Oct. 24-26, 2025 Almost Home - Stops Along the Way in South Carolina

Friday Oct. 24, 2025   Carolina Beach to Lightkeepers Marina  53 miles and 6.3 hours

Carolina Beach Municipal Marina wound up being a great location for us to stop.   Docks were solid and new.  Fixed price at $85/ night is a bargain for us - not so much for a 30' boat on a price per foot basis.  Nice to be able to just walk off the boat versus dingy over from the mooring field.  Would definitely stop here again. Would become a prime spot if they had some facilities.  No real cruisers amenities - showers, bathrooms, laundry, etc. 

Colorful collection of artfully decorated buoys at the Carolina Beach dock

Right now we are into cruising areas we've crossed multiple times and covered in several previous blog posts, so not too much new to report.  We left the marina on the high tide.  Made it easy to get through the couple of shallow areas on Snows Cut.   Little bit of outgoing pull down the Cape Fear River.  Wind at our back, so smooth going.  

Shoreline along Snows Cut

High rise bridges make transiting this section of ICW easy.

Then into the protected ICW waters.  Again, developed waterfront and multiple center consoles out and about. Inlets at Folly and Shallotte with usual shoaling issues that once again require some extra attention, but navigation apps get us through without issue.  Make it past very familiar Little River Inlet and into South Carolina.   Then a short hop to Lightkeepers Marina for the night.   Had parked the boat here in 2023 for several months, so nice to see some familiar faces.

Journey for Oct. 14, 2025

Saturday Oct. 25, 2025   Lightkeepers Marina to Wacca Wache Marina  39 miles and 4.7 hours

Wacca Wache Marina has the best fuel price between Norfolk and Florida, so had been planning a stop there.  Decided to just make a reservation for the night.  Never stayed here overnight before but always hear good things about it and the on-site restaurant. Usual uninspiring ride through the developments around Myrtle Beach.  This is "The Ditch" where it's just a cut through the land. Includes the infamous "Rockpile" section where it's even narrower with solid rock outcroppings.  Prefer going through on a low tide when I can see the rock ledges, but we 're still on the high tide so just make sure we stay mid channel.  Finally make it past the Socastee Swing Bridge which feeds out into the less developed and much more scenic Waccamaw River section.  Natural wooded winding swamplands.  To us it's one of the most enjoyable sections of the ICW.  Make it to Wacca Wache early afternoon. Take on 250 gallons at the fuel dock then head for our slip.  Pretty decent food at the restaurant and a not so decent live band for entertainment.

Socastee Swing bridge harkens back to the days when all access to the beach
areas required crossing these type structures

Onto the natural wonders of the Waccamaw River

The river winds around adding to the feeling of seclusion

Drinks, dinner and music on the outdoor patio at Wacca Wache Marina

Journey for Oct. 25, 2025

Sunday Oct. 26, 2025  Wacca Wache Marina to Harborwalk Marina 21 miles and 3.3 hours

Next stop is Georgetown, SC and Harborwalk Marina.  Another new place to stay.  We've been to Georgetown before, but typically had just anchored in the basin.   We're here for three nights as forecast calls for rain and strong winds on Monday and Tuesday and wanted to be securely tied up with easier access to town.  Cast our lines at 10AM planning a very slow cruise to arrive at Harborwalk at 1PM.  Last of the natural wooded areas before the more open section of the Waccamaw River as it feeds out into Winyah Bay. 

Martha enjoying the fresh air on the flybridge.

Scenic and calm watrs as we enjoy the last of the natural Waccamaw

Spanish moss in the trees along the shore tell us we're getting closer to home in GA

Hard turn to starboard up the Sampit River to town.  Shoaling at the entrance is as bad as ever.  Plans in place for possible spring 2026 dredging which can't come soon enough.  Showing 3' under the keel at high tide.    With a 3-4' tidal range her we'll need to time our departure or else we'll be pushing our way through the pluff mud.  Georgetown is a small historic town.  Third oldest town in SC.  One of the early recognized entry ports in SC.  Rice and indigo plantations during its early years.   Still has many historic homes and a nice main street with galleries, shops, restaurants.  New addition is a brewery and the upscale waterfront George Hotel at the marina.  Unique layout at the marina with 2 longer docks parallel to the shoreline.  Our slip was on the shoreside dock wedged between two other boats.  Required some interesting reverse docking maneuvers to get in there, but with no wind...we looked like pros!

Resident in town goes all out decorating for Halloween

Where do you find skeletons to do the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Great spot at Harborwalk Marina right off the lawn of the new George Hotel

Journey for Oct. 26, 2025

Oct. 22, 2025 Carolina Beach and More Family Visits

Wed. Oct. 22, 2025  Mile Hammock to Carolina Beach Municipal Marina  52 miles and  6.4 hours

Today's cruise is all dictated by bridge openings once again.  Luckily, we'll be able to fit under the Figure 8 Island bridge once we lower the VHF antenna, but the Wrightsville Beach bridge requires an opening.  And that is an on the hour only opening. Tight quarters, lots of boats and strong currents so not a place where you want to idle around too long.   Anchor up at 8:30 and on our way.   This is coastal cruising along NC's inland ICW.   Pretty straight forward.  Just stay in the ditch.  Solid land to the west which is largely developed with each house having a dock and boat lift. To the east are barrier islands and marshes.  At one time before all the development it was a beautiful natural landscape - sort of ugly now.

Abandoned and derelict boats - both private and commercial -
are becoming a bigger problem all up and down the east coast

Typical development along the ICW in NC

The cruising is easy.  Pass a few boats, get passed by a few boats. Make it to Wrightsville Bridge a few minutes early.  Several boats who had passed us are waiting. We get in line and the bridge opens precisely on schedule.    Couple of notorious areas ahead we need to watch for shoaling.  Both Topsail and Mason Inlet require some extra maneuvering to get through in deep water. Thankfully, between the COE sonar overlays and Bob 423 track overlay on our Aqua Maps navigation program we get through without issue.   

Looking back at the now closed Wrightsville Beach Bridge and marinas

Martha consulting the navigation programs and channel markers

We have reservations for one of the new slips at Carolina Beach Municipal Marina.  Stayed on their mooring balls in the past when these slips were under construction.   Follow two other boats into the channel who are also headed there.  We all get secured with the help of their friendly dockhands.  Wind on our beam gives me a bit of an issue backing in.  Second try is the charm and we're soon secured.   Looking forward to getting together with my brother and nephew and their wives for dinner.   Good meal, good fellowship, and good adult beverages.  Maybe one too many for me. It's the best excuse I've got for not taking a group picture! The extra day allows for some stronger winds to pass and gives me a chance to do a more thorough boat washing.  Amazing how quickly the handrails get covered with salt.  Run your hand down them and it's covered in course white salt after a day or two on the water.  Nephew and his wife gave a tour of the gorgeous new house they built.  Absolutely amazed by the extensive bourbon collection he's accumulated.   Then they were kind enough to take us grocery shopping for a few provisions.  Overall, a great stop. 

Journey for Oct. 22, 2025

Oct. 20-21, 2025 Onward to Beaufort, NC then Timing the Onslow Bridge

 Mon. Oct 20, 2025   Pungo Creek Anchor to Homer Smith Marina  68 miles and 7.0 hours

Winds are still up in the morning, but forecasted to die down.  Anchor and chain takes a bit of extra washing off as we raise it.  It had dug in pretty well with the tugging from the wind and changing wind direction.  But always better doing extra washdown than scrambling in the dark because of dragging.   We head out down the Pamlico River.   Nasty bit of chop and wind blown spray.   We decide to just get it over with quickly and put the boat up on plane to smooth things out.  Worked great.   Times like these are where it's nice to have a boat with the extra power.  Cuts our time down crossing the river and provides a smoother ride.  Head into the protection of Goose Creek cut.   Nice natural areas on both sides.   We get passed by Ziggy, a very new style 102' Ocean Alexander.  Captain radios us "Nice to see another OA out on the water".  Then he's gone!  Also get passed quickly by a pair of brand new and also very large Viking Sportfishing boats.  Suspect they all may be headed to the Fort Lauderdale boat show that starts the end of the month.  We always get our geographic bearings through this cut as it's the location of RA Mayo Seafood docks.  Simply impossible to miss the old wharf and shrimp boats. 

Goose Creek cut  

Shrimp boats at RA Mayo Seafood

Winds have settled down by the time we hit the Neuse River so no need to speed up.  We just work our way around a few other boats going slightly slower while in the open water.   Then it's a run through Adams Cut toward Beaufort, NC.  A bit of an extended slow down for a no wake zone because of development along the banks.  Every house with a dock and a center console on a lift.   Make it to Homer Smiths Marina and receive their customary warm welcome. Our reservation is for one night and we had hoped to extend it to two.  We won't find out until tomorrow if he can accommodate us. All depends on any cancellations.  Marina has three brand new and free to use washers and dryers, as well as a courtesy vehicle.  Great captains lounge with free cold water and coffee.  New private tiled bathrooms and showers. And of course, a great town with history, museums, restaurants and bars. All we can do is hope for a cancellation.

Journey for Oct. 20, 2025

Tues. Oct. 21, 2025  Homer Smiths to Mile Hammock Anchorage   45  miles and 5.7 hours

We are waiting and hoping for a cancellation and trying to stay busy in the meantime. Give the boat a quick rinse to get rid of some salt buildup. Use the pumpout since it's right at our dock and then top off the water tank.  Martha takes advantage of the free laundry.   At 10AM we get the dreaded call from the dockmaster.  No cancellations.  We prep for our departure keeping in mind the schedule for the Onslow Bridge.   The new bridge has been under construction for well over two years. Throughout that time the old bridge has been on a reduced opening schedule.   Open from 5PM to 8 AM, then maintained open from noon to 1PM.  My plan had been to leave the marina at noon to catch the bridge when it reopens at 5PM.   I phone the bridgetender to confirm the schedule.  He says they started opening on the hour whenever possible but could always fall back to the posted schedule depending on the work crew's needs.  With leaving at 11AM we can only hope there are no issues with a 4PM opening.  Otherwise, we'll need to idle in position for an hour in a relatively narrow channel with current and limited wind protection.  We leave the dock at 11 thinking it should be a good day on the flybridge with temperatures into the 70's.  

Fishermen anchored on a honey hole as we depart the Beaufort/Morehead area

Exposed marshlands stretch to the ocean as we cross around Onslow Bay

As we're crossing the long wide open Onslow Bay passage that decision looks like a bad one.  The wind is blowing straight at us and we're now having to get bundled up.  Eventually we succumb and head below to the comfort of the pilothouse.   Call the bridgetender while underway and he says he has been opening on the hour today if boats are waiting. We finally get off Onslow Bay and into some more protected waters.  Problem now on this nice sunny day is we are staring straight at the sun and glare off the water.  Always seems to be something.  We make it to the bridge at 4 and after a short wait he opens at precisely 4 PM.    A short half hour later and we're in the anchorage.   Just three boats here.  We pick a spot and drop anchor.  It doesn't feel like it's grabbed securely. In this exposed anchorage with winds expected to 30mph we need a good set.   We pull it up and move over.  Drop it again.  It's just too shallow.  Depth alarm is going off and we're not even at low tide.   Up anchor again and the third time is a charm.  We feel it grab then let out some extra rode.  Couple more boats arrive after the 5 PM bridge opening but it's still a relatively small crowd compared to some of the other times we anchored here. 

Only a handful of boats at anchor with us at Mile Hammock

Great sunset view

Big burst of color to finish the day

Journey for Oct. 21, 2025

October 19. 2025 Continuing through North Carolina

Sunday Oct. 19, 2025   Alligator River to Pungo Creek Anchorage  58 miles and 6.3 hours 

We had a good night's rest at anchor here.  Would definitely use this anchorage again for any winds with a southerly component.  Anchor held well.  Came up with some mud but not bad.  Only drawback here is we woke up to a boat covered in midges. We also call them blind mosquitos.  Have a body shape similar to mosquitos, but don't bite.  They like to congregate on parts of the boat out of the wind.  Wiping them off only makes a bigger mess as they smear and stain.  We've learned the best method to get rid of them is with a battery powered leaf blower and we carry one for just such occasions.  A quick five minutes of blowing and most of them are gone.   Relatively short day running to Pungo River and the Belhaven area.  Finally on our way a bit after 9.   Heading onto the Alligator River we meet up with two other boats headed south toward the swing bridge.  Bridgetender sees us all coming and has the bridge open for an easy pass through.   Good to see that construction work has started for the new bridge.  This swing bridge has been outdated for a while.  Has mechanical issues that oftentimes keeps it from opening, plus it won't open if there are strong winds.  New bridge will be a high-rise so no more delays when it's finished. 

Dropping in line behind Figment.  Have seen a lot of nice bigger boats this trip

Bringing up the rear as we head through Alligator River Swing Bridge.
Construction barges are putting in the pilings for the new bridge

Much of this water is relatively shallow so we're just following our route line and trying to stay mid channel.   Out the Alligator and then through the very long and very straight Alligator-Pungo canal.  Not much to see but woods on either side.  Traffic is minimal although we do get waked by a few fast boats in a hurry to get south.   Most are courteous and radio us to arrange a slow pass.   Of course, there's always those few with complete disregard who simply blow by us unannounced. 

Long straight stretch of the Alligator-Pungo canal. 
 Looks wide but stumps line both shorelines. 

These waters have a lot of tannins from the trees.  The moustache stain
on our bow is getting darker and more pronounced after 2 years of traveling

 Out onto the Pungo River.  A bit more open than the canal but still shallow.   We bypass Belhaven and head for Pungo Creek to anchor.  Used this area before but we need a different location today.   Winds have been picking up all day from the SW.  Will be gusting into the 20's until 1-2AM when a front passes.  Then strong winds from the NW gusting into the 30's until morning.  Our anchorage provides good protection from the SW but once the wind changes direction we'll feel the full effects.  True to the forecast at midnight we hear the bimini top start flapping and the supports rattling.  A sure sign winds are over 20mph.   Get up several times to check the anchor alarm and it shows we have swung significantly with the winds, but are doing good holding position. Not the most restful night with the wind howling, bimini rattling and waves slapping the hull, but by morning things settling down a bit.  I guess the positive of all that wind - no midges here overnight.

A little color in the evening sky before the winds did a 180 and gained strength

Journey for Oct. 19, 2025

Oct. 18, 2025 Traffic Jam at the Great Bridge Bridge and Lock

 Sat.  Oct. 18, 2025  Top Rack Marina to Little Alligator River Anchorage  76 miles and 9.3 hours

Crazy morning.   With the Great Bridge Bridge on limited openings due to maintenance and the snowbirds heading south, coupled with weather that had boats waiting it out in Norfolk, it's a recipe for a backup. Sort of dumb that two of the bridge openings are in the dark at 6AM and 7PM.  May work OK for the commercial tugs but not so much for the pleasure crafts.  That leaves just the 9 AM or 1 PM opening for us.  With most boaters trying to make time and wanting to get going, the 9AM opening is actually a bit late.   Our original plan was to be off the dock at 8AM to get to the lock by 8:20. Plenty of time to get through for the 9 AM bridge.  But boats were leaving the docks by 7AM at first light.  On top of that we kept seeing boats passing our dock to get in line.  When a tug and barge passed by, we decided we needed to get going and get in line too. So we quickly cast off lines and were gone by 7:30 just ahead of two more boats coming down the river.  Huge backed up conga line when we got to the lock.  Thankfully it was a calm morning so fairly easy for everyone to hold position. A bit before 8 the lockmaster announced he would be opening the gates and start loading.  As a commercial vessel the tow got priority and was brought in and tied to the port wall.  After that he was able to load probably another 8-10 boats before he considered it full.  Could have fit several more boats in if he would let boats raft up but I suspect they are not used to doing that.  We were now the 4th boat in line for a second lockage. 

Big line of boats ahead of us at the lock and these are behind us

And more boats keep coming

More boats arrive before the lock even opens for the first group ahead of us

This lock only drops 2' and is amazingly slow. We wait and finally the front gates open.  The tow exits and ties to the wall between the lock and bridge.  The boats exit and hover again in the same area.  Gates close, chamber refills and now our turn to enter at 8:35.  Lockmaster is trying to hurry boats in as well as push them tightly together.  Finally has to close the gates with several boats still outside who will need to wait until the 1PM opening.   As the water is going down in the lock we watch as at precisely 9AM the bridgetender starts lifting.    The tow tells all the pleasure craft to proceed through.  He'll go last.  He is slow to get moving giving time for the lock to empty.  As he's going through the bridge our gates open and the lockmaster tells us we need to hustle. 

Boats getting loaded into the lock behind us

Glad we're toward the front of the group of about 15-20 boats we're with. Bridgetender holds the bridge open a bit of extended time to insure everyone gets through.  It's 9:15 by the time we're clear of everything. Feels like we have put in a full day already but plenty more to go.    There are 2 swing bridges we need to pass this morning. Each only open on the hour and half hour.  We're a bit off schedule approaching the first swing bridge and caught behind the tow.  But he gets openings on demand as a commercial vessel, and we sneak through with him.  Pass the tow and speed up but timing is still off as we get to the 2nd bridge right between his openings.   We idle around for 15 minutes with several other boats and wait for more to arrive. 

Passing the tow 

After we're through, boats finally start stretching out.  Go fast boats plow past us, while we pass a few of the slower sailboats and trawlers.  The balance of the day goes relatively easy.  This is a long slog down the Chesapeake and Albemarle canal.  Part river, part swamp, part man-made canal connecting these two bodies of water.   It's the primary ICW route particularly for larger or faster boats who don't want to use the Dismal Swamp Canal route. 

Bald Eagles definitely making a comeback. 
We've spotted many along the east coast 

We originally had planned to anchor for the night off the south end of the canal, but the weather forecast is now showing winds picking up Sunday which could make the Albemarle Sound crossing uncomfortable. It's notorious for quickly developing uncomfortable waves due to its shallow waters.  We opt to make it a longer day and cross the sound for an anchorage on the Little Alligator River.   One of the smoothest crossings of the Albemarle we ever made so worth the extra time today.  

Smooth as glass day to be crossing the Albemarle Sound

First time at this anchorage.  It is big and wide open but provides a nice tree line against any south winds. Surprised there are no other boats here. Drop the anchor and it grabs nicely. Calm winds overnight so after a quick dinner and watching my Clemson Tigers lose another football game at home this year, we were off to bed for a well-deserved good night's sleep.

Sunset at the Little Alligator River Anchorage. Nice ending to the day.

Journey for Oct. 18, 2025

October 17, 2025 Goodbye Chesapeake Bay

Friday Oct. 1, 2025   Put-In-Creek/Mobjack Bay to Top Rack Marina  52 miles and 5.5 hours

We've been on the Chesapeake Bay for over two weeks but seems like we haven't done it justice.  Sure, we anchored in a few new and a few old spots, and we revisited some towns we like and even explored the Sassafras River for the first time.  But in between seems like we just did long days covering a lot of water due to the weather.  Today we left Mobjack Bay and made our way to Norfolk.  Officially ending our time on the Bay and the beginnings of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW or ICW depending on your preference).  

Passed the Norfolk Rebel on the way into Norfolk.  Part of a contingent
of old sailing vessels that participated in an overnight race from Baltimore.

Glad we decided to spend the extra day anchored at Put-In-Creek.   Winds were strong all day Thursday. Even in our little cove the boat was swinging around a bit, so it would have been miserable on the bay.  Martha has also been fighting a cold, so nice to just allow her to rest up.  Forecast looked better today so off we went but found conditions not overly redeeming.  Winds still driving down the bay from the north but now with a NW wind creating a secondary swell.  Added to that was a heavy outflow of water from the York River as we crossed it, making an even more confused mix.  It all made for some pretty confused seas and a good bit of wallowing and rolling until we got to the entrance to Norfolk. Always impressive to see the Naval fleet being maintained here.  Ships of every size and type.  

Add the regular commercial ships, barges and tugs and it's a busy place.  And it seems to go on forever.   Got lucky today as all the railroad bridges were in the up position so no waiting needed.  Still, it felt like a longer day than the 5.5 hours we logged. Guess just the rolling around followed by the extra attention needed passing through town creates added fatigue.  

Passing by downtown Norfolk

Unusual for us to get through Norfolk with all the railroad bridges in the up position. 

Stopped at Top Rack Marina and topped off fuel as they have a decent price.  No problems now getting to my cheap diesel location in SC.   Originally, I had hoped to get to Chesapeake City and a free dock after passing the Great Bridge Lock and Bridge but they're doing maintenance on the Great Bridge Bridge (no- that's not a typo) and have it on a limited opening schedule.  Only opens at 6AM, 9AM, 1PM and 7PM.  No way to make the 1PM opening and no way I wanted to wait and do it in the dark.   We're about 20 minutes away and will make the 9 AM opening in the morning.

Journey for Oct. 17, 2025