Places, Stories, and Thoughts of the Atlantic ICW Beaufort, SC to Georgetown, SC

May 23-May 31, 2018
9 days. 77 days since start.
121 nautical miles. 729 total since start.

Beaufort, SC Mooring Field to Toogoodoo Creek
37 nautical miles. 645 since start.
6.5 hours motoring
Continuing up the Lowcountry, the ICW here is similar to Georgia in that it follows small creeks that empty into larger rivers running into the Atlantic. Again, we would go down the large river for a while before hitting another small creek on the other side. The scenery is different from Georgia’s marsh land but just as beautiful. The banks of the rivers are covered in oak and palmetto trees as well as cool homes of all different sizes spread out on large acreage lots. We entered the North Edisto River and continued up it for a short time before leaving the ICW onto the Toogoodoo Creek to anchor for the night.
Anchored 1 night
The Toogoodoo Creek was another beautiful secluded anchorage. With only a dot of a home here or there in the distance, we were once again in an anchorage all to ourselves with no one around for miles. We relaxed, cooked and ate a great meal, and watched the sunset.

Toogoodoo Creek to Buzzards Roost Point Stono River
20 nautical miles. 665 since start.
4.5 hours motoring
Leaving Toogoodoo Creek, we were headed for the Charleston area. Still in an area of large tides and high current, we needed to time our arrival to the Ashley Marina in Charleston. So, we headed to Buzzards Roost Point.
Anchored 1 night
This was a great anchorage right between Johns Island and James Island. We were right next to a marina with a dinghy dock, but we just hung out on the boat and relaxed.

Stono River to Ashley Marina Charleston
5 nautical miles. 670 since start.
1 hour motoring
We headed toward Charleston in the morning for a short motor to arrive at slack tide. First we went through Elliott Cut on the Wappoo Creek. This skinny cut is known for it’s high current. It was like a roller coaster ride as we flew along at over 9 knots! We went so fast that we needed to motor around a bit in Charleston Harbor to hit the slack tide, but all went well as we got Holiday tied to a dock for some Charleston fun!
At dock 4 nights
We chose to dock at Charleston because the reviews of the high currents and poor holding in the anchorages spooked us, and we wanted to have the best shore access for Memorial Day weekend. Now out of Georgia, we were visiting cities that we had either never been to or been to very little before. We were super excited to check out Charleston!
We started with a walking tour which was excellent. We learned many things and saw many beautiful sites, but the main theme that stood out to me was the fact that Charleston is today what grand cities like New York, Boston, or Philadelphia looked like in the period before the Civil War. In terms of wealth and progress, Charleston was equal to these cities at that time due to the plantation economy and shipping port. Post war, the other cities lost their original historic character to continued progress as time moved on. But, Charleston’s economy basically stopped with the end of the plantation era, and no longer wealthy, the city was frozen in time long enough for historic preservation to take over. It is a stunning place visually, and you can visit churches, restaurants, etc to see places that George Washington actually sat (and sit there too). In New York, I imagine similar places probably were demolished a long time ago and sit underneath department stores and blinking billboard signs.
Other highlights were watching performances of the Piccolo Spoleto festival, seeing my college roommate Bill, meeting a Fun on Holiday reader Jeff, and of course, eating awesome (but pricey) food.

Charleston to 5 Fathom Creek (Mcclellanville)
35 nautical miles. 705 since start.
Sailed across Charleston Harbor for 1 hour followed by 5.5 hours motoring
We left Ashley Marina with some strong wind, but from a decent direction for sailing. Even though we knew it would only be for about an hour, we put up the head sail and turned off the motor. It had been a long time since we sailed and would be a long time before another opportunity. It was cool to see the city grow smaller in the distance and sail right by Fort Sumter where the Civil War began. After our short sail we motored toward 5 Fathom Creek. Part of this transit went through a very shallow area of the ICW. We hit it right at low tide with a full moon causing even lower tides. For the first time in the trip we bounced along the bottom in a particularly shallow spot but were able to power through it and not get stuck. For quite a few miles, we went through what looked like a tiny mud puddle in between two flat mud banks on either side. Luckily we made it without getting stuck and needing to wait hours for the tide to come up.
Anchored 1 night
5 Fathom Creek was a cool anchorage just opposite the ICW from the town of Mcclellanville. It was far enough away though to not be able to see the city, and the other direction was a vast low plain of grass stretching miles to the Atlantic. It was a beautiful night there with the full moon peaking through the clouds.

5 Fathom Creek to Georgetown
24 nautical miles. 729 since start.
5 hours motoring
We motored by more beautiful tree lined preserve area of the Lowcountry with not a lot of human development. Next the ICW spills out into Winyah Bay where we made our approach to Georgetown. Georgetown sits on the banks of a natural harbor with a great anchorage and free town dinghy docks.
Anchored 2 nights
Behind Charleston and Beaufort, Georgetown is South Carolina’s third oldest city. A very interesting aspect of the city is the natural harbor we anchored in. With direct access to the Atlantic through a good inlet at Winyah Bay, Georgetown Harbor was once an important, wealthy shipping port that drove the town’s economy. During the plantation era, it was the largest shipping port for rice in the US, then in more modern times shipping of lumber, from a steel mill, and International Paper’s at one time largest paper mill in the world. However, as world shipping moved to larger, deeper draft vessels, Georgetown’s shallow harbor became obsolete. Many of the associated businesses no longer exist or ship the products by other means. Fast forward to now where Holiday sits at anchor, and you see tourism dominates the once busy line of docks around the harbor. Lot’s of restaurants, fishing charters, and rice plantation tour boats sit where in the past lumber ships would have been. It really is a cool place and a great protected anchorage.
We ate some great Lowcountry food, ran into old friends from the Keys on another Tartan 37 Windchime, toured more historic homes (though not quite as many as Beaufort), and went to the Maritime and Rice museums.