We
awoke to a dreary morning with a forecast of rain for the day, so instead of
leaving at 7 a.m., we quickly opted instead to “stay put” today so that we
could catch up on our blog, read, pay bills, nap, and watch movies, etc. The only outside activity we did was to turn
our boat around with the aid of the dock master, so that we would be facing out
toward the marina entrance, in preparation for leaving tomorrow morning. Quiet
days in the rain can be a good thing!
April 26, 2015
Socastee Swing Bridge at dawn on the South Carolina ICW
Golf Course on the ICW - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Golf Course Cable Cars over the ICW
"Boat of the Day" (#1) - Barefoot Landing, SC
"American Glory" Cruise Ship docked at Barefoot Landing
Rock Ledges along the "Rock Pile" part of the ICW in South Carolina (a good place to bend a prop and shaft!)
Little River Swing Bridge opening for us in Myrtle Beach, SC
Would you paint your house this color?
"Big M Casino" boat - Myrtle Beach, SC
A View from the Top
"Boat of the Day" (#2)
“Reflection
left Osprey Marina at 6:20 a.m., and it seemed that we were the only boaters
stirring. However, we’re pretty sure that this pastoral scene didn’t last for
very long, because when George blew our boat’s horn to signal to any nearby
boats in the Intracoastal Waterway that we were entering the channel, the sound
was not only loud, but it reverberated throughout the area! What a wake-up call for everybody! Today’s
destination was Southport, North Carolina, a distance of 65 miles. Our route took us past Myrtle Beach with
several golf resorts with marinas on the waterway, and also through the
notorious “Rock Pile”, an area on the ICW lined with rock ledges left over from
when this water thoroughfare was blasted literally through rock! Unfortunately, the remnants line the sides of
the channel, and you must watch your water depths carefully, or you risk damage
to your boat’s prop, shaft, etc. We experienced this in 2010, when we moved
over to let another boat pass us, and it was an unpleasant and costly
event. “Reflection” arrived at South
Harbor Village Marina at 12:50 p.m., and we then settled in for a relaxing
afternoon, followed by dinner at the marina’s seafood restaurant with rain
falling as we left and temperatures in the high 50s.
April 27, 2015
Cape Fear Lighthouse before dawn
Homes along the ICW in North Carolina
Would you paint your house this color?
We
pulled away from the dock at 6 a.m. again with no other folks around, and no
other boat traffic. Shortly afterwards
we crossed the Cape Fear River amidst sunny skies, but with an air temperature
of 49 degrees, wind out of the north on our bow, and a water temperature of
only 57 degrees, as Florida snowbirds we felt like we were in Alaska! We ran
the boat from our lower helm for quite awhile, but eventually went to the upper
helm when things warmed up a little.
Today’s route took us through Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach, and
the Surf City area for a distance of 67 miles to our destination – Mile Hammock
Bay Anchorage in Camp Le Jeune, North Carolina. This spot is an often “exciting”
location, where we have at various times witnessed amphibious landing craft
exercises, and Osprey V22 Tilt Rotor Helicopters (part plane, part helicopter)
flying and hovering overhead right in the anchorage. There are also many mysterious “booming “
sounds that can be heard in the distance, as well some very “LOUD” gunnery
exercises that go on nearby. In fact, on
some occasions the Intracoastal Waterway is closed off for a time while these
exercises go on. Today we were anchored by 1:55 p.m. and by 5 p.m., we were the
lone powerboat in the anchorage surrounded by 8 sailboats in a circle around
us. The Osprey exercises continued for
quite awhile with the same scenario repeated over and over by the air-craft:
take-off, fly around the base, then hover in place, even in the dark after we
were in bed. Didn’t they know that this
was “Dancing with the Stars” night on T.V.?
Yes, we all have our priorities, but despite the noise overhead, we were
glad that the Marines’ priority is protecting us and our nation! As George said, “I’m glad that they’re on OUR
side!”.
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