June 4th- Georgetown to Waccamaw River, SC

My parts came in. The windlass was repaired. Nothing else broke. We enjoyed the extra couple of days in Georgetown. We had seafood every day and are still enjoying left overs. Ollie had some more time to run around with Ralphy.

This Crane hangs around Independent Seafood waiting for shrimp.

Everyone enjoyed our stay in Georgetown.

Our Thursday departure was not ideal for the trip up the Waccamaw River. After consulting the tide and current charts (with an early start) it looked like I’d have four hours of favorable current and then it would turn against me. There is less of a tide further up the river so I figured it wouldn’t be a problem.

Now for the real story. As soon as we got into the river the current was slightly against us. This only increased as we went further into the jungle. Research was needed. Due to much rain and a moon tide there is a lot of water trapped up there. A LOT. Eventually our progress was reduced to 2 knots. I ran Catalpa’s diesel at almost the maximum RPMs. The area is all swamp anyway but it was really flooded. Sometimes it was hard to tell apart the ICW from the jungle.

Our anchorage was up by a place called Enterprise Landing. This far up there wasn’t much of a current. There was no difference between high and low tide. Just a bunch of water sloshing around. I had debated tieing up at the nearby Bucksport Plantation Marina but much of their docks looked to be underwater. Our anchorage was just off the Waccamaw in Enterprise Creek. It turned out to be a perfect night.

View off the porch.

A quick run out of the creek and across the ICW are two boat ramps for Enterprise Landing. Both ramps (and public parking lot) were flooded. While walking through the water, on my way to dry land, someone pointed out a nearby alligator. Hmmmm… Maybe I’ll use the other ramp in the morning.

Catalpa anchored off of the Waccamaw in Enterprise Creek.

June 5th- Waccamaw River to Calabash Creek, SC

Last night we had an almost full moon (one more day). The jungle sounds were like a movie. We were serenaded by the loudest frogs we’ve ever heard. What a pretty spot. We were the only boat.

The good thing about being on top of a big pile of water is going down it. Today was all down hill regardless of tide. Our speed approached 7 knots.

Just north of Enterprise Landing is Socastee. The little town was inundated with water. On our trip South we noticed many houses were on stilts. Now we know why.

Socastee swing bridge.

After passing through the whole area I read that the Coast Guard has declared a “HIGH WATER EVENT”. Mariners should use caution due to extreme currents. Bridges don’t have the proper clearance (our mast fit). The whole area is now a no wake zone. I’d like to add- there is a lot of stuff floating around.

We passed through Myrtle Beach which was also somewhat flooded. After a quick day we anchored in Calabash Creek. It’s not perfect, but it’s good for a night.

Our neighbors.

June 1st- Georgetown, SC

Ollivers brother, Ralphy, lives in Georgetown. The two brothers met for a play date yesterday morning. A fun time was had by all. Ollie really needed the exercise.

Four people trying very hard to get the dogs to sit still and look at the camera.

I forgot how much I liked Georgetown. It’s a mill town, similar to New Bedford. Part of it has big old houses and tree lined streets. This was due to a lot of money flowing through here from rice and indigo plantations. Other sections are a little rougher with factories and mills as part of the landscape. There is a huge steel mill on the waterfront (closed). Further away is a paper mill which is still in business.

Kaminski House Museum.

Lots of live oaks along the streets. The shade is much appreciated.

Since leaving behind our land based life we’ve learned a lot. One thing I’ve learned is that I can create plans but they very rarely stay the same. Our plan was to stay in Georgetown until today. We wanted to pick up some fish and shrimp from Independent Seafood when they opened. We’d then up-anchor and hit the road.

Yesterday I spent a few hours doing some maintenance projects. I successfully rebuilt our galley sink pump. This was important as it had a leak and was siphoning water from our tanks. Water that can be difficult to replenish. Luckily I had the parts on board. I also checked our batteries and topped them up with distilled water. Then came the windlass.

Our Muir windlass is basically a winch which I use to pull our anchor and 50′ of chain off of the seabed. Some use an electric motor to bring the gear in. Ours is manually cranked, which works just fine for me.

I installed it over a year ago and don’t know how I did without it. I noticed it was feeling a little “sloppy” over the past few weeks. It gets a lot of abuse and is often doused with seawater if the sea is rough. I pulled it apart to clean it. There are two very small springs (pawl springs) which are crucial to the functionality of the gears that make this thing work. One spring had disintegrated. The other fell apart in my hand. Both victims of corrosion. We use the windlass almost every day that we are traveling. I’ve ordered new springs (40) from Connecticut. We payed for over night shipping but the company couldn’t guarantee the order would get out today and apparently UPS is no longer guaranteeing overnight shipping. This is all due to coronavirus. Maybe they shouldn’t charge so much for shipping.

Plan B. We’ll stay in Georgetown until the parts get here. I also ordered another water pump since I’ve been having pump issues. I expect it will take a few days to get the parts. We don’t mind being “stuck” a few hundred yards from a great seafood market and shrimp boats. Maybe Ollie and Ralphy will get another play session in.

A more enjoyable project. The captain of SV Loon made the Turkshead (white part) for us in Vero Beach as a good luck charm. I did all of the French whipping (black part) years ago. This is all on the tiller.

The old steel mill at the top of the harbor.

Catalpa anchored in Georgetown.