Author: Chris McLean

Belhaven to Alligator River Marina, Columbia, NC (docked)

July 15, 2022

When I saw the bunny at Belhaven Marina, it felt like an omen of the wildlife we were going to see on the Alligator River.

I also thought that the red sky we saw last night meant that we would have a delightful weather day. I was wrong on both counts.

It was gray and cloudy most of the day with a few showers mixed in for special seasoning.

The Alligator River is pretty interesting – there’s a lot of tannins in the water, so it’s dark brown like tea or Dr. Pepper. There’s no waves at all and the dredged part is a very narrow ditch down the center of the river. Tree stumps poke out of the water on both sides.

There were few houses (although we saw a large flock of wild turkeys in the mowed yard of a home) and a lot of foliage. I find this landscape so beautiful – but it started to get pretty monotonous, especially since we were on this stretch for over 20 miles (which is over 3 hours at the rate we travel).

Aside from turkeys and a couple ospreys, we saw two bald eagles. That’s it. I was looking hard, too.

The Alligator Marina was another seawall style place (no slips). It’s behind a gas station that serves food and ice cream. There’s a replica of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse on the property which is right next to Lailia.

The dockmaster told us that a few years ago a black bear got on a docked boat and ate some blueberry muffins that were in the cockpit. While I want to see a bear, that would be far too close! The Johns Island raccoons trained us well to never, ever leave food in out cockpit.

Tomorrow we will travel about 35 miles to Coinjock, which is along the Virginia Cut. The alternate route through the Dismal Swamp has two locks on restricted openings (only four times a day) takes longer; it also is more shallow. The one lock on the Virginia Cut is used to control tide heights between the Albermarle Sound and the Chesapeake.

Oriental to Belhaven Marina, Belhaven, NC

July 14, 2022

The Bean in Oriental, NC had a good breakfast and good service. It seemed to be a place for locals since the woman who waited on us greeted most of the customers by name.

This was another long day – we traveled about 51 miles and much of it was gray and drizzly.

Belhaven Marina and the small town around it was surprising. We tied up along a seawall rather than in a slip. The tiny marina has a bathroom that is decorated with WWII era naval memorabilia from the dockmaster’s uncle. This is one of the nicest and most “homey” marina restrooms I have seen.

We were able to walk through the two blocks of town to find The Mad Batter (a bakery) open. Two of the three restaurants were closed until 5:00 but we found a small outdoor seating restaurant that was open. Marcus, the bartender, picked fresh mint for our mojitos (which were really good).

We wil be traveling the Alligator River tomorrow. I have read that it’s possible to see bears, deer, raccoons, turkeys, bald eagles, and alligators along the way. I am very hopeful!

Wrightsville Beach to Church Street Town Dock, Swansboro, NC (docked)

July 12, 2022

We often have to wait for things – bridges mostly. Today was about making sure our timing was right – we had two bridges at the beginning of the trip that only opened once an hour as well as a chance that we would have to wait for Camp Lejeune to finish firing practice.

I misremembered when John wanted to leave and set my alarm extra early. This meant that left the anchorage early enough to get to the first bridge before 7:00 AM. We learned that the bridge opens on demand prior to 7:00 AM, so there was no waiting.

We made it to the second restricted bridge with about 10 minutes to wait, which isn’t bad considering this bridge only opens once an hour.

Camp Lejeune did not have live firing exercises today so we were able to keep on trucking up the ICW. The signs and the shot-up vehicles lining the route indicated what we were lucky to have missed.

The weather was gorgeous and breezy and that makes our slow ride a lot more enjoyable.

The Church Street Docks in Swansboro are used by folks who boat in for lunch AND by folks who are tying up for the night. Although we had been assigned a specific slip for the night, a small day boat was there. We decided to tie Lailia to the T-head (the end of the dock) because there was a strooooong current running through. Once again we had great timing – the other boat on the T-head was one that used to be at St. Johns Yacht Harbor. Mona and Nolan grabbed lines and helped us dock.

We walked a mile to the Piggly Wiggly and stocked up on some fresh food. After dinner we joined our former marina neighbors for a drink in a small spot near the dock. They’re on their way south back to Charleston so it’s serendipitous timing that we crossed paths with them.

We’ve got about 45 miles to go to Oriental tomorrow.

Southport, NC to Wrightsville Beach, NC (anchored)

July 11, 2022

Cloudy, gray weather is both a benefit and a challenge. Clouds help keep the temperatures from getting too high, which is a benefit when we are traveling in the open air of our cockpit. The challenge is how it feels like it sucks up all of our energy.

Experiencing a familar place from a different perspective is interesting. In past years, we’ve traveled by ferry from Southport to Fort Fisher and to Wilmington and have watched cargo ships navigate the Cape Fear River as we ate at the Provision Company. This year we had a Lailia-level view.

Out of the mouth of the Cape Fear River we were back in the narrow ICW ditch. As we got closer to the Wrightsville Beach area, we saw more people and boats. Unfortunately, we also saw several sailboats who had run aground probably due to past severe storms and seemed abandoned.

We were unsuccessful with finding a slip in a marina tonight. Fortunately, there are some spots off the ICW for us to anchor. While boats can anchor anywhere out of the main passage of the ICW, there’s not always enough depth (or width) for this to be practical. We also have to consider how well the bottom will hold our anchor and what the currents are like in any place. It’s really helpful to find a known anchorage (on our app or in our guide).

This is a nice, wide anchorage that gets great ocean breezes. There is a public dinghy dock we can use if we get motivated to go ashore.

Those lovely ocean breezes died down as the evening fell so we decided to run the generator so we could have air conditioning. Unfortunately, we didn’t think about running the generator earlier in the evening to get our boat batteries to the float level, a level that requires nominal amperage to stay steady. Our inverter charger (Xantrex)prioritizes the battery level when there is an external alternating current such as when we plug into shore power or the generator. Since our Honda generator has a 2000 watt limit it is unable to both charge the batteries and run the air conditioner at the same time. If the batteries are already charged up, then it can maintain the batteries at the float level and run the air conditioner at the same time. This is a very long explanation of why we had to forego the a/c for the night. Our little fan is circulating the air and it’s not terribly hot – but it’s not awesomely cool, either.

We need to get up early tomorrow so we can get through two restricted bridges that only open hourly. We’ve got about 50 miles to go to get to Swansboro and don’t want to deal with too many delays. We also are hoping that there is no firing range practice at Camp Lejeune: that can close the ICW for three or more hours.

Swansboro to Oriental Marina, Oriental, NC (docked)

July 13, 2022

So many people told us we would like Oriental, which bills itself as the “Sailing Capitol of North Carolina.” Maybe we didn’t explore enough, but this place was my least favorite place of all…

After we left Swansboro, we were able to get our sails up for a bit. This gave us a nice boost in speed for a while (until the wind died down).

I have gotten over worrying that we won’t clear under bridges – we need about 55 feet and most of the fixed bridges are 65 feet. There’s no way that Lailia’s mast got taller although we definitely take up more room when the sail is up but it was a momentarily strange feeling.

Our slip was right across from where some shrimp boats were docked. This isn’t a new experience as we also were near some when we were in McClellanville. What was very different was the very strong smell of fish in this area. There was also a lot of trash floating in the water.

We also had poor service in two restaurants we tried – the first handed us menus but seemed to forget we were there. We left that restaurant after waiting for 10 minutes to order and went to another = three servers did not acknowledge us when we waited to be seated. It was better to eat on the boat.

Tomorrow is a shorter run to Belhaven, NC. There is a small coffee shop close to the marina where we will try to get breakfast before we go.

Little River, SC to Southport Marina, NC (docked)

July 10. 2022

The Southport/Oak Island area is a long-time favorite place for us and our families. We sprinkled my dad’s ashes at the beach here, my brother had a house here, and we have many great memories of spending time with members of the McLean and the Senbertand families here.

When we plan our movements, we usually just figure out how far we want to go and then look for anchorages and marinas in the area. We usually call marinas as we are on the move. Today, though, our goal was to get to Southport and to make sure that we spent the night within walking distance of the Provision Company, a restaurant we have frequented since it opened in 1992.

For most of our northward passage we have been really fortunate with the weather; we haven’t had a lot of rain or clouds. Today was different – it was very overcast.

The riverscape opened back up shortly after we left the Little River area: there’s more small islands and hardly any signs of people. The water gets saltier here and we started seeing dolphins again. There were also no restricted bridges.

I was watching Google Maps so we could mark when we crossed the line into North Carolina – it would have been cool to see a welcome sign like the ones on the highway, but that didn’t happen.

The North Carolina stretch of the ICW is over 250 miles long. There are far fewer anchorage locations along the southern part of this stretch than we have seen in states like Georgia, mostly because the area is so narrow. Although there aren’t as many yachts and powerboats here, it reminds me a little of central Florida.

As we got closer to Southport, we started to see familar places – places that we had visited from the land, like the point at the western part of Oak Island. When I was in middle school, I went clamming here with my dad. Our sons have challenged themselves to swim across the inlet here (with a worried mom watching them the whole time).

When Hurricane Isias hit Southport Marina in 2020, it took out all of its docks while the boats were still attached. The docks have been rebuilt and there is a new owner. Work is still being completed on the decking around the marina, though.

The Provision Company always has a line so we headed out early to grab our meal. We just made it inside the door before the deluge hit. This restaurant is right on the water and has a really simple menu that has not changed in years: shrimp, crabcakes, tuna, chicken, and burgers (and amazing onion rings). The drinks are self-serve so when you check out at the end of your meal, you just let the cashier know what you had. It’s delicious and it was a perfect way to celebrate getting to North Carolina.

Tomorrow we are going to head towards the Wrightsville Beach area. Part of our travel will be across the mouth of the Cape Fear River, with its cargo ships heading to Wilmington and its ferries heading to Bald Head Island and Fort Fisher.

Heritage Plantation Marina to Myrtle Beach Yacht Club, Little River, SC (docked)

July 9, 2022

What a long, really hot day on the water. We traveled over 40 miles and waited (albeit briefly) for three swing bridges to open. There was also an interesting moment when a faux paddle steamer made a u-turn right in front of us.

The Waccamaw River section of the ICW is pretty at this time of the year. There are all kinds of trees and flowers that grow in the water, so it’s like traveling through the woods. Because I have a very active imagination, I like to pretend that John and I have gone back in time and are exploring this river as new settlers. This only works on the sections that aren’t filled with speedboats whizzing by us…

There were three swing bridges today. You can see how the riverscape changes as we move towards the Myrtle Beach area – the Socastee Swing Bridge has lots of trees and is in a relatively narrow section of the river. A small powerboat goes past us as we wait for the opening, but it’s at a pretty respectful speed.

We had been following behind the Barefoot Queen – a faux paddle steamer – for a few miles. As we approached the Barefoot Landing Swing Bridge, we assumed that it was slowing down to await the bridge opening. We were somewhat surprised when it made a sudden turn into a marina on the other side of the ICW. We are guessing that their VHF radio was not working.

There’s a definite change in the riverscape at this point along the ICW – there’s far fewer trees and far more boats. This section is really “touristy.”

The final swing bridge has a wonderful name: Captain Archie Neil “Poo” McLauchlin Swing Bridge. It’s only 7 feet above the waterline when it’s closed, so it has to open a lot. This section is busy with all kinds of boat traffic and lots of stores, restaurants, and houses on both sides of the river.

The Myrtle Beach Yacht Club is one of three marinas wedged into a small basin just off the ICW. The basin is crammed with boats but it’s a safe place for the night and we can run our air conditioner (plus the narrow nature of the ICW here makes it difficult to find an anchorage).

We’ll be crossing into North Carolina tomorrow and plan to go as far as Southport, which is one of our favorite vacation spots. We’ve spent so much time on land there in the past, it will be interesting to see it from the water.

McClellanville, SC to Heritage Plantation Marina, Pawleys Island, SC (docked)

July 8, 2022

Since we planned to go about 35 miles today, we took our time leaving. The days we don’t need to use an alarm are so much more relaxing.

We passed a “floating bridge” today – it was basically a large barge that can move vehicles across the ICW. It stays in an open position so there was no waiting for it to move.

The day was pretty mundane (which is good – we don’t need a lot of excitement). Most of the trip was through a narrow channel of water with some trees on the shoreline. This stretch is different than the Georgia ICW with its many creeks and winding ways. There are also much fewer anchorages as the channel is so narrow.

The ICW merges with the Waccamaw River near Georgetown, SC. The Waccamaw is much wider with stronger currents. This river begins as fresh water at Lake Waccamaw in North Carolina and must be a lot less saline than what we have been traveling in so far. There are trees and lillies growing right in the water here, plus signs for alligators (the first we have seen on the ICW).

When we were in the marina we saw large (2.5 – 3 feet long) fish jumping straight out of the water. We have no idea what they were but they were pretty cool to see.

This marina is pretty small BUT it has a very nice, very air conditioned lounge for boaters. This was a lovely place to wait for Lailia’s air conditioning to kick in. Plus, there was a very cool swing in the cupola at the top.

There is a nice breeze here since there is a large fetch (open water) but we are still very, very happy that we have air conditioning. I can’t imagine how long it would take to get our cabin cool after running the motor all day.

We plan to get past Myrtle Beach tomorrow – it’ll be a longer day as we plan to go about 45 miles.

Leland Marina, McClellanville, SC (docked)

July 6 & 7, 2022

There’s not a lot to do in McClellanville, especially when it’s so hot that we don’t feel like walking during the day – except go to the shrimp boat docks to get some fresh shrimp.

The road to the shrimp boat dock follows Jeremy Creek and it’s lined with old live oaks and beautiful houses. It’s almost as if we are in a movie set for the Low Country. Almost every live oak has at least one swing hanging in its branches.

Fresh shrimp is so delicious – it’s sweet and really plump. Cooking it on the grill means that we don’t need to heat up the galley, too. It’s so good we had it both nights.

We did cross some tasks off of our lists – laundry and vacuuming, as well as some reorganization of supplies. John changed the oil in the generator, replaced a joker valve in the aft head (this is a crappy job), and got the propane regulator on the grill to work again.

Once again, we are so happy that we have an air conditioner on Lailia; the temperatures are in the upper 80s with “feels-like” temps of around 108. There is some breeze on the water, but it doesn’t do much until the late afternoon, which is when we strolled a bit through town.

The churches here don’t lock their doors. The Chapel of Ease was built in 1890 and is beautiful inside and out.

After all of the rocking at the Charleston Maritime Center, this peaceful and quiet marina has been really refreshing. We wound up staying an extra day as we waited for my laptop charger to be delivered and were not unhappy that we did so. We will start heading north again in the morning, with a goal of getting to a marina in Pawleys Island for the night.

Charleston Maritime Marina to Leland Marina, McClellanville, SC (docked)

July 5, 2022

How wonderful to move again! After eight days in Charleston, we’re ready to explore further north on the ICW.

It was pretty cool to see the rain line ahead of us as we crossed Charleston Harbor. The rain bouncing up makes it look like a fog bank.

We had to motor under another swing bridge today. We have been in the line of traffic waiting for other boats to go by in the past, so this is a different view.

It was hot and still for most of the day. We could see rain in the distance but managed to avoid it.

This marina is down a short creek where shrimp boats dock. Tomorrow we’ll take a walk to the shrimp dock and get some fresh seafood. We’ve also heard we need to try the crab dip…

We took a short walk tonight. There’s a thousand year old live oak near the marina. The neighborhood is very pretty, too.

We will be here for a few days as we wait for our Amazon package. We’ll do some more exploring of this low country town, too.