Nov. 5 - Well, I was told it had to happen, but I thought “not to me”. Anyway, after a nice start down the ICW in calm clear conditions we run hard aground while we are in the center of the channel right between the red and green markers that we are supposed to be between as the ICW passes the Shallotte Inlet in North Carolina. It’s a falling tide and we’re in trouble. Call Boat US and they’re there promptly. Told us we should have hugged the red markers at that point. Anyway, after considerable effort they are not able to get us off the sand until a good samaritan comes along and pulls us over using my spinnaker halyard. A very sobering experience as the tide was going out and we were listing more and more. Guess I’m getting old, because I have to admit it shook me more than I expected. Anyway, continue down the ICW with even greater caution than before and make arrangements to stay at the Cricket Cove Marina at the end of the day at Little River Inlet. Just as I am in line with the dock and about to come along side, we come gently to a halt. We’re aground again and I can’t believe it. Dock hand says there’s a mound that’s built up right there and I should back off. I manage to do that with some meaningful effort and attempt to approach the dock from a different direction. Same result and again I manage to get afloat again. Dock hand says just power through it, but that didn’t seem like a good idea as the moment I would have come along side the dock there would have been a sailboat right in front of me and I would have had to have stopped on a dime. Try that some time with a 38/39,000 pound sailboat (when water and fuel tanks are filled) at speed enough to power through an obstacle. On second thought, don’t try it. You can’t do it. After I run aground a third time trying yet an approach from a slightly different direction I abandon the effort and after getting afloat again we go a little further to the Harbour Gate Marina where we finally tie up in 12 feet of water. Boy am I beat, both mentally and physically. Kryss too. We’re both in the sack by 8:00, thinking about the fact that we have to negotiate the “rockpile” the next day.
Nov. 6 - The rockpile is a notorious stretch of the ICW that had to be blasted out of rock and that has large and dangerous rocks lining the channel rather than mud, sand or muck. We are repeatedly told by all sources that it is imperative to stay right in the middle of the channel, to announce on Channel 16 and 13 when we are entering that part of the ICW to alert oncoming vessels, etc. We are also told to monitor Channels 16 and 13 for barges who announce their intention to enter the rockpile, and that there is no room for a barge and any other vessel in the channel. We also hear repeatedly that despite having been warned, vessels run onto the rocks and suffer great damage all the time. Needless to say, after our experiences the day before, we are taut as bowstrings, but we get through unscathed, however the chills and thrills aren’t over for the day. The next stretch of the ICW through the northern section of the Waccamaw is very winding and narrow, and great vigilance must be exercised. We probably should have anchored out this night, but all I wanted to do was to be tied securely to a dock in adequate water with a drink in my hand, and we find that at Plantation Harbor Marina in the middle of nowhere on a wider portion of the Waccamaw River where the dockside depths are 31 feet, albeit that there’s a ripping (4 knots or more I estimate) current when we come in. Fortunately I can approach the dock against the current and they have us on a face dock parallel to the current, so it actually works for us and coming in no problem. We end the day early there as the next option was to try to make it to Georgetown which would have been difficult before dark and would have kept us on edge again, something that I am becoming quite averse to.
Nov. 7 - Leave the marina early for the short trip to Georgetown South Carolina and wind up at the Harbor Walk marina which is a nice facility and Georgetown is a nice little town with lots of history and lots of interesting restaurants. Unfortunately they recently reopened the paper mill at the other end of town and the stink from the mill’s smokestacks is pretty awful. Nonetheless, we’ll spend two nights here catching our breath and exploring the town (also letting a gusty front blow through) before heading on towards Charleston. Would like to go outside to make the trip, but it’s 77 nm from the dock here to the dock there and there’s so little daylight I don’t think we can count on making it outside in the light. Do not want to come into Charleston in the night, so maybe we’ll have to go through the ICW again. Stay tuned folks and we’ll let you know which way we went.
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