May 27 – June2, 2024 – St. Catherines Island, GA to Wilmington, NC
Highlights this week: Being nearly stranded in the dinghy; getting HOMES stuck in the mud; revisiting our favorite marinas –Kilkenny Marina and Wacca Wache; and, visiting new favorite spots of Isle of Hope, GA and Wilmington, NC.
Monday, May 27, 2024 – St. Catherines Island, GA (North Newport River Anchorage) to Richmond Hill, GA (Kilkenny, Marina)
When we left you last Sunday, we were heading off in the dinghy to go walk on the sandy beach of St. Catherines Island. However, we ended up on Walburg Island instead, which is a small island separated from St. Catherines Island by Walburg Creek. This beach was made up of oyster shells, and was very muddy at low tide. I found some neat shells, but Tim nearly lost his sandals.
On our way from Walburg Island to St. Catherines Island, we were zipping along and all of a sudden, the motor began to sputter. So, unfortunately, we had to stop exploring. However, fortunately, we made it back to HOMES – going barely above idle for almost a mile! That was a long mile! I was getting ready to paddle. Another project for Tim tackle.
If we would have made it to St. Catherines Island, we might have seen lemurs! This is the only place outside Madagascar where lemurs run free. They came to St. Catherines Island as an experiment to increase the population of this endangered species.
We stared our week today with a short cruise of 1 hour and 47 minutes, going 12 miles (10.5 nm), at an average speed on 6.8 MPH (5.9 knots). As the hours and the map indicate, we didn’t go far today. Why? We had to stop at Kilkenny Marina in Richmond Hill, GA! Tim fell in love with this small river marina when we stopped here in June 2022. He loves everything about this marina -from the laid back old guys who run the place to the homemade floating dock with cut-off 2×6 boards instead of cleats. While we’re trying not to repeat stays on this trip, some deserve a repeat.
The current gave us a push after St. Catherines Sound, so Tim called the marina to let them know we’d be arriving early. The guy on the phone told us to slow down a bit, because they had to move some boats around. As we wound our way up the marshy Kilkenny Creek we could see small boats moving and a guy standing on the dock waving us in.
The marina was just as we remembered it! Just like in 2022, we ordered pizza, delivered right to the dock. Zoner’s Pizza Wings & Waffles is the only place that will deliver to the marina, which is 11.5 miles from Richmond Hill. Zoner’s is owned by a man named Stoner, but the town wouldn’t let him put up a sign saying “Stoner’s Pizza,” so he changed the name to “Zoner’s.” Tim was eating up the local gossip as much as the food. 😁
Tuesday, May 28, 2024 – Richmond Hill, GA (Kilkenny Marina) to Isle of Hope, GA (Isle of Hope Marina)
Today’s voyage was another short one. We were underway 3 hours and 30 minutes, going 25 miles (22.1 nm), at an average speed of 7 MPH (6.3 knots). We chose our destination of Isle of Hope Marina for two reasons: 1) we had already explored nearby Savannah; and, 2) the marina has a courtesy car.
Since today was a short cruise, we lingered at Kilkenny Marina, enjoying coffee on the back deck. Around 9:00 AM, we retraced our track up Kilkenny Creek and back out onto the ICW aka Bear River and followed it to Ogeechee River. The cut over to Little Ogeechee River is called Hell Gate. The depth inside the channel is okay, but the width of the channel is only about 50-75 feet wide. Tim was not as intimidated by Hell Gate this time around, and steered us safely through.
Once we cleared Hell Gate, we cruised up the Skidway River to Isle of Hope Marina. Isle of Hope has dates back to colonial times and is listed on the National Register of HIstoric Places. This coastal riverside community is an island at high tide, but otherwise is a peninsula. Until the 1840s and 50s, Isle of Hope was a small colony of fisherman and farmers. However, at that time, it began to grow as a summer retreat for Savannah’s elite. Being only 8 miles from the busy port city of Savannah, the elite came here to escape the heat and mosquitoes of the city. Its popularity as a summer retreat increased with the expansion of the railroad line after the Civil War. By the early 1900s, it had become a suburb of Savannah, with year-around residents.
The marina sits along the historic district, just below Bluff Road. This road makes a crescent-shape as it follows along the Skidway River and is lined with huge old live oaks and historic homes. Our evening walk took us past a a wood-framed Catholic Church built in 1874.
On the cruise to the marina, we called and reserved their courtesy car. Last night, Tim got online and found a fuel filter for the dinghy at a marine store about 8 miles from the marina in Savannah. On our excursion with the courtesy car, we also found a cute organic coffee shop/bakery –Mate Factor. The coffee, scone and date bar were so good! We also bought a loaf of organic roasted red pepper, Asiago bread, which was delicious. I got online to learn more about the company and found that it is actually run by a World-wide Christian commune, called Twelve Tribes, which some are calling a cult. I don’t want to go down that rabbit hole of seeing what they believe, but I can say that organic-farm communes produce delicious food!
Our last stop with the car was Kroger. After shopping at Winn-Dixie, Piggly Wiggly and Publix, it felt like home again – downloading coupons and seeing our usual products! After unloading our groceries, Tim spent the evening trying to fix the dinghy motor. Unfortunately the new fuel filter didn’t help the idling problem.
Wednesday, May 29, 2024 – Isle of Hope, GA (Isle of Hope Marina) to Coosaw River/ Judge Island, SC (anchorage)
Today, we were underway 9 hours, going 67 miles (58.1 nm), at an average speed of 7 MPH (6.4 knots).
Before leaving Isle of Hope Marina, we had our waste tank pumped out. It wasn’t needed, but it will probably be a week before we get to another marina.
Shortly into our cruise, we entered South Carolina! In our quest to visit new places, we passed by two of our favorite South Carolina stops from last time – Daufuskie Island and Beaufort. To put our location in perspective, today, we also passed by Hilton Head Island and Parris Island, the Marines recruit training depot.
It was a beautiful day, so we extended our cruise by another 2 hours and ended at an anchorage on the Coosaw River, near Judge Island, SC. After dinner on the back deck, Tim adjusted our route for tomorrow, since we extended our day today.
Thursday, May 30, 2024 – Coosaw River/ Judge Island, SC (anchorage) to Charleston County/ near Mary Island, SC (anchorage)
Today, we were underway 9 hours and 42 minutes, going 70 miles (61.1 nm), at an average speed of 7 MPH (6.3 knots). While lifting the anchor this morning, we saw a big horseshoe crab swim by the boat. At first Tim thought it was a small ray. I thought maybe a jellyfish. Then, we saw the crab feet and shell more clearly, as it swam by on its back. A Goggle search told us that horseshoe crabs (not really crabs) do swim upside down, using their gills to propel themselves. It says it’s unusual to see them swimming because they usually crawl on the ocean floor. Perhaps we disturbed him when we pulled up the anchor.
Horseshoe crabs are “living fossils,” meaning that they have exited nearly unchanged since well before even the dinosaurs. They are important to the marine ecology. Female horseshoe crabs lay about 4,000 eggs, which is a food source for more than 20 species of migratory birds stopping over in May on their flight from South America to the Arctic – some of these birds are nearing extinction. The horseshoe crabs also serve as a food source for loggerhead sea turtles. The number of horseshoe crabs is declining, so their nesting locations are now being logged and protected.
Our wildlife entertainment continued throughout our voyage. The pelicans were flying everywhere around us. When they dive for fish, it looks like they are diving in the water. However, they actually hit the brakes, reaching with their necks, as their beaks cuts through the water and then opens to engulf the fish in their expansive pouches. Then, with a little flip of their heads, down the hatch goes the fish. An adult can eat up to 4 lbs. of fish per day.
After leaving our anchorage this morning, we continued on the Coosaw River to the cut that took us over to Rock Creek. This cut seemed a little tighter and shallower than Hell Gate yesterday! However, it was also low tide.
We eventually came to the cut taking us from the Stono River to Wappo Creek, which dropped us into Charleston Harbor. We stayed in Charleston last time around from June 24 – 28, 2022. During that stay, we meet up with the guy who bought the sailing dinghy that came with HOMES. In our quest to find new cities to explore, we bypassed Charleston, but marveled at the waterfront historic mansions and the many church steeples, which give rise to Charleston being called the Holy City.
As we crossed Charleston Harbor, we saw Fort Sumter off in the distance – an important fort in the American Revolution, but more notably as where the first shot of the Civil War occurred. Once across the Harbor, we re-entered the ICW and followed it along behind Sullivans Island and Isle of Palms to our anchorage back and little curving channel through the marshes, just past Mary Island. South Carolina has about a half-million acres of salt marsh – more than any other Atlantic coast state. Twice-daily, tides alternately flood and drain this vast low-lying area inland from the Atlantic Ocean. These marshes serve as an important marine habitat, filter out sediments and toxins from the water and buffer the mainland by absorbing storm surges, thereby reducing erosion of the coastline. In addition to these important duties, the salt marshes are simply beautiful! It was a lovely evening with several dolphins lazily swimming around, totally ignoring our presence.
Friday, May 31, 2024 – Charleston County/ near Mary Island, SC (anchorage) to Murrells Inlet (Wacca Wache Marina)
Today, we were underway 8 hours and 49 minutes, going 67 miles (58.6 nm), at an average speed of 7.5 MPH (6.6 knots).
Well…saying “underway” was almost a stretch for much of the day. It was more like slugging through mud. Our morning began by getting stuck in the mud leaving the anchorage. Yes, we were stuck for at least 5 minutes! Tim wiggled HOMES around using the thrusters and reverse and finally we began floating again! To avoid getting stressed, I just continued with my normal post-anchoring chores of washing down the deck of mud and drying it off. Before I even finished, Tim had HOMES moving again and re-entering the ICW.
However even the ICW channel was shallow today. Granted, we were on a rising tide in the morning, but even so, we should not have been slugging through mud. We could tell when we lost steering control that we were pushing through mud again. At one point, our depth gage read 4’4’’. HOMES takes 4’8” to float. However, just like the marina owner in Mobile, AL told us, “It’s just soupy, you won’t get stuck.” However, this morning at the anchorage when the depth gage read 3’3’’, we were stuck!
Finally, the channel widen and got deeper. The scenery also began to change. While we began our day in salt marshes, we ended our day on the Waccamaw River lined with large cypress and oak trees. This freshwater tidal river, which begins in North Carolina, is considered one of the finest blackwater rivers in the Southeast. It is called “blackwater,” but is more of a tea or coffee color from tannins leached from plants and trees along the banks as the tide rises and falls. This nutrient-filled freshwater wetland ecosystem isn’t just important for the diverse wildlife habitats, but it plays a critical role in the filtration and storm water retention for drinking water of the Grand Strand region – the 60-mile arc of beach land, including Myrtle Beach.
Saturday, June 1, 2024 – Murrells Inlet, SC (Wacca Wache Marina) to Holden Beach, NC (Transient Dock)
Today, we were underway 8 hours, going 61 miles (53.1 miles), at an average speed of 7.5 MPH (6.6 knots). It was definitely a Saturday on the water! There were boats and jet skis galore! However, Tim just kept his course and said it was less stressful than the shallow water of yesterday.
We fueled up at Wacca Wache Marina before leaving, so we didn’t pull away from the dock until around 9:30 AM.
Our voyage up the Waccamaw River began as serenely as it ended yesterday. A resident along the river took a video of HOMES and radioed us to chat. He posted the video on his Facebook page of Show Us Your Boat. In the video, HOMES was speeding by around 8.5 MPH, because of the current. That is fast for us!
The serenity ended as we came upon Myrtle Beach. Here, the banks on both sides of the ICW became packed with houses, docks, and restaurants. The water became equally as packed. We even encountered pirates. This area of the ICW is also known for its “treacherous” segment called the “Rock Pile.” This is where the ICW was blasted out of solid rock, so there are sharp rocks and ledges poking out along the edges. However, the channel is fine. And, since the channel is where everyone should be cruising anyway, it was as anticlimactic as our first time through.
Around 3:20 PM, we crossed over into North Carolina! As we cruised today, we continued to try to call Holden Beach Transient Dock to no avail. Finally, Tim called the restaurant across the ICW from the dock. According to the lady who answered the phone, there were no boats on the dock. So, we passed up our back-up anchorage on the Shalotte River and continued on to Holden Beach. Fortunately, there were still no boats on the dock, because HOMES took up the whole dock! We filled out the form that was online and walked it up the dock to the Holden Beach Police Department, since they were listed as the after-hours contact. We didn’t hook up to their electric, so it was just $1.25/ foot.
After dinner on HOMES, we walked around Holden Beach. It was just lines of vacation/rental houses, but we finally found a path to the Atlantic Ocean that didn’t say “private.” Since it appeared that we weren’t going to find any “locals” to talk in this vacation spot sandwiched between the ICW and the ocean, we bypassed the few restaurants/bars and ended back to HOMES with plans to sit on the deck. However, instead, on the dock with HOMES was a couple from Asheville, NC who were using a fishing net to catch shrimp to use as bait. We ended up talking with them until after dark.
Sunday, June 2, 2024 – Holden Beach, NC (Transient Dock) to Wilmington, NC (Port City Marina)
Today, we were underway 5 hours and 28 minutes, going 40 miles (34.8 nm), at an average speed of 7.4 MPH (6.4 knots).
We pulled away from the Holden Beach Transient Dock around 8:00 AM, still without confirmation of our reservation at Port City Marina in Wilmington. The marina hadn’t answered the phone in two days and hadn’t accepted our online reservation, so I called some Looper friends who are at the marina. While on the phone with them, Tim finally got through to the marina. So, now we have a slip and plans to meet our friends.
Our voyage to Wilmington had us being pushed by and then fighting a mighty current as we rounded Southport, North Carolina and headed up the Cape Fear River. We enjoyed exploring Southport last time around. We didn’t visit Wilmington last time because it’s about 30 miles out of the way. However, from what we’ve heard, it’s well worth the time.
Two dock hands were waiting for us at the long floating pier that will be our spot for tonight. We had some issues getting electric. Our new GFCI breaker popped continuously. Tim finally discovered, by moving our cord to a different pedestal, that it was a faulty breaker in that power pedestal. Therefore, without our new transformer and GFCI, we could have burnt up the compressors of the air conditions and refrigerator. That’s why we put in this new equipment in St. Augustine and it just paid for itself!
Wilmington is a port city on the Cape Fear River. Its history dates back to colonial times. We are looking forward to exploring the historic downtown and Riverwalk right now. I’ll let you know all about Wilmington next week.
Despite only traveling 9 days in May, we were still underway 55 hours, going 400 miles (347.7 nm), from St. Augustine, FL to Murrells Inlet, SC.
While the currents slow us down as well as speed us up, we had an average speed of 7 MPH (6.2 knots), with a maximum speed of 12 MPH (10.6 knots). Not a fast life, but definitely eventful!
We’ll see you next week. On Tuesday, we plan to do a 10-hour cruise in the Atlantic Ocean to get around a bridge closure. We also plan to stop at some new towns.
Thanks for reading!