The Adventures of SaSea Sally!: Georgetown, SC to Wilmington, NC July 4-8, 2014

July 4-8, 2014

Cypres trees in the swamps

The landscape, or waterway scape, changes in southern South Carolina north of Georgetown. The marshes begin to disappear and Cyprus swamps become prevalent along the intracoastal waterway. Cyprus swamps are the norm till you reach the North Carolina line where pines become more prevalent.

Intracoastal waterway south of Myrtle Beach

Osprey nest? Or channel marker?

Nestled in the banks of the ICW was Osprey Marina (mailing address Myrtle Beach), known to Loopers as a great place (translation: cheap) to buy diesel fuel; so we opted to refuel (167 gallons makes one stand up and take note of the best per gallon price available!) and dock for the evening once we arrived there later afternoon in hot, breezeless conditions.

Yep, it's the Fourth of July all right! Unfortunately, the marina's remote and secluded position offered no good fireworks viewing, so we settled for sound without sight to celebrate our

nation's independence as we dined on fresh grouper and swordfish, a good Trader Joe's couscous blend, veggie and leftover birthday cake. I saw one lone blast of red fire balls above the tree line which was sufficient to make my celebration complete.

Osprey nest in a traee

Is Myrtle Beach the golf capital of SC?

Buffalo at the Waccatee Zoo by Osprey Marina

Audrey, a runner, was perplexed as to how to determine her route Saturday morning. We'd been told upon arrival by the young dock hand that there was a path along the bank with alligators. Thanks, but no thanks to that one! I reminded Audrey that this marina was accessible by car, so there had to be a roadway in/out; off she went in search of pavement to pound. Clay and I followed, encountering an entourage of bikers (presumably a cycling club) on the nearby roadway which passed the Waccatee Zoo. From our vantage point as we neared the complex, the zoo seemed to be an outdoor facility set distantly from the main road. Circling back to the marina, we took note of some of the creative boat names here: Luna Sea and Slo M'Ocean to name a couple. We launched late morn in extremely windy (25+ mph) conditions to arrive early afternoon at Barefoot Marina, North Myrtle Beach, where we found Looper friends Rick and Margie (Journey), Pat and Chip (Aerin E), Laurie and David (The Next Step). We created a dock party atop SaSea where we crowded ten of us boaters into the fly bridge area for a cozy cocktail hour followed by dinner at nearby Dirty Don's.

Audrey, Sally and Johnny at Barefoot Marina in Myrtle Beach

Our neighbor at Barefoot Marina

Taking the lead from Looper Margie, Clay and I crossed the nearby bridge spanning the ICW on our Sunday morning walk. Now on the shore opposite our marina, we found a companion marina, Barefoot Landing, located among a web of retail shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. A very creative mind had designed this center around a 'lake' and had incorporated numerous boardwalk bridges to span the waterway and connect the 'sides' for shoppers' convenience. Clay and I had such fun zig-zagging back and forth over the water via these bridges. And, the unique shops offered enticement to come back on a return trip.

Johnny and Audrey lunching on the fly bridge

Yes, Pat, they are like mosquitoes!!!

Audrey catching up with the world

Go Johnny, hold that pump out hose!

A waste holding tank pumpout and late morning depature had us on our way, northbound toward Southport, NC. There was a whole lotta rockin' goin' on as we entered the stretch of waterway known as the 'rock pile' soon after departure. This being Sunday of the July 4th three-day weekend, there were boats everywhere. I think smaller boats have the misconception that their wake won't affect a boat of our size. Not! We were to find medicine cabinet contents a'tilt, upright beer cases on their sides, and various boat contents relocated; it's happened before and will happen again! As we chatted on the radio with Pat and Chip (Aerin E), we laughed at Pat's referencing all of the waverunners as mosquitoes; they darted back and forth crossing our wake, Aerin E's wake and replicated the sound of the biting bugs! A fun memory to recall, it sure wasn't fun at the time and kept the captain on high alert.

Johnny and the Admiral

The Admiral points the way to go!

Rock sides in the "Rock Pile" cut near Myrtle Beach

The 'rock pile'...many call it the most treacherous/dangerous stretch on the ICW because it is a channel cut thru rock, so you don't dare hit and do make sure to stay in the middle. Meeting a barge or other big boat isn't an option! Captain Clay had delayed this stretch of ICW until Sunday in hopes of less traffic and less wind. We made it safely and with relative ease; although many boats, none were of a threatening size. Soon after this safe passage, Johnny took the helm with me coaching him on driving our 43' Mainship trawler; Clay was pleased on both counts, Johnny learning and Sally teaching which showed Johnny's eagerness and enjoyment being aboard and gave Clay confidence that Sal could handle the trawler given the necessity.

Mike Hassler and Sally aboard "East of West"

Docked at Southport Marina and checked in with accompanying orientation, we four made our way back to the boat to be greeted by the captain and crew of a nearby vessel, East of West (a Sabre) with, "Where are ya'all from?" A conversation ensued during which time I quickly recognized high school classmate Mike Hassler who had no clue as to who I was...Mike, crewing for owner/captain Donna, had changed not one bit; me, well, I guess I don't look quite the same as the HHS Sally (or Susan). This encounter set the stage for a party with an enthusiastic Donna welcoming us aboard to meet, greet and get acquainted with her crew. We ended the evening with dinner at waterside restaurant Fishy Fishy.

Audrey and Sally at Fishy Fishy

1974 Hickman High grads Mike Hassler and Sally

Lighthouse at Southport NC

The girls teamed up quite by accident Monday morning for a lengthy walk/jog thru the Southport downtown area. Runner Audrey really gave me a morning workout as this gal is accustomed to Clay as my walking partner. Need I say more? The fellas went their separate way, but timed their return to the marina in sync with ours. Couldn't have planned it better.

Mike bidding Sally good by

Campground is packed on the 4th

Sandbar and beach South Carolina style

This Monday, July 7 was to be our last cruising day with Johnny and Audrey aboard, roughly three hours heading toward Wilmington, NC. We connected with the stand-in harbormaster Cynthia via cell phone as we arrived and were instructed to take our pick of dock spaces on the face dock of the Wilmington City Docks downtown; Cynthia, an employee of the city's parks and rec department, arrived shortly thereafter to get us registered, then informed us the city had no reciprocal agreement with the Hilton Hotel just off our starboard side. Darn! That meant no pool privileges, no laundry facilities, but thankfully we had the city's water and electric hook-ups! We anticipated a rough evening and overnight ahead due to the position of this dock (no barrier between us and the waterway, very large commercial vessels and tour boats, et cetera much like Charleston). We planned dinner on board and enjoyed a marinated pork tenderloin, rice and oven roasted veggies.

Go fast tourist ride

Riding a water jet (powered by a jet ski)

Nice house in Myrtle Beach

As a foursome, we walked the boardwalk Tuesday morning with Audrey and me taking off in periodic jogging spurts, leaving the fellas behind, then returning to them as we worked our way along the Cape Fear River. We laughed as we recalled our experiences over the past days with the Roberts' aboard. Not too many folks arrive for a boating experience in a hurricane as they had done! Too, Audrey had lost then found many items in the small space designated as theirs over these five days. Yay! I think we crawled into the Enterprise rental car with Audrey applauding a break-even status in belongings: net gain, zero; net loss, zero. Or did she buy any souvenirs?

Tuesday was a long driving day for me. Clay's MO Drivers License had expired on his birthday, and he'd fought tooth and nail with the MO Department of Revenue for a replacement (no license possible, but rather a driving privilege certificate) which had yet to arrive. Go figure. Don't ask him to relate his experience; you'll get an earful plus! Departure 11:30 a.m., we wearily returned to SaSea Sally at 7:30 p.m. after returning Roberts' to their car parked at Georgetown's Harborwalk Marina but a delightful lunch at the Gordon(?) Biersch Brewery en route.

With that, I conclude the summary of our time with Johnny and Audrey Roberts aboard the SaSea Sally, July 4-8, 2014 following their arrival July 3 with Hurricane Arthur. More to come...