We slept in today — up at 7 AM and underway an hour later. It was 31 degrees on deck but we got the electric cable and lines onboard and were off to Myrtle Beach. It was a 72 statue mile trip through the lower portion of the Cape Fear River, then two known shallow sections of the ICW that have taken some paint off the hulls of many boats (Lockwood’s Folley and Shallotte Inlet in NC). Our schedule indicated going through these two areas at near low tide. What fun! We made it through — and I wish I could show in photos what it’s like twisting and turning through a shallow inlet from the ocean as the sands beneath the water keep changing. A fun event. After these events we passed through “the Rock Pile,” a section of the ICW that surprised the government developing the ICW. This was an approximate five- mile section of the ICW that was solid rock. The digging caused added cost and time so it has less width than the rest of the ICW and on the shoreline heavy rocks can catch a less than watchful Captain navigating this section. As we closed in on Myrtle Beach we noticed preparations for an ICW Christmas Lighted Boat Parade in North Myrtle Beach. Over 50 boats participated. We moored past the parade route so we only saw a couple of boats preparing and one coming past after the parade. We ate aboard and tried to clean the boat with no water on the docks. But, this morning, we were delighted to find the star of the parade, the Barefoot Queen paddle boat, moored behind us. Wonderfully decorated! Moving on, we’re headed to Georgetown, one of our favorite spots and where we’ve spent Christmas aboard in the past. Below are some pictures from today.
