To the Waccamaw River

To the Waccamaw River

Sunday November 15, 2020

Another early start allowed us to take advantage of the high tide and get out of the Calabash Creek without incident.  Within six miles, we encountered the first of the swing bridges. The helpful bridge tender got us through without much delay.  Then we came to the section of the ICW that is known as the “rock pile.” This four-mile stretch is line with “rocky outcroppings”.  In my memory these rocks were very evident but today with the extra high tide (new moon), the banks did not appear to be rock lined.  

The section of ICW that we traversed today runs through Myrtle Beach, SC.  The area seems heavily developed with many golf courses and other “attractions” as well as lots of hotels, condos and houses.  It doesn’t have so much of the natural beauty that we expect of the waterway.  Toward the end of today’s trip, we entered an area that is largely swamp in the sense of a flooded forest.  Noticeably, many of the homes had flooded yards and appeared to be under threat of flooding with rising water levels. 

The Waccamaw River is one of our favorite areas.  The river passes through a National Wildlife Refuge comprised largely of cypress swamp.  We noted that all the trees seem to have a marking at 4-5 ft above the current water level.  It is suggestive of some serious flooding having happened in this area recently.  In contrast to the many marsh areas that have a lot of bird life, the swamp here seems to have much fewer birds.  Many of the trees are cloaked with Spanish moss.  It’s hard to describe why this place seems so special. I’m hoping that Mike’s photos can give you a sense of it.  Certainly, I can’t seem to express what seems so magical about it. 

Gloria

33 40.554 N, 79 04.105 W

Gloria has set me up with a challenge to get some decent photos of the Waccamaw River, but you will have to wait for next couple of posts as it was grey and overcast for much of the afternoon and I didn’t take any photos after we anchored … Mike

Shrimp Boat abstract - original shot of a shrimp boat at night rotating lens on long exposure rendered as a color negative in Photoshop

Construction on the banks of the ICW near Myrtle Beach ... first comes the house then the dock is built using these mini barge-tug units

The Socastee swing bridge - the last of three opening bridges that we had to cover today

Abstract - under a fixed bridge. We also passed under numerous fixed bridges that are supposed to have 65 ft clearance. Today with super high tides we saw two bridges showing only 62 foot clearance on their marker boards. Our mast height is 59 feet plus 3 feet for VHF arial = 62 foot ... we didn't hear any scraping but it must have been really close.

Ripples from our wake reflected off the sides of the ICW