Going With The Flow

Butler Island to Southport |  10.2 Hours  |  75 Miles  

Whoa, this was a shocker. The temperature in South Carolina plummeted overnight and had me scrambling for a blanket sometime in the wee hours of the morning. The alarm again sounded early and I layered up to raise the anchor. We were off before the sun rose over the trees. We departed at high tide and traveled with the current, happy to see 9 knots. The rising sun was directly in front of us for a short period and made early morning navigation a challenge. We followed the ICW through the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge. Swirls of pollen floated on top of the shadowy water's surface to the east. 

To the west, the water was mirror-like. The reflections were perfectly beautiful. Along the way we saw Canada geese, mallards, herons, and osprey. Channel markers often served double duty as foundations for osprey nests. This one came with its own landscaping. Once we exited the refuge, development took over the waterfront. The Socastee Swing Bridge opened for us and we entered the sprawl of Myrtle Beach. It was a very busy passage with new construction everywhere, people out in force on the many golf courses, and increased boat traffic. I always smile when I see the Myrtlewood sign as it reminds me of Bushwood from Caddy Shack.

We lucked out and were able to go with the flow of the current for most of the day. This was beneficial until we had to hold station in front of the Little River Swing Bridge waiting for an opening. By this time of the day, the wind had built and was gusting over 25 knots. The bridge operator had to call to receive special permission to open in the high winds. A compromise seemed to emerge that had us wait until the three boats behind us caught up, then send us all through with a single opening of the span. Reverse idle was not enough to keep us stationary with three knots of current and 20 knots of wind pushing us from our stern toward the closed span with seven feet of vertical clearance. After a tense 15 minutes we were finally able to move along. We navigated Little River Inlet at dead low tide without incident and crossed into North Carolina at 1:00. At Tubbs Inlet the current switched to on our nose and we slowed to 6.5 knots. Just like yesterday, the current vs. wind opposition resulted in a choppy sea state. On the other side of Shallotte Inlet we again picked up a favorable current and accelerated back to over nine knots. Soon we were passing under the Holden Beach bridge and reliving memories of previous trips along this stretch of water. One last inlet crossing put us on the home straightaway to Southport. The wind was whipping as we pulled alongside the floating dock to tie up. The dockmasters and I worked together quickly to get settled, much like a NASCAR pit stop. A few clean-up chores were followed by dinner and the end of another long day on the water. We'll stay here in Southport for a few days, hoping to meet up with a few friends and also hoping that the wind lays down for our crossing of the Cape Fear River.