May 31, Topsail Beach, NC

Moved another 40 miles from Southport to Topsail Beach through the Intercoastal Watereway.

Linda, with freighter in the background.

The first hour we were in the main ship channel to Wilmington, NC with a tanker heading upstream towards Wilmington. We stayed slightly outside the channel so we stayed clear. We were moving with the incoming tide and going a little over ten knots (about two faster than normal). The tanker was going about 12 knots so he passes us very slowly and very close. It is an awesome sight to see the large boats so close and underway.

Shrimper.

Freighter getting closer.

We are staying clear.

Freighter is safely past us.
Greek flag and lettering on stern.

Another active day on the water with lots of boat traffic as we go through a bridge. We waited about 10 minutes for this one. Not bad.

Lots of small boats on the water today.

A sand bar party with a 'hot dog boat', an umbrella and a palm tree.

Two homes have sculpture in the back yard visible from the water.

Silver 'Sea Goddess'.

Giraffe.

We ended up at Harbor Village Marina, which had room for us on a busy weekend. Not much here. No restaurant and no internet.

Harbor Village Marina and office.

May 30, Southport, NC

Today was the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend and a very active day for boaters on the water.

As we left the marina we noticed two boats that had seen better days. We wondered whether they had been sunk in a storm or just in some accident. Two that are close together are unusual.




There is a lot of new development along the shore in this 30 miles between Myrtle Beach and Southport. Big homes, condominium projects and tracts of smaller homes. And a lot of small boat traffic over Memorial Day weekend.

Travel trailer park overlooking an inlet.
Looks completely full this weekend.

Boaters on the 'sand bar' like in Stuart.

We encountered the 'Sunset Beach Pontoon Bridge' (the last remaining pontoon bridge on the east coast) at MM 338 that had zero clearance for boats to pass under so large and small boats had to wait for the opening. Openings were only allowed once per hour at the top of each hour. Our timing was not good as we arrived at 9:15 and had to wait 45 minutes for the next opening. A new high span bridge is almost complete and will replace this 'relic of the past'. We will not miss the old bridge any more than we will miss riding a horse and buggy to the store.

Sunset Beach Pontoon Bridge opening.

All the small boats seem to swarm through.

We made our way to Southport, NC, and enjoyed being off the busy waterway. When we were here in 2007, the marina was under construction. It is now almost complete and is a nice facility with newer floating docks and a clubhouse. Internet is available but it is so slow that it is unusable. Town is a half mile away, and we did not go exploring this time. Maybe next time.

Approaching Southport Marina.

Downtown Southport, NC.

Southport, NC, is a nice town and rated a top retirement spot in the USA.

May 29, Myrtle Beach, SC

We left Georgetown just as the overnight rain was clearing and headed north.

Leaving Georgetown early

Our trip today was through some beautiful marshes with cypress trees growing at the edge of the waterway (in salt water) and then through dense forests with no homes in sight for miles.



Along the watereway at MM 373 we saw the Osprey Marina advertising diesel at $2.54, the lowest price we have seen this year. We were full ($3.00 at M&M Seafood) so we did not stop but will make a note to stop on the way south.

Small boats with families in the Intercoastal.

Large home on a bluff in Myrtle Beach.
Lots of condominium projects along the waterway, too.

Gondolas take golfers from the parking lot over the Intercoastal to the golf club. Must be the only access and may be cheaper than building a road.

The barrier island south of Myrtle Beach is known as the "Grand Strand' and is a family resort area and golf mecca. Myrtle Beach has the largest collection of golf courses per capita of anywhere in the USA. The area also a large number of miniature golf courses with stucco figures (tacky but fun) and lots of shirt shops for the tourists. There are almost 30 miles of accessible beaches. Myrtle Beach is also known as 'Branson - east' because of the number of entertainers that have put facilities here. Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede Dinner and Show (featuring a real buffalo stampede) is rated a GEM by AAA and we even saw a Greg Norman restaurant along the waterway. Another GEM is the 9,000 acre Brookgreen Gardens with more than 725 sculptures showcased in landscape settings and garden rooms of the 35 acre Huntington Sculpture Garden. We do not have a car so we will save the exploring, gardens, shows and golf for another time. Could easily spend a few days here.

Approaching Myrtle Beach Yacht Club at the end of the basin.
Must be 300 boats here.

This is a very large basin with a lighthouse out front.

Tonight we are staying at the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club, a very large facility with all the services. Lots of activity on the Intercoastal Waterway as this is the Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend. We are happy to be in the marina and out of the boat traffic.

May 28, Georgetown, SC

We left Charleston about 9 am and headed north.

Charleston Maritime Marina was a very nice stop.

Cruise ship came to Charleston overnight.

Fort Sumpter overlooks Charleston Harbor.
This is where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.

Underway we cruise by the salt marshes. The ocean is just beyond those homes.

Small boat harvesting crabs using traps.
We see floats all along the Intercoastal Waterway.

Shrimp fleet at Georgetown, SC.

Approaching Georgetown Harbor Marina.
Floating docks and great internet.
Downtown is one block away.

Downtown Georgetown. Lots of nice shops and restaurants.

Boardwalk along the river is new to us.

We rate Georgetown a great stop. Nice marina with all the services. Nice town with interesting shops and many restaurants. All very close to the marina.

May 26-27, Charleston, SC

Started out in the rain from Edisto. The day cleared up as we went along and we arrived in Charleston about 1 pm after a nice morning on the water. Very rural here with the Intercoastal running in a curving route using the rivers where possible and then a few cut canals to link everything together.

Underway in the rain.

Some of the markers are confusing. We could not decide whether this was a red or green (obviously it's both) marking the channel we are going into.

We are staying at the Charleston Maritime Marina on the north side of the peninsula and much closer to the old downtown than the Charleston City (Megadock) Marina where we stayed before.

Charleston City Marina where the 'big boys' stay.
Nicknamed 'Megadock".

The Charleston Maritime Marina is on the north side of Charleston and so we have to go around the east side of the city to get there. Lots of activity over on this side of town.

Charleston homes facing the Intercoastal.

Some big homes here from the 1800's.

Beautiful suspension bridge linking Charleston with the suburbs to the north.

Aircraft carrier USS YORKTOWN, now a museum, is in Charleston harbor.
Over 700,000 visitors a year.

Approaching Charleston Maritime Marina.

We like the location of the marina as we are in walking distance of town. High speed internet. Floating docks. A little 'rolley' here as we are exposed to the wind and wakes of Charleston Harbor. Walked around town the first day and had dinner at 'High Cotton'. Excellent.

U.S. Customs House.

Carriage rides are popular here.

Fountain looks like a pineapple to us.
Pretty waterfront park.

Restaurant 'High Cotton' with a pedicycle out front.
He is available for hire to take you where you want to go.

Next day we started at the Charleston Aquarium, rated a GEM by our AAA tourbook.

Charleston Aquarium.

King Street has nice shopping.

Charleston has some beautiful churches, each with a pretty steeple. City has height restrictions for construction and will not permit buildings that would interfere with views of the steeples. Steeples dominate the skyline. Very old world looking.




We walked Legare Street where we found many beautiful homes built in the Charleston style. Front doors open to a porch on the side of the house. Then you enter the house from the porch after being away from the public street. Very nice concept. A tour group in a horse drawn surrey takes the same route to see the homes.

Beautiful area.

Each home has the front door opening to the porch on the side of the house.

Each porch faces the homes side yard/garden.

A whole street of these homes that seem unique to Charleston.

Many homes have a beautiful garden in the side yard.

Some are visible from the street.
The gardens are well tended.

The shade makes the area cooler on a hot day.

This front door is a beauty.

Calhoun Mansion, built by George Williams in 1876.
Charleston's largest house at 24,000 square feet.
Now open to the public for tours.

Another nice day in Charleston. Dinner at 'Slightly North of Broad' (SNOB).