Oct. 29-30, 2025 One Last Anchorage and then on to Charleston

 

Wed. Oct. 29, 2025   Harborwalk Marina to Awendaw Creek Anchorage   34 miles and 4 hours

Nice layover in Georgetown.  Weather was a bit dismal with rain and winds, but got to walk around town a few times for some exercise.  Needed that after we loaded up with pastries at Indigo Bakery.  Georgetown had/has a reputation with boaters.  Praised for its quaint historic nature but also despised due to the constant shoaling and their two waterfront industries.  A steel mill that was super noisy all night long and a papermill with its unique smell if the wind was blowing in the wrong direction.  The steel mill had been in financial turmoil for years going through several owners but has finally shuttered and was in the process of demolition.   It was recently announced the paper mill was also closing. In an already economically challenged area it will be interesting to see how the town adjusts and what redevelopment activities occur on these waterfront properties.  

Short trip today.  Rains finished up overnight but still overcast.  Off the docks at 10 allowing for a bit of incoming tide.  Depth alarm only sounds a few times as we cross the shoaling harbor entrance.  Run down Winyah Bay to the entrance of the ICW canal.   Uneventful day as we pass through the marshes and conservation areas that once were thriving indigo and rice fields.  Pass a couple sailboats headed south.  Get through the notorious shoaling at McClellanville thanks to the added depth of the 3' tide we're riding.  

Seeing more dolphins like this one that went body surfing on our side wake. 
 Martha said it was very photogenic. Laying on its side and smiling up at her.

This is SC shrimping territory. We've seen huge old wooden shrimpers
 to more modest draggers like this one.

Then a turn off into Awendaw Creek to anchor.  Stayed here on a previous trip.  Good holding but a bit of an exposed area with nothing but marsh surrounding us.  We'll get moved about in every possible direction due to the changing tidal current and swapping wind directions. At least winds are forecast to be relatively light.  We're the first boat in but are soon followed by one of the sailboats we passed earlier.  Should be interesting to see how many more boats anchor as it's a fairly well documented anchorage. Couple more boats do pull in before dark.  One sailboat anchored a bit too close ahead of us.  Even he realized it and moved further away.  This is a huge anchorage area so not sure why the two guys on board felt the need to be so close other than they appeared to be somewhat inexperienced.

A break in the clouds just as the sun started to set

Sunshine was really having to fight its way through the clouds

Journey for Oct. 29, 2025

Thurs. Oct. 30, 2025   Awendaw Creek to St. Johns Yacht Harbor  39 miles and 4.5 hours

Well, the wind did change direction to full westerly with sustained 15 and gusts to 25 overnight. So much for forecasts. Those strong winds are now expected to continue all day.  With wind at our bow and the boat horsing around retrieving the anchor took a bit more powered maneuvering than usual but the anchor came up surprisingly clean.  

Sunny, breezy and cool morning as we prep to raise anchor and head out Awendaw Creek 

Once into the protection of the tree lined ICW the cruising was pretty smooth.  Late start as it's another short cruise and our plan is to catch the rising tide.  Historically a few shallow spots develop in this section of the ICW.  Apparently they have been doing some dredging, but we still hit several areas with thin water and just 3' under the keel.  But even the notoriously shoaled area at the Ben Sawyer Bridge was a non-event for this passage.   Just a little drama as we approach Isle of Palms.  The sailboat Shally, whom we've leapfrogged several times over the past few days, is hailing the Coast Guard.  Just as they turned the ICW corner at the north entrance to the Isle of Palms channel their engine quit.  Dropped anchor but are now sitting sideways mid channel.  Luckily they are just past the start of the No Wake zone, but they are frantically radioing warnings to boats headed towards them. to please slow down and pass at their stern to avoid tripping their anchor line. SeaTow is on the way to assist and the CG is broadcasting messages warning boaters of the situation. They are a long way from home with a Toronto hailing port. For us it's a good reminder of the importance of keeping the mechanical systems running properly and why we'll be putting the boat up for routine maintenance while in Charleston. After passing Isle of Palms we head out into the open white capped waters of Charleston Harbor.  

The Ravenel Bridge  in Charleston as seen from the Isle of Palms channel

Snotty bit of white capped water while crossing Charleston Harbor

With the winds up we fully expected this open water crossing to be wet and bouncy.  We get on our NW heading and waves and spray immediately start coming over the bow of my recently washed boat.  Increase power and she settles into a nice pace at 2100 rpm and 15 mph. Smooth ride and no more water spray over the bow.   Soon we're passing by Charleston, the battery, the megadock and heading for Elliotts Cut.   The run through the cut is easy as we're approaching high tide and the current through the cut is running in our direction. We get a good 3 knot push and are ejected out into the Stono River with St. Johns Yacht Harbor visible to our south.  

Working our way up Ashley River and past the Battery 

We arrive about 2 hours before slack tide which is when we want to maneuver into our slip.  We get permission to do a side tie to the outside of a T head to wait.  But the winds are gusting to 30+ and are fully on our beam on the side we're trying to dock against.  We have about 60' of dock to tie against and a large catamaran behind the space.   With current running at the bow and the wind blowing us away from the dock it takes 3 attempts before we can get successfully secured thanks to the help of multiple dock hands.  Normally on a day with winds outside our normal go-no go criteria we would just stay put.  But we have reservations already in place for the marina and a rental car. That whole "being on a schedule thing" shows up.  Thankfully, other than being frustrated with my boat handling skills we're secured for now.  Next up is waiting for the 4:15 slack tide so we can move into our actual slip.   I opt to drive from the flybridge where I can feel the wind better and also have better visibility to the corners of the boat.  It goes better and with the benefit of some judicious use of the throttles we quickly spin the boat in the fairway and back into our slip.  Dockhands do a great job securing lines quickly and we're settled in for our week stay. SJYH has done a massive expansion under new ownership, and we are on the new docks on the south side of the bridge.  Feels like we're a world away from the office, pool, showers, etc. Only a couple other boats out here with us. Amazing how large this marina has gotten over the years since we first stored the original As You Wish here before looping. 

Sun setting over the marshes behind St. Johns Yacht Harbor 

While the moon and last of the fading sun shines on As You Wish

This was our last real travel day for the current phase of this trip.  Time for 1000 hour service work on the engines. Crazy to think we've put over 1200 hours on the boat since buying it!   We'll get a rental car and head home.  Bring our car back and drop it at Marine Propulsion and then bring the boat around to them next week.    No rush to get the boat back at this point.  We've got dentist and doctor appointments and the holidays to keep us busy for the next couple months at home.  And of course, we need to make plans for our next boating adventure.

Journey for Oct. 30, 2025