Chapter 50: Georgetown to Myrtle Beach

Log 50
Georgetown to Myrtle Beach, SC.

5:15 AM
Tuesday, May 23, 2000
Myrtle Beach Yacht Club
Myrtle Beach, SC.

Day 51

I woke up way too early this morning. The first time I looked at the clock it was just before 4 AM, and I finally got up about 4:30. One of those deals where you have a lot on you mind. Have you been there?

It’s an absolutely beautiful morning. About 68 degrees, and a 100% clear sky. I can’t wait to finish this, and take a walk on the dock.

Yesterday…..

We untied the lines about 7:30, and left Georgetown. AS my log said yesterday, the skies were very overcast, and it was raining all around us. And that is what continued to happen. It was raining around us, but not on us. There were a couple of times that is sprinkled, but that was about it. As the day went on the weather got better, and it turned out to be a very nice day. These folks here need rain bad, but it just didn’t happen.
A good portion of the morning was spent on the phone working on Pro Source business. (Maybe that’s why I woke up so early this morning) I’m not complaining though, because cruising along and working is just fine with me. Speaking of cruising. The waterway was just beautiful almost the entire way here. A good portion of the way, we wound around through rivers, where the water went all the way up to banks of cypress trees. It was absolutely gorgeous. I think I misread the waterway guide, about where the great cruising was, because yesterday was special. It would be very interesting to see exactly where we were on a map of South Carolina, because some of the time it felt very remote.
The only issue we had along the way was as we were being passed by a large sport fishing boat, and I quickly got behind him to avoid his large wake, it felt like we hit something. I looked to see if I may have gotten out of the channel, but we were in 12 feet of water. Two things could have happened. He may have stirred something up in the water, and I hit it, or with all of the maneuvering by his boat, and mine, the boat may have cavitated. In either case there is no vibration in the boat, so I guess we’re fine.
Quick story: We met a couple on BONNIEBOB that lived on their boat and had been cruising for a couple of years. They said that last year they hit something under the water, (which they still don’t know what it was), and it took about 3 feet off of their keel. They kept going, and didn’t even know the extent of the damage until they pulled the boat to have some other repairs done, and saw the bottom. The stories you hear on the docks are absolutely amazing.
We got to Myrtle Beach Marina about 2:15. After taking on some fuel ($1.20) and getting a pump out, we were in the slip by 2:45. The girls went to look for a liquor store, while Steve and I cleaned the boat. The girls found the liquor store, but they didn’t sell beer. I know, it doesn’t make sense to me either, but that’s what they said. While we were cleaning the boat we noticed that the back deck drain was not draining properly. After further investigation we found out it was clogged, and it took us the better part of an hour to fix that. (A very messy hour)
By the time all of this was done, and we made a quick trip to the marine store, it was time to go to dinner. We ate at a great Italian place, located right next to the marina. Not only was the food great, but also the portions were HUGE. I know you won’t believe this but Steve’s pork chops were over 3 inches thick. And there were two of them. I had a small strip steak (12 oz's) and it could be the best I’ve ever eaten. To add to this, every meal was 4 courses. Soup, Caesar salad, spaghetti, and then your main dish. It was great.

Today…
The sky is getting bright now, and it looks like the day will be beautiful. I’ve been watching the weather channel for about an hour now, and we may get a late afternoon shower, but otherwise it will be perfect. Our plan is to go about 80 miles, and end up in a town called Hampstead, in North Carolina. (Mile 267 on the Intracoastal) Actually we enter North Carolina in just a few miles from here. I don’t remember what the waterway is like for the next few miles, so I’m looking forward to finding out.

Postings:
· The boat is running perfectly. The only maintenance items are the preventive kind. In fact Steve asked me yesterday if we had any boat projects he could work on.
· I heard yesterday that the New York barge canal is closed because of low water. I have not been able to verify this but that is what one of the captains told me. This could be an issue, because that is how we were planning to get from New York to Lake Ontario.

I’ve got to get going. The sun is up now, and the docks are calling……

I’ll keep you posted.

BK.