Day 185 - April 16, 2013: Wrightsville Beach near Wilmington, NC

Cape Fear River was not to be feared today, as it was calm and sunny. We ran with the tide and made good time. South of Wilmington, we turned into Snow's Cut and followed the ICW past Carolina Beach Inlet to Wrightsville Beach. The channels here are wide and deep, and I was more relaxed piloting through these waters. Crabbers here run smaller boats, as the waters are protected, and the pelicans are always opportunists looking for something to eat.

Large ICW homes along Carolina Beach

Crabber attracting pelicans

An audiophile friend of mine from California, Bob, and his wife Beverly live here. Bob took us for a tour of Wilmington, and Beverly joined us for dinner at a wonderful restaurant. They love this area and are building a home here.

Wilmington waterfront

Bob showing us their new home

Enjoying a delicious dinner at Indochine Restaurant

Day 184 - April 15, 2013: Southport and our 24th Anniversary

We said farewell to our looper friends and headed out again. The first stretch of river we entered is called by Waterway Guide the most dangerous on the Great Loop because there are large outcroppings of stone hidden along the narrow edges that can bite you. These rocks are layered downward and largely invisible, so we were very careful to stay in the center of the channel. We went up Little River, passed Corkins Neck, and entered North Carolina.

Rock ledges along the narrows

An unlucky fisherman's boat

You can always tell when you are approaching a city, as the homes get larger and closer together. We began to see long strings of four-story condominiums along the Atlantic and three-story homes with docks along the ICW. We stayed on the end of the Southport city dock and had a great view out over the water.

Larger home near Southport

Docked at the Southport city dock

Southport grew as a fishing center, is the location of old Fort Johnson, and has a small historic district on a point facing Cape Fear. The visitors' center offers tours or maps where you can walk to see the area. This town's atmosphere and location has attracted movie companies, and more than 15 movies have been filmed here over the years. The most recent is "Safe Haven," and one of the most famous is "Crimes of the Heart," starring Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek. Local residents tell us they were included as extras in some of these films. We walked the town and enjoyed the quiet atmosphere.

Visitors' Center display of movies filmed in Southport

The Northrup House where "The Crimes of the Heart" was filmed

This is a special day, as it is our 24th Wedding Anniversary. We went back to the boat, enjoyed some time reading on the upper deck, and prepared a wonderful meal with lobster, baked potatoes with all the trimmings, green beans, and a very memorable bottle of wine we had saved just for this occasion. Life is good.

Our anniversary view of Historic Southport from the upper deck

Day 183 - April 14, 2013: Sunday in North Myrtle Beach

Rick and Betsy invited us to go with them to the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in North Myrtle Beach. It was a small church, and the people were very welcoming to visitors. Their bishop was in attendance and gave the sermon and communion.

It was good to get out in their car and see some of the city on the way. Highway 17 runs north to south through this area, much the same as Highway19 runs along the west coast of Florida. Since everyone wants to live near the ocean, it is a narrow strip of high density shopping, entertainment, golf courses and housing. We all ate together back in the marina at Dirty Don's, choosing local steamed oysters and Caesar salads topped with grouper. We never seem to tire of seafood on this trip.

There were several looper boats here in the marina, and later in the afternoon we all got together for "docktails" and had some great conversations about boats, boating, and the loop. We decided to stay in the marina again tonight since another smaller front of thunderstorms and rain was passing through. In these conditions, it was best for Great Laker to be safely tied to the floating dock. Hootie and the Blowfish were here to entertain at a major local golf tournament, and we were told they are staying on the large yacht across the river from us.

Great Laker and the large yacht across the river

Day 182 - April 13, 2013: North Myrtle Beach and Barefoot Marina

The morning was still as we turned north passing abandoned rice fields and old plantation estates. We entered the Waccamaw River, which flows parallel to the ocean almost to Myrtle Beach before turning inland. The scenery changes dramatically here as you pass through the unique cypress-gum swamps and bottomland hardwood forests. The high trees along the waterway are topped with osprey nests,  and eagles are frequently seen here migrating north for the summer. Some declare this is the prettiest river along the East Coast.

Waccamaw River entrance on the right

Hardware forests in swamp land

With all of the many channels and merging rivers and cuts that drain this area, there may be many channel markers in view simultaneously. You can tell when you are on the ICW because all of the green markers have a small yellow box at the center top.

Osprey nest

ICW marker

As we cruised towards Myrtle Beach, we started to see the signs of civilization again with docks and homes on levees. The last few miles are through a narrow dredged waterway called Pine Island cut, after which you come upon N. Myrtle Beach and Barefoot Marina. This is the home marina of Rick and Betsy, on Rick 'n Roll, whom we had contacted and planned to meet for a marina pig roast potluck supper. They are well known within AGLCA and speak frequently at the Rendezvous. At the pig roast we met several other looping couples and had a great time chatting on the dock before eating way too much.

Socastee Swing Bridge

Homes on the Pine Island cut levee

Day 181 - April 12, 2013: The Rice Museum and more

After sleeping to the sounds of rain tapping on the deck and thunder rolling across the river, we walked over to see the Rice Museum. This would give us a better understanding of the emergence of an entire society surrounding Georgetown, which was based on this one crop. The museum is located in The Old Market building adjacent to the river and was erected in 1842. Our tour was led by a very nice and very Southern lady who showed us a large hand-painted map of the area along with many dioramas depicting the steps involved in rice production.

The Old Market (1842)

Our tour leader

This tour included the Maritime History Museum which is on the third floor of the Kaminski Hardware building also built in 1842. This museum houses the "Brown's Ferry Vessel," which is the oldest vessel of colonial manufacture known in the U.S. Built locally as a commercial transport, it sank in the nearby Brown's River between 1830 and 1840 and was discovered and carefully raised in 1976.

Brown's Ferry Vessel

Model of the vessel

Later, we bought some seafood and Carolina rice at the Kudzu Bakery (recipient of a Trip Advisor award for excellence) and more seafood at Independent Seafood just down from the marina.

Docked next to us is the "Trade Wind," a wooden-hull Alden Motorsailor built in 1938 and fully restored at Rockport Marine by the current owner. It won the Judge's Choice Award in the Concours d 'Elegance at the 2011 Boat Show in Mystic, CT. This is a stunningly beautiful vessel of a type and condition that you rarely see in person. The owners travel from NY to stay in the Bahamas yearly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwfRlHiEGFU

Trade Wind (1938)

Day 180 - April 11, 2013: Georgetown, SC

From Minim Creek it was only 15 miles up to Georgetown which is on the Sampit River. The major storm hitting the Midwest was is here tomorrow, so we opted for the security of the HarborWalk Marina and were fortunate to get the last slip as other boaters were having the same concerns.

HarborWalk Marina at Georgetown

The English settled this area in 1670, trading with the many local Indian tribes. Like Beaufort and Charleston, several rivers come together here, and the wide, deep navigable waters were the highways of trade. In 1729, Georgetown was established and became South Carolina's third oldest city. As the land was free, many settlers were land owners, and rice and indigo were major crops which flourished creating wealth for over 150 large plantations. Many slaves were imported as these crops required much labor. By the 1840s, almost half the rice consumed in the U.S. came from here and was called "Carolina Gold." After the Revolutionary War, the economy suffered; however by the turn of the century, lumber and paper became the saving industries, along with commercial fishing.

We stopped at the visitors' center, and then biked the historic area of homes and churches consisting of 24 square blocks along the river. These homes are more modest than those we saw in Beaufort or Charleston, but many have been restored and there is a history to be learned about each one. Here are some of the oldest ones.

Cleland House (1730)

Scott House (1780)

Sherman House (1830)

Morgan House (1880)

The Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church was the first  major building here in 1747 and has served Georgetown continuously since! The sanctuary's stained glass window was brought over from England and has extraordinarily vivid color and clarity.

Episcopal Church (1747)

Stained glass from England

Tonight we both finished Prince of Tides, and it is a remarkably good book, enhanced by having visited the waterways where the story was set.

Day 179 - April 10, 2013: Anchorage in Minim Creek

What a gorgeous day! It will be 80 degrees and sunny, and we are celebrating with shorts and open doors and windows. No more heaters from now on (hopefully). I prepared for departure while Anne ran a couple of free loads of laundry. With most marinas charging as much as $2.00 per load for wash and an equal amount for drying, this was a good deal. By mid-morning we were in the Cooper River headed for the ICW.

South Carolina continues to have dozens of small islands separated only by narrow rivers with very quaint names. The land is low with grasses that are wheat-colored and appear to have been mowed about six feet high like a flat top of the 50s. In these rushes, white herons stand out like popcorn on a dark rug, while waiting for some unlucky fish to pass.

White herons in the flat topped rushes

In this area many of the islands are protected resources. We had a long passage through the Francis Marion National Forest, and there were no roads, bridges, homes, or any other sign of life. Here we began to see some clusters of trees and palms lining the water, much like the vegetation in the Tenn-Tom. The tide was very low, and I needed to concentrate as the depths were frequently as low as six feet. The guides warn of this, and you just have to trust your instinct on which side has the deeper water.

Tree and driftwood lined banks at low tide

The day grew warmer and Anne, for the first time in months, donned a bathing suit and headed for the bow to get some sun. I joined her up front as well, steering with the remote control, and marveled at our great fortune to be able to experience this trip.

Anne sunning on the bow

We anchored in Minim Creek, just north of the Santee River, about half way between Charleston and Georgetown. It is totally deserted here, except for the sounds of nature and one old dock. We grilled salmon and drank fine wine!

Anchorage in Minim Creek