Saturday November 14

Saturday.....departing Myrtle Beach......heading south

We left Wacca Wacche marina bright and early with our cousins Steve and Cheryl headed for Charleston.  It is a 75 mile run and we will have to decide if we should go all the way or stop and anchor somewhere. The Wacamaw River is very scenic and many say it's one of the best cruising rivers in America.  All along we saw endless areas of marsh lands with houses few and far between. It was a relaxing cruise with Steve and Cheryl as we enjoyed the beautiful sights and untouched areas of nature.  Steve was interested in finding the best crabbing and fishing spots along the way. We all enjoyed seeing the dolphins as they bobbed up and down where the inlets crossed the river. 

Leaving Murrells Inlet as the sun begins to rise

Small Ferry Area

Cheryl getting some R and R

We would gain speed as we approached an inlet then as we got closer to it the current would reverse and we would loose speed. We had to stay alert and be careful about where the red/ green markers were because in some areas the "red, right, return"  rule would vary and we didn't want to run aground.   Steve and Cheryl watched as we navigated Off Duty to pass the slower sailboats, calling them on the VHF radio and passing them on their starboard or port side...right or left side.  As the day went on we decided to stop about 20 miles outside of Charleston to  anchor out and then have a short run to Charleston in the morning. Carol found this beautiful and peaceful anchorage site in Price Creek.  We put out the anchor, then the fishing rods.  

We all loaded into the dinghy to do some exploration.  The first thing we saw was dolphins playing in the area.  It was a lot different to see these several hundred pound fish from the bridge of a 19,000 lb boat compared to almost eye level in a  dinghy. We spent some time trying to capture a picture as they bobbed in and out of the water. Then, we found a narrow winding canal in the marshes that was about 10 feet wide and we rode the dinghy  in for about a 1/2 mile.   The banks were all lined with clams as it was a very low tide and sometime the  propeller would bounce on shells. We decided to turn around as we had no idea how far this went and didn't want to get lost in such a remote area.   About 1 mile down the islet was a beach filled with tents and people walking about.  It seemed a bit peculiar since the area was so remote and only accessible by water.  We went ashore and found that it was a group of  kayakers.  They paddled for 2 hours to get there and planned to spend the night in small pup tents. It was a bit chilly, so we weren't envious of staying overnight on the beautiful island.  We checked out the beach and collected some shells for Cheryl. We also saw what we thought were  bear paw prints on the beach!  Time to load up and get back to the boat.  The sun was setting.   It was now getting dark so we headed back to the boat to cook up some dinner.  Dinner was delicious with steaks and baked potatoes on the Foreman grill.   It was time for  a game of Yahtzee... but not for Steve who watched a few old westerns on TV.  Channels on the boat are quite limited.  Cheryl and Carol stayed out on the deck and talked till they couldn't stay awake any longer. Overall, a great day!

Dolphin fin