Friday May 15

We made it passed Georgetown, the current was carrying us along at a good speed. We dropped the hook in Thoroughfare Creek and the picture is of the bluff on shore. This creek gets it's name from all the small boat traffic that come though from the creek up stream and the river down stream. When we arrived two small boats we at shore having some libations with another man. The two with the boats left and the other man stayed. We don't know where he was living because there were no houses that we could see from the water. It was very quiet and dark that night. Kinda made it eerie wondering where that man went. All in all it was a good anchorage.

A friend of ours said when he anchors there he swims to shore and takes a picture of his boat from on top of the bluff. There was no way we were going in that water, when we were in route today we saw a large gator in the river. Larry thought it was a log until it started to move and upon further inspection with the binoculars, he was big.

Saturday May 16

We woke very early and were underway by 7 AM this morning. The tide was against us all day today on our ride to Barefoot Landing, Myrtle Beach, S Carolina. It made for a slow go compared to yesterday.

You can see from the picture the low hanging clouds on the water. It continued to rain in spurts on us all day. In between the rains the sun would show it's face for a while but then the clouds would move in again. We got to Barefoot Landing Resort and Marina early afternoon, fueled up and took a dock. This area is known as the ditch and has very little to offer in the way of anchoring. We have been to this marina in the past and like it here. We have access to the pool and hot tub which make it worth the stay. While we were at the pool our friend Norman came up, he and Nancy had just arrived. We were just wondering about them and where they were a few days ago and here they are. It seems to work that way. That evening we got together with them on our boat for cocktails. They plan to go to Southport tomorrow and take a dock because of the predicted bad weather to come. We are not sure what we will do. We Plan to make that decision tomorrow underway.

I took this shot underway to Barefoot Landing. It is a bridge that is under construction a few miles south of Barefoot Landing. If you look real close you can see one option to keeping your boat from being waked by the passing boats. Just below the bridge at the end of the crane cable is a small powerboat suspended in mid air. I guess there is a first for every thing, I not seen this technique before.

Sunday May 17

We left the dock this morning just before 7 Am along with our friends Norm and Nancy on S/V True Loev and three other sailing vessels from across at another marina. We had a swing bridge first thing and we all went through together. I was the lucky one to be doing the driving though the area known as the rock pile. It is a strip of the ICW that is not only narrow but has rock under the water on both sides. The first time down through this area it was at high tide and we couldn't see the rocks and what the fuss was all about. The next time thorough was at low tide and we could see what the fuss was all about and it was pretty scary. We now have been though several times and we stay alert and in the center. That way we stay out of harms way.

While we were under way it was evident that the weather prediction was going to come true. We called ahead via cellular phone and made a reservation for the marina in Southport. Normally we go to the South Harbor Marina but it is too far from the town and if we are going to get stuck here for a few days we want to be able to go for a walk and see things. We arrived mid afternoon and tied to the dock just before the winds go too strong.

Our friends were surprised and glad to see us. We also found another couple we met in Marathon at the docks. They had been here for three days already.

When we were finished checking in we went for a walk into town to check it out. It was still warm but down by the river the wind was strong and much cooler. We walked back and just in time for the skies to open up and down pour. It was quite a wet night and continued to rain all night.

Monday May 18

We slept in this morning later than we normally do. I think it was because it was so dark out side and still drizzling. I cooked us breakfast and we just hung out on the boat until late in the afternoon. We had talked about taking a cab to the super Wal*Mart but just couldn't get up the ambition to go. Finally late in the afternoon our friends Norm and Nancy ask us if we wanted to walk into town with them. We took a walk but not much was happening due to the weather. We walked to the health food store and then to a cafe for a cup of java. We returned to the boat and stayed there for the rest of the evening.

Tuesday May 19

This morning we got up and made plans with both sets of friends to share a cab to Wal*Mart around 10:30 AM. This got us moving. We needed a boost, the weather is still not good and the gale force winds warning is still in effect. A good day to stay put. When we returned form Wal*Mart we had lunch and I gave Larry a trim on his beard and mustache. Norm came over to ask if we would like to get together for a pot luck dinner at his boat. We accepted and will see them tonight.

I wish the wind would stop howling, I'm getting tired of listening to it. The prediction is for it to lessen but still 15 to 20 in the morning. We plan to leave early unless something is to change.