South Harbour Village Marina to Marina at Great Dunes (Myrtle Beach, SC)

We cast off at 0715 with Foreign Affair leading and Hakuna Matata following close behind. We had a couple of problem areas to negotiate; however, we were on schedule to arrive at these locations at or near high tide. The tide along our route is about 5 feet which really helps a lot. We had no difficulty and the current pushed us along at over 6 knots all day. We were tied in and relaxing at the marina by 1500. Carla and Carol teamed up for preparing dinner - fresh green salad, fried chicken, french fries, squash and zucchini. Dinner in the sunny cockpit with no wind and 70 degrees temperature. Life is good.

Tug Pulling Dredging Equipment and Piping

We were glad to see the Corps of Engineers and Coast Guard continuing to work on improving the ICW after Hurricane Matthew. We had to maneuver out of the channel when we met a couple of tows moving dredging equipment. Of course, we met them at one of the worst places, Shallotte Inlet which is open to the ocean and carries a fast, strong current. The lead tug was dragging two barges and hundreds of yards of piping. He needed two small helper tugs to assist in keeping the piping in the channel as it snaked through the inlet. A second pusher tug was not far behind and advised us he was 65 feet wide and needed all the room in the 80 foot wide channel. Needless to say, we gave them as much room as we could holding our position in the strong current while they passed.

More Dredging Equipment

Hakuna Matata and Foreign Affair

Tomorrow we have 43 miles to cover before we arrive at Georgetown, SC. It should be an easy run with good weather like today. Carol and Frank will lay over for two days at Georgetown waiting for a cold weather front with high winds to pass through. Then, they will be on their way south to Florida. We will relax in Georgetown and enjoy exploring Charleston and the surrounding area before we join brother, Brian and our favorite crew member, Janet on a Celebrity Cruise Line voyage to the Caribbean. After the cruise, we will be home for the holidays. Then, its on to the Bahamas.