Myrtle Beach, SC on to Southport, NC

The next part of the ICW is known for being a bit more treacherous, commonly called "The Rock Pile." Once again the Bob 423 tracks were helpful for navigation in the shallows. Bob is a sailor that frequently posts updates of his own tracks so to help lead the way for the less experienced boaters. Our trip was 37 miles and once at the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club, we enjoyed the pool at the marina, but did not feel the need to go see the beach town. We actually could see the buildings on the beach from the ICW.

We left the next day and headed 37 miles towards North Carolina. Most of the ICW appeared to be man made and we passed by some pretty blue water coming from the Atlantic, like at Holden Beach, NC.

Georgetown and Murrells Inlet SC

Once again, our views while traveling on the inside along Carolina wetlands was amazing as we traveled to Georgetown, SC. It was about a 65 mile trip to Georgetown Landing, by the bridge, not in town, and once there the water was choppy. Lots of local Saturday traffic, which rocked our boat. Soon after our arrival, our friends, Paige & Steve B. and Jane & Tom R. picked us up for dinner in the main part of town.

We always have fun with these old friends, and we continued the night with them in Debordieu, their beachside community. Needless to say, Paige & Steve graciously let us, including Rugby spend the night.

On Sunday, we got together with our friends again for a scenic cruise to our next destination, about 22 miles up the Waccamaw River. It was nice to have them describe what we were seeing, so many lovely homes and interesting land. It was an overcast and calm day, so we all could enjoy riding on the upperdeck. At the Wacca Wache Marina, we had lunch on the shaded patio and a wonderful spot at the marina to rest. The next day we did rest, and Jane took me to Kroger for some provisions and David got fuel for the first time since Cocoa Beach, FL. (450 gallons)

Charleston, SC June 1-2

We traveled in the ICW in shallow waters for about 66 miles to Charleston. There were many areas that were scenic wetlands and naturally more homes the closer we were to the city. David uses Bob 423 tracks to help navigate the shoals and hidden rocky areas. We arrived at the City of Charleston's Mega Dock, just in time for me to skip over to King Street. The nice thing, I suppose, about boat living is that I do not want to buy too much "stuff" that has to be put somewhere. David and I met up with his friend Doug K. who treated us to a wonderful local's view of the area. He and his wife hosted us for an amazing dinner on the patio of the historic Carolina Yacht Club. The next day, David met his friend Andy Mc for lunch while I met my friend, Linda G., who I met in painting classes in Louisville. We visited one of our favorite colorist art galleries, The Anglin Smith.

There's never enough time to visit Charleston and we were lucky to have had such special and social experiences over the two days.

Beautiful Beaufort, SC

We had so many stunning views along our brief 29 mile trip to Beaufort, SC, there's not enough room here to share! David liked seeing Parris Island and the giant watertank says" WHERE MARINES ARE MADE" Once at Beaufort's city dock, we walked around the town to see the lovely antebellum homes and buildings. Great boutiques and restuarants, David enjoyed the Hemingway's bar and our dinner at Old Bull Tavern!

Harbour Town Dreams

We continued traveling through the Golden Isles of Georgia, but decided to skip the inland ICW towards Isle of Hope (and the Fly Biting Squadron) and go out into the Atlantic. The weather was clear with cerulean blue skies and crispy water,and waves bigger than expected. We traveled 112 miles, a 10 hour day. The shrimp boats were our only companions.

We entered the Spanish Channel to Hilton Head Island, SC. We were so giddy to be docking at the Harbour Town Yacht Basin, a place where we had shared many vacations with our families and never imagined we would be staying there on our own vessel! We had dinner from the Quarterdeck's rooftop and enjoyed the 270 degree views of Harbour Town and the Calibogue Sound. We both agreed it was a special place that we will return to with our families.

Harbortown dreams

Memorial Day 2023 Fernadina Beach , FL to St. Simons, GA

We had a pleasant trip along the ICW towards the Amelia River, about 28 miles and arrived in Fernadina Beach on Amelia Island. It is a charming town with many shops and quaint buildings. We stayed at the city dock (near a papermill) and had an amazing sunset. We had just missed their shrimp festival but with Memorial Day, the town was decorated with a lot of American Pride! Early the next morning, we watched as the main square by the marina was beginning their Memorial Day celebration with representatives from Scouts troops to military branches and a crowd of all ages, waving flags waiting for the parade. From the ICW, we went past Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, very impressive and somewhat intimatdating.

We also passed by Cumberland Island, which is much larger than I expected. It is worth coming back to visit when we have more time to explore it natural beauty (it can only be reached by ferry or boat) The rest of our trip was in shallow (8'depth in several areas) winding water, surrounded by marshes. Which tend to be the home of the meanest flies that swarm and bite! It was a Battle for sure. Once in St. Simons, we met a Vietnam Vet, who wanted to talk boats with us which we did over dinner. This was the best Memorial Day!

May Break

The month of May was a mandatory break from the boat for David. Since he had our car, he and Rugby drove home to Louisville. He left Voyager at Pier 32 in good hands and with friendly boat neighbors. He has been on the boat ever since the beginning of January and only left to come home to attend our son’s college graduation! Our first weekend was Derby parties which was a great way to catch up with many friends at home. Then off to Dallas to celebrate with our daughters at Pierce's graduation from SMU and David helped him drive the Uhaul home. It was a busy week of catch-up followed by our daughter's good friends beautiful wedding. The time at home flew by and then we flew back to Jacksonville to our boat.

Since the next few days were stormy, we did laundry and several cleaning projects. After such a long break, we were excited and ready to head back out to the ICW and move on North.