June 20, 2006 – Grounded on the Intra-Coastal Waterway (ICW)

We had forgotten that doing the ICW is not a piece of cake. Unlike passages at sea where you can set the autopilot and read a book while you travel, the ICW requires constant attention. A maze of rivers, natural channels, and dredged cuts, protected from the Atlantic by barrier islands, the ICW is generally shallow, narrow, and twisty, and it is necessary to keep one hand on the wheel, a finger on the chart to mark the spot, one eye on the depth sounder, and the binoculars handy to spot the next red and green channel markers.

Sometimes the route changes from a very narrow channel to a river mouth that is miles wide, with strong currents and many shoals, and spotting the markers can be like playing ‘Where’s Waldo?”

The Corps of Engineers does not have the budget to keep the ICW dredged, and with the decline of commercial traffic using the route, many sections will probably not be passable at all in a few years.

We found out the hard way the folly of traveling at low tide when we got stuck in the mud in the channel by Jekyll Island. Fortunately, the mud is soft, and we were able to get off by getting down the dinghy and 9.9 hp motor, attaching a line, and pulling the stern out to the deepest area, about six inches deeper than our keel. Unfortunately, we were too busy to take a picture of this embarrassing moment.

Much of the trip takes us through a wilderness of marshland where there is no sign of civilization and very little boat traffic. Last night we anchored in the South Santee River, all alone in the middle of miles of marshland. Surprisingly, we were still able to receive good TV reception, and we watched the local Carolina Hurricanes beat Edmonton in the last game of the Stanley Cup finals. This morning an alligator swam by the boat. We see many beautiful birds, pelicans diving for fish, and dolphins swimming slowly by. For the first time, we have been traveling with all the screens down to defend ourselves from the insect population. We have been pleasantly surprised with the weather, generally sunny with cool breezes across the water, and the nights are very comfortable.

Closer to the centers of population there are beautiful homes with sweeping green lawns and enormously long docks along the tidal riverfront. We personally wouldn’t choose to build a multi-million dollar home on a muddy, alligator-infested, buggy swamp, but the pretty views, pleasant weather (except for summer storms!), good fishing, proximity to the ocean beaches, and thousands of miles of wilderness to explore, contribute to the lure of the low country for the many who choose to live here.

We are in a marina today due to another mechanical problem, which Cliff has now repaired. A shrimp boat has just docked upwind of us, and it is smelling pretty fishy. Yesterday we bought some fresh shrimp at a dock and ate our fill at dinner. Somebody please tell us that shrimp are not really bad for cholesterol!