After hiding from strong south winds in Thoroughfare Creek, near Georgetown SC, we were ready to get moving again. 

On Thursday, August 29th, we planned to ride the outgoing tide and anchor in Winyah (Win-ya) Bay. While pulling up our anchor it seemed to be stuck on something. Oh-oh! A couple more cranks on our manual windlass' low gear brought up the culprit. It was a tree stump with our anchor chain wrapped around it. No worries, after a couple of pokes with the boat hook and some odd contortions with the chain while laying on the bowsprit, it was gone. Had the stump caught our anchor we would have been in big trouble had we not rigged a trip line.

We got underway and anchored in calm winds behind a spoil bank on Winyah Bay. The current was ripping at nearly 2 knots. Between the astronomical high tides and the flood water still receding a lot of water was moving under us. At 0400, the tide shifted to outgoing and we prepared to get underway but, one last look at the buoys showed little to no wind and 4' seas. Humm, what is this going to feel like for 36 hours?

How about a new plan, which included crawling back in bed until sunrise, we'll take the ICW to Charleston. We spent the next two days riding favorable tides crossing fairly shallow spots at high water. What a treat not to bump along the bottom for nearly a mile, especially north of the Ben Sawyer Bridge!

Charleston is one of our favorite cities but this time we must have set a new record for how much we could do in how little time. After anchoring and launching the dinghy we, got 10 gallons of fuel,  20#'s of ice, went to the Coast Guard exchange to pick up some essential items, then to  Harris Teeter, on the other side of town, for more FF&V (Fresh Fruit & Veggies), and went to church Sunday morning. All this in less than 24 hours!

At 1145 Sunday (November 1st), after bringing up the dinghy, we were underway. Why the big rush? We wanted to catch the last of the incoming tide &the noon opening of the Wapoo Cut Bridge . Current in this cut can run at 4+ knots at times and waiting for a bridge to open in those conditions is NOT fun. So after clearing the cut we rode the last of the incoming tide about 15 miles to Church Creek, another new anchorage. 

This morning the tide was, not so much, in our favor but, we made good time anchoring in the  river near Mosquito Creek. We are poised to pass through two well known shallow cuts tomorrow on an incoming tide. We should have enough push to make it to Beaufort, SC. Only tide & time will tell!

Fair Winds & Quiet Anchorages