“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
― Lao Tzu

Onward – go NORTH- young people – go north!  Don’t let moss grow under your feet.   Don’t dawdle!  The sun is shining!!  The long term forecast is rain – so we are on our way!!   Isn’t this a beautiful day?!?!

How can these green things grow in 25 feet of water?  We saw some growing in 70 feet of water.  They look like they were just floating…stationary.  So we assumed that they send roots down into the water.  How can that be?  The roots would have to go pretty deep, right?  If these are water hyacinth, the experts say they are floating clumps of green.  I bet if you tried hard, you wouldn’t be able to grow these islands of green.  Nature always finds a way.  We steered around as many as we could see so they wouldn’t tangle under our props.

 

The chart plotter says “stumps” along Waccamaw River on the port side so I was looking for some short little, well, stumps!?

What we saw were trees!!  I guess those stumps grew up?!!?  Gorgeous day, right?

 

I saw mentioned in Georgetown map that there is a “Rice Museum”.  Rice fields?  in South Carolina?  Who knew?  “During the Colonial Period, coastal South Carolina was the largest producer of rice in America.”  per https://www.carolinaplantationrice.com

When I saw “abandoned rice fields” I had to take a look.  How could rice grow here?  I am not sure what it would like.  I don’t know what I expected.  More water?  Rice growing wild.  Beyond those trees?

 

We saw swamps….  I could hear swamp noise emanating from the trees.  Loud crickets, birds, and other weird noises. What I didn’t see are alligators nor snakes.  Maybe the roar of the boat engines kept them away?  But, definitely, you can imagine.

 

Around the bend in the ICW this Steel boat was just floating anchored by a side channel.  I am sure there is a story.  I looked her up.  Apparently … “Steel Away is a modern steel construction of a three mast gaff rigged schooner.”  There is a sorted sad history of this boat.  Just seeing it anchored out looked more hopeful than the internet stories I read.

 

Not too far from the Steel Away was a ICW marker with an osprey nest which isn’t unusual.  I swear we saw a little head pop up.  No sign of Mom or Dad.  Definitely at least one head.  Can you see it?

 

A minor obstruction was noted in the guidebooks.  A bridge construction.  The construction was jutting out into the ICW but wouldn’t impede our progress.  The bridge??  From where to where??  Seemed to be a really high bridge based on the concrete posts seen in the left picture.  Just don’t know what they connect to.  Is this another one of those bridges to nowhere?  We slowed down naturally.  No, this construction did not impede our way.  Still a curious construction project.

Early in the afternoon we approached the Socastee Swing Bridge.  We were asked by the bridge operator to hold on until the other two boats following behind us could catch up.  That way he would only have to ask the Car folk to wait through one opening rather than three.  No problem!  We only had to wait 10 minutes when the third boat caught up to us and we all went through.  This is a 7ft clearance swing bridge.

 

Today we traveled where a lot of houses are along the ICW.    Slow and careful for most of the day.  Because we were going slow enough for “No Wakes, Please”, I had plenty of time to take pictures.  Here are a couple of nice abodes.

 

 

The first water advertisement sign we have seen.  Like any road sign.  Great for weekend boaters!

 

As we approached Myrtle Beach we saw graffiti.  The first that we recall seeing in miles and miles on the ICW.  Several bridge underpasses were painted.  Most looked just like this.  Hmmm why here??

As any beach-side community, you either have little houses in a row….

 

Or Condos….

 

A Gondola Ride that takes the rider 70 feet above the ICW.  You catch the ride from the Waterway Hills Golf Club.  Tripadvisor says that you catch the Gondola ride while on the golf course.  Looks like fun!  Wonder if you really have to play a round of golf in order to catch the gondola ride.  It looks like a hoot!

 

Barefoot Princess sightseeing boat as it passed by us with a load of passengers.  We knew we were getting close to our stop for the night!

 

And there the Barefoot Princess is at rest across the ICW in N. Myrtle Beach, SC.

 

My evening picture from the Barefoot Marina, Myrtle Beach, SC.  We had a terrific day on the water!!

 

Tomorrow?  The infamous “Rock Pile”.  Can’t wait!!