Georgia and South Carolina Waters

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We have been on the move for 6 days now; our feet have not yet touched soil since we left Brunswick last Wednesday. There is an odd feeling of detachment from the “world” when you spend so much time on the water.

It has been a beautifully picturesque and scenic tour. Although we have left behind the palm trees (we have seen the sporadic one, but few and far between now), I think the denser forestry lining the banks now is more alluring. The ICW here in South Carolina is becoming much more reminiscent of our days in the rivers of Mississippi and Alabama; it is wonderful to be cruising along amongst majestic trees.

We have covered a lot of ground in the last 6 days. Since Wednesday, we have left behind the coastline of Georgia and are about to do the same to the coasts of South Carolina; most likely later today. Along the way, we have passed some beautiful, charming towns and cities, including Savannah in Georgia, and Beautfort, Charleston, and Georgetown in South Carolina. These are some popular stops for boaters along this journey, however, we have been pushing through to gain some miles. This allows us some breathing space to stop and relax when we find a place that appeals to us.

Since we haven’t been off the boat, it gives me time to reflect and to take notice of some of the more subtleties of boating and the natural phenomenon surrounding us.

One of the biggest changes of being on the Atlantic ICW is the water itself. Never before have we had to pay so much attention to tides and currents. In Georgia and parts of South Carolina, we have seen tide changes as much as 8 feet! It makes for some pretty “skinny” water – as some boaters call it. It has been pretty narrow and shallow. We have been putting in 10 hour days, which means we are traveling sometimes at low tide. There have been a few hairy moments when our depth sounder has flashed to 4 feet; since we “draw” (aka the depth of our boat) is 4 feet. But so far, we have only skimmed the bottom once, very slightly. Lukus is very adept at intuiting where the deepest water in a channel is and he has taught me to pay attention to the ripples in the water which may indicate more current and usually more depth; although it can also mean shallower water (yes, this can get confusing!). I have also learned to consider the bends in a waterway; typically, the water around a bend moves more quickly on the outside of a turn, meaning more flow, less shoaling and deeper water.

Traveling in these shallower, more challenging waters has again highlighted the camaraderie amongst boaters. As waters become iffier, most of us end up slowing down and boaters end up trailing each other. At times like this, the radio comes alive with “heads up” messages between the boats. People will radio to those behind them the depths they have seen and where they found deeper or shallow water. Or people behind you will radio to ask you what depths you are seeing. Cautions ring out “stay close to the red/green” (the markers in the ICW), or “stay to the port/starboard”. It is wonderful to see how much boaters look out for each other; and as a result, we have only seen a few boats “grounded” along the way (with the exception of all the half sunk boats we have seen – but I think that has to do more with hurricanes than tides).

The scenery and wildlife is becoming more dominant as we leave behind the populated and industrialized areas. Despite the murkier, “tea colored” water, we have probably seen more dolphins along this stretch than any other of our journey. Each day is full of sightings; and often we come upon a pod just fooling around, splashing and jumping. Again, boaters seem to enjoy giving heads up on the radio whenever they spot dolphins. It amazes me how exciting a dolphin spotting is, even after seeing them on a daily basis. You just never get tired of them.

Traveling through the Georgia portion of the ICW provided a new vista. Much of the waterway winds back and forth through marshlands and fields. Trailing off in every which direction are tiny pathways of mirrored water, causing one to wonder where they would take you. As the wind breezes along the tops of the blankets of green and gold, you can catch faint wisps of jasmine and marsh muds. Snaking through the swaying reeds and grasses, you can watch the tops of the boats ahead of you weave back and forth; never seeming to move much farther ahead. What is a mere 100 miles of coastline in Georgia turns into almost 150 miles of cruising by the time you meander back and forth.

The South Carolina portion of our trip has also brought another new experience. (This is just a story to inform any of you who ever want to travel by boat into the States, not a rant). As we neared Charleston, we waved as a Sherriff boat passed us, going the other way. A short while later, we noticed the boat turn around, slowly pick up speed and then turn on their blue lights. We were told, it was a routine “boat safety check”, and two officers asked to come aboard. Long story short, they were very polite and easy-going, but after checking our passports, we were asked why we had not been making our “check in” calls.

When we had initially cleared in, we were told everything was in order and we could go on our way. That’s all we were told. But according to the law in the states (as we later found out), even once you get your cruising permit and clear immigration, you are to call in every time you move the boat (the only exception is if you apply for the Small Vessel Reporting System ahead of time). Even if you move the boat from one marina to another in the same city, “technically” you are supposed to let them know. According to the officers, the “administration” is getting stickier with people following their “rules”, although unfortunately, not everyone even knows what they are. So, even when we are not heading into shore, but just anchoring out somewhere along the river, I guess I am supposed to call each evening. I can’t imagine how many calls they get a day!! But hey, maybe they just really want to hear my voice?? In the end, we figure we will just go with the flow…although it makes traveling through the States less appealing and enjoyable.

Last night, we anchored in one of the most beautiful places we have seen along the Atlantic coast. It was a little river just off the ICW, called Thoroughfare Creek. The windy, tree enshrouded passageway led us past a large sand dune to a secluded, peaceful hideaway. The water was calmer than any we have seen since our river running days, the birds were putting on a choral performance, and rays of sunlight sliced through the trees. We contemplated jumping in the water, but I have still not gotten the urge to dunk myself in the cloudy depths. Which is a good thing because…

Long after Lukus had fallen asleep, I was laying in bed, trying to find my own slumber. When suddenly I heard a deep, almost mechanical sounding growl coming from the banks a few hundred yards from our boat. At first, I thought maybe it was a motor or a generator. But the night was soon alive with these short growling bursts echoing from all around. The growler closest to our boat would respond with vigor, but there was definitely no regularity to the response, and so I assumed it must not be mechanical. Well, I am sure you have all experienced how your imagination can run late at night, and soon my mind was spinning tales of “Jurassic Park” proportions…dinosaurs and ferocious creatures. The sound was like nothing I had heard before and went on late into the night. Turns out it was the alligator’s mating call. Surrounded as we were all night by the calls, I can just say I am glad I didn’t get in that water! (to hear what I heard watch this video…

Photos

Charleston Homes
Some of the homes along the water in Charleston certainly reminded me of what I think the old "plantation" homes would look like

Cruising Near Myrtle Beach
As we approached Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, the houses along the shore seemed to just get bigger and bigger!

Pirates!!
We have seen a few of these "pirate" themed tour boats; fortunately, they never bother us!

Fish Boats
As we move further up north, we are seeing more and more fish and shrimp boats. They are definitely rigged out!