North Myrtle Beach SC to Butler Island SC

Start time and hours                      0900                               2441.23

End time and hours                       1500                               2447.23

     We had a short forty mile run today so we slept in little.  When we were ready to leave we had a little engine starting problem.  The start battery was dead and the engine would not turn over.  I asked the dock hand if he knew anyone who could help and he said yes.  He made a call and said that Kenny would be right over.  Kenny is a live aboard on dock A and is retired. 

     Kenny helped me trouble shoot the problem and we ended up jumping the start battery with the house battery.  I still don’t know why the start battery died, but now I know what to do if it happens again.  We had to force Kenny to take some money as a thank you.  This little problem did not put us off for too long.  We only lost about 30 minutes troubleshooting.

     As we headed down the ICW through North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach it was not very scenic.  We saw the backs of lots of restaurants and stores and their billboards.  There were some nice homes and golf courses to see but they looked like all the other homes and golf courses that we had seen.  We also passed the bridge being built that cost us an extra day in Barefoot Marina.

     As we approached the Socastee swing bridge we saw that it was opening.  Elaine called ahead and told them we were about 1000 yards away and asked if we should wait for the next opening.  The bridge tender said to come on through, she would wait for us.  We cranked the boat up to almost 9knots and made for the bridge.  It was the first time on our trip that a bridge had waited for us and not us waiting for a bridge. 

     Immediately after the bridge the trip turned into the most scenic portion yet.  We were cruising down the Waccamaw River.  The Waccamaw River is very wooded right down to its banks, with trees growing in the water.  Moss covered cypress trees abound.  The river is windy in most spots and feels both private and serene.  Lots of river hawks and a few ospreys were seen.

     After cruising this scenic river, we tucked in behind Butler Island for the night on anchor.  We found a great spot and the anchor stuck on the first try.  We held fast for the night and slept well.

     I broke out the pressure cooker for dinner and we had short ribs with onions and peppers with risotto.  We ran the heater a little bit to take the chill off during dinner and then went to bed.  I was able to use my new Red Sox fleece comforter, thanks Fran,  as an extra blanket for the night.  The temps were predicted to go down into the low 40s and the fleece was perfect.