Beware of Boaters

Lockwood’s Folly

Lockwood’s Folly inlet comes upon you quickly after leaving SJP Marina and heading south.

Lockwood’s Folly is a known trouble spot for ICW shoaling. Every year, I download Bob Sherer’s (AKA Bob423) track that he uploads for free to his Facebook group called ICW Cruising Guide by Bob423 and his Fleetwing Blog. I used to stay up late each night after anchoring while I plotted my route for the next morning. Then a few years ago, I came across Bob posting his track online in a downloadable .GPX file format. I downloaded it and realized that he was quite skilled at making routes that avoided the many ICW hazards. I quickly realized the value in using his month-old track as well as Bob423’s 2020 ICW Cruising Guide. I’m on my fourth year of navigating from RI to the FL Keys. After eight years of doing the same, Bob joined the Waterway Guide, another popular ICW guide book/website.

Bob423’s Track

Bob’s track seen below in dark blue. It shows the proper shore-side route through Lockwood’s Folly.

The tide is two hours before low as I make my way south.

I play “hug a buoy” as I pass closely by a red buoy.

You can see the Atlantic Ocean as you look east out the inlet.

Atlantic Ocean surf can be heard as I pass

Rough Atlantic

Hearing the surf, I think… I’m glad I did not exit Southport this morning and take my chances running the outside. When making the inside vs. outside decision, I use apps like the NOAA Marine Forecast & Weather app on my iPhone.

Holden Beach

I passed this beautiful Nordhavn in Holden Beach.

As I travel through Holden Beach I can’t help but notice what appears to be storm damage possibly from Hurricane Isaias back in August of 2020?

I’m not sure I can blame Hurricane Isaias for the fishing boat pictured below. The Second Law of Thermodynamics is at work here. Even Mother Nature has to follow the rules!

Shallotte Inlet

The next inlet is Shallotte Inlet and it’s the same shallow story replayed.

USACE Hydrology coloring overplayed on charts using Aqua Map iPad app

If you want to know where it’s shallow… it’s where the birds are standing!

Beware of Boaters

Traveling the ICW you will encounter many boats that pass you in ways you don’t appreciate. Many times it is simply because the captain was not paying attention leading up your meeting. I’m guilty of loosing focus myself. Traveling solo in the helm seat for 10+ hours a day you can imagine I have zoned out quite a few times only to look up surprised by an oncoming boat.

I see a boat that is not staying “Right of Center” like you do on any road in America. I think to myself the captain will get right of center as we near each other.

Please keep right of center

I used to be bothered by this but it happens multiple times on every trip. You need to be ready to come to a complete stop if you must to avoid others on the ICW.

Less than an hour later I notice a small fishing boat crossing in front of me in the channel.

Small boat crossing ICW channel

As I approach they don’t make any gestures to alert me to the fact that they appear to be towing what I think was a net behind them in the channel. Luckily for me, they had a buoy marking the net’s approximate location in the water behind them. As I turned to avoid the net I heard my low water alarm go off and the boat start to slow as it plowed into the silty bottom. I quickly backed out and as I passed I heard someone from the small boat yell “sorry”.

Sexy Ladies

These sexy ladies passed me near Sunset Beach, NC. I believe they were a Hinckley, a Lazzara and an Outer Reef. The extra frothy wake from the Hinckley made me suspect a jet drive system rather than propeller?

Welcome to South Carolina

Finally I crossed into South Carolina. I like to acknowledge crossing state boarders even if… I am the only one aboard.

I am now cruising on a rising tide as I pass Little River Inlet.

More increasing entropy.

Every year I see less and less of this fishing boat still standing

Captain Poo

I made my way through the Little River Swing Bridge or as it is formally known since 2018, Captain Archie Neil Poo McLauchlin Swing Bridge. It’s named in honor of a local North Myrtle Beach boat captain who the locals enjoyed so much they nicknamed him Poo?

Tropical Storm Eta

Tropical Storm Eta has the winds swirling and rain coming down at all angles today.

Winds from Eta as she passes near Myrtle Beach, SC

Sadly, multiple deaths from Eta flooding have been reported in the sounding area.

Eta was a lethal tropical storm for North Carolinians

As I travel down this stretch of the ICW, you can watch the storm water as it finds its way from the watershed to the river.

There is a lot of debris floating down the river. I’ve seen everything from a pumpkin float by…

Not sure why my iPhone photo coloring is so off?

… to full trees resting near the channel’s edge.

As I go by pilings sitting on the river’s bank, you can easily imagine these objects floating from the bank as the river rises.

Rains from Tropical Storm Eta are falling like bullets on glass.

Bullet proof glass

#BigDeckEnergy

I go by this deck and grin.

All the confidence of a man in full control of his lawn …

Pronounced Sock-Ass-Tee

As I arrive at the 11 ft high Socastee Swing I am aware that it will not open with sustained winds 25+ mph. The bridge tender is not keen on letting me through but does.

Stock photo from a beautiful day unlike today

Osprey Marina

Rather than anchor in the Wacamaw river, I opt to stop at Osprey Marina.

Eta is not damping the mood aboard Simple Life. It is IPA O’clock!

Hot Pepper Jelly

I have stayed here several times before and I waste no time checking in so I can get my Osprey Marina goodie bag that always contains some crackers and yummy hot pepper jelly!

Signage in the Osprey Marina dock house of the Hot Jelly Ladies

Winter 04 – Leg 011

The eleventh leg of my journey looked something like this…

Titusville at Night

We awoke to the sound of rain hitting the topsides of the boat. We weighed anchor in the rain and it poured for the next few hours.

We passed these hearty Jeepsters camping in the rain.

Myself, I prefered to tent in the dunes at the beach

The weather just hung over us all day. It did not help that we were motoring South, straight into the thick of it.

Rainy Day

The wind was on our beam and listing the boat to port. You can see the flags are flying out straight.

We passed two sunken sailboats and an aground catamaran.

Sunken Sailboat 1
Sunken Sailboat 2
Catamaran on anchor aground

This guy wins the award for the largest boat house on the ICW today and also the most dilapidated boat house. I wonder how it’s even still standing after some of the storms?

We still had a long way to go if we were going to make Titusville, FL and the sun had just set.

We kept on into the night while Kelly cooked an amazing steak tip dinner while underway. We may be pulling 10-12 hour days at the helm but we are eating well. Soon we picked a spot to anchor which was tucked in a corner between land and a railroad bridge. A bit shallow but well protected for a good night sleep. It’s very dark with only a thin waxing crescent moon but you could see the distant lights of Titusville.

Today’s leg of our journey looked something like this finger drawn route.

W02L023 – St. Augustine, FL => Titusville, FL

Charleston SC Thunderstorms

We weighed anchor at first light in the Waccamaw River and it was foggy.

Waccamaw River Fog
Looking down the ICW
Closing in on us

I felt bad that we had to put on our automatic fog horn so early in the morning as there were other boats sleeping on anchor (or at least they were sleeping). At times the fog was thick enough that you would not be able to see the small duck hunting boats that zip around in this area.

It rained all day. Not good for the folks who lived along the river banks. The river had already overrun its banks and many of the riverbank homes were dealing with flooding. More rain was the last thing they needed.

Then the fog would return.

ICW Fog
Fog Bank
Daymarks Easily Seen
Looking for Duck Hunting Boats
Fog Horn was Blowing..

When it was clear we got to see the lowlands of South Carolina. Beautiful grasses that extend out to the Atlantic Ocean.

Along the way we passed a steel hulled sailboat that was anchored in the same location as when we came up this part of the ICW in the spring. I guess like many is just permanently anchored along the ICW?

We passed someone’s boat that was still tied to the dock but had sunk for some reason or another.

Our plan for today was to attempt to make it all the way to Charleston, SC. The currents were helping us along and there was not traffic or bridges to slow us down. We ran right up until dark and had to settle on a wide open commercial anchorage just off Fort Johnson in Charleston Harbor. Kelly asked that we pick an anchorage that had cellular service as it was football and she had been watching the Giants / Bears game but the Patriots game was on next.

Kelly Enjoying the Game
Patriots Game @7 Kts.

We anchored next to a large sailing catamaran and the winds were blowing. The weather was bad as there were thunderstorms moving through that were bring wind gusts up to 55 MPH. A quick look at my weather apps showed them passing directly over us on anchor.

While on anchor I captured some of the storm.

Our leg today looked something like this … (80 NM)