Cruising Behind Myrtle Beach
We woke to a beautiful morning at our anchorage in the headwaters of the Waccamaw River. We were the only ones in the anchorage, the water was quiet and still, and the birds were chirping. The photo below shows the reflection of the swamp trees on the water.
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| Reflection of trees at sunrise |
We passed some old ocean buoys along the shore of the canal near Myrtle Beach and a gondola over the canal that ferries golfers from the parking lot to the Pro Shop.
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| Ocean buoys |
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| Gondolas over the canal |
We entered the Rock Pile in early afternoon. The Rock Pile, a 2.3mile sector of Pine Island Cut, SC, is a man-made canal-like section of the ICW. It is narrow and lined with submerged rocks and a rock shelf just 1-2ft below the water’s surface at low tide. One must stay as close to the middle of the cut as possible since the submerged rocks are not visible and hitting the rocks can create a hole in the boat (NOT a good idea!). This makes it extremely difficult for two larger vessels to cross each other. For that reason, when approaching the Rock Pile, one must radio that information to all other boats so that any boat traveling through the Rock Pile in the other direction can make its presence known and thus exit that stretch of waterway before another boat enters. The photo below is misleading, because there are rocks under the water that you cannot see. Fortunately, I can report that we made it through the Rock Pile without a hitch.
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| The Rock Pile |
Last but not least, the photo of the sign posted in the swamp that says “Wing Kings – We Deliver to the River” shows that even in rural isolated swamps, the entrepreneurial spirit thrives!
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| "Wing Kings – We Deliver to the River" |
We will be underway for 2 more days, then anchor at Wrightsville Beach and rent a car to drive to my high school reunion this weekend.
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Calabash River Anchorage north of Myrtle Beach
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