Georgetown to Whiteside Creek Anchorage

Day 41, Monday, November 7, 2016

Morning in Georgetown Harborwalk Marina

You can monitor my trip at the link: Second Winds Progress Live

Today was basically a travel day.  I arose early.  The new standard time makes that somewhat easier, at least for now.  I got underway at around 6:25 in an attempt to catch favorable tides.  It was quite cool and I was layered up knowing that as the day progressed the temperature would climb to a more comfortable level

We had a light following breeze as we traveled down the Sampit (that is not a typo) River and into the Winyah Bay.  At ICW mile 410, we took a sharp right and entered a dredged canal that carried us due south for 5 miles.  Not far

Sweet Pea passing the floating swing bridge

into the canal, we came across a floating swing bridge. It appears to be a ferry but the canal is not wide so it just swings around and forms a floating bridge.  

Further downstream we began passing through what turned out to be miles and miles of abandoned rice paddies.  As I mentioned earlier, this area was a

Passing through miles of rice fields

huge rice production area but with the end of slavery, that industry collapsed.  I am amazed that the natural succession of vegetation has not returned it to the climax species of the area.  The land is nothing but a swamp grass of some type as far as the eye can see.

Our destination was a little side tributary in the rice fields called Graham

Creek. It was about 33 miles from Georgetown and a nice easy day’s ride for Sweet Pea and me.  However, we got there at around 12:30 as the result of

One of a pair of bald eagles that I passed

very favorable tidal currents.  Sam, Phil and I talked it over and decided to head on another 15 miles or so to Whiteside Creek where the rest of our clan were planning to gather.  The currents remained favorable as did the following winds. I sailed for miles with my jib adding to my progress.  We arrived at the anchorage at around 3:30 and were met with probably 25 boats. 

Whiteside Creek is a meandering small river that wanders through the salt marsh.  It is passable in a sailboat for probably a mile or so allowing for the anchorage of a fairly large number of vessels.  I wound my way through the anchored boats looking for a shallow spot where I could drop my hook.  As I passed a pair of boats from our group that were rafted together, they motioned for me to come and join the raft.  I pulled up alongside of Mauna Kea and with the help of Ken and Jack, secured Second Wind, it turned out, for the night.  Jack and Diane’s Valentine was tied to the starboard side of Ken and Lori’s boat. 

The Raft: Second Wind, Mauna Kea and Valentine

We gathered on the deck of Mauna Kea for drinks and hors d’oeuvres.  At around 4:00, Kevin from the boat Osprey came by and announced that there would be a dinghy raft up at the back of his boat at 4:30.  Jack lowered his dinghy and the five of us climbed in for a cruise out into the ICW to watch dolphins feeding before heading back for the raft up. It was really fun.  There must have been 8 or 9 dinghies tied together in a knot.  We probably spent an hour socializing before we split up and headed back to our respective boats.

Diane had begun preparing a large pot of a gumbo dish.  It had shrimp

The dinghies rafted

sausage and rice with some sort of special sauce that made for a fine meal.  Lori made a California salad.  I could have brought GREEN BEANS but no one seemed interested. 

While Diane was putting the finishing touches on this fine meal, I got out the sextant and Ken, Jack and I took a couple of shots on Venus, Polaris and the moon.  It was fun and we vowed that when we were anchored in a spot with a good horizon, we would invite interested people to attempt to plot a location.

After dinner, we talked for a bit before I headed back across the decks to Second Wind.  I called Janine and we talked for quite a while before I called it a night.  Tomorrow looks to be a short ride day into Charleston.