye out at all times and pay attention. I understand I am coming into the deepest portion of the ICW, The Waccamaw River, I will also be going with the current for a while. This river is still too narrow to sail but It should be a little easier on the mind then going through a canyon with rock all around you (This is just before Myrtle Beach and is called "The Rock Pile", narrow, shallow, and a quick rise from a 12' channel to 4' over rock). The real thing you have to watch for is IDIOTS, they are everywhere. Oh yes, the sides of most of the channels are lined with tree stumps. Also a lot of dead trees along the banks.

[Don1500]

I had a beautiful sail down the Waccamaw River today from Osprey to Georgetown. Deep water all the way, wide channels, nice gentle passage. A bit diecy getting into the channel for Georgetown, but I made it.

Then I looked at the rest of the journey. The channels get narrower, the depths get shallower, and my nerves are shot. I have fretted over this all day and could only come to one conclusion, I am going back to Myrtle Beach and will spend the rest of the year there. I am going to take a few more sailing courses, get some more experience, and settle my nerves. I will first stop at Osprey Marina for a week or two then go back up through the Rock Pile to a marina that is more "in town" than Osprey. Osprey is a great marina but it is too far out in the sticks for someone without a car. I can also beat their price and get better amenities, like a pool. Maybe by the middle of summer I will have the experience to sail to Florida direct. Well I can sleep peacefully tonight knowing that I will have a better trip tomorrow than I thought I would. I am sorry to disappoint those following this trip with a quick end, but I really don't think I can do the next part. If you don't have confidence you are 3/4 of the way to failure. And failure on this route could cost lots of money.

Another thing, I am 1 month into this journey an I am barely 1/2 way there. I expected to be at least in Savannah by now.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving up the boat, just the passage through lower S. Carolina and Georgia (I hear Georgia is worse.) But I will get to Florida eventually.

[svpattyd]

We r in Jekyll island. We just did the trip u r talking about. We have a 6 ft draft and were fine. Favor the red marks. Did u think of getting a crew member? Seems to be lots of postings of folks that want to crew.