Once in a Blue Moon: Charleston to Georgetown on Monday and Being Boarded

Date: April 15, 2013

Days on the Cruise: 21

From: Charleston Maritime Marina, Charleston, SC

To: Harbor Walk Marina, Georgetown, SC

Statute Miles: 64.8

Time: 8.5 Hours

Cumulative Miles: 816.3

On Board: Chuck, Susan, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut,

We are in Georgetown, SC

Linda and Richard left at 7:30 this morning to head to Savannah and Montgomery. They were with us on the boat for 8 days and we had a great time. Four people on the boat worked well, and there was plenty of room. They cruised with us from Savannah to Beaufort, SC to Charleston. We toured the three cities and saw many sights and ate some great food. We are very sorry to see them go.

Last night cemented my decision not to stay at the Maritime Center again. We had ships passing us all night and they waked us and banged us around. Then, in the wee hours of the morning, storms came through and the wind and rain was awful. The wind somehow blew us into the dock and when the ships came by, it was like trying to ride a mechanical bull. Maggie was terrified, and slept with us all night. The boat hit the dock very hard a couple of times, and I was sure that something had been damaged. I inspected the side of the boat and the rails, and did not see anything out of order this morning.

None of us slept well last night. It is just not worth it to stay at this marina again. I will try the Mega City Marina or Patriot's Point if I bring a boat to Charleston again. I am also wondering if Charleston is really that friendly of a town to boaters.

So, with Linda and Richard departed, we got off the dock about 8:00. Marc from Rock Chalk, another Looper boat at The Maritime Center, helped us with our lines. We negotiated the incoming tide in the marina, then headed down the channel toward Sullivan's Island and the ICW.

As we entered the ICW to none other than a no wake zone, we had a Coast Guard Boat come by us, slow down, look us over, then move on up the Charleston Harbor Channel. We made one turn in the ICW and immediately saw another Coast Guard boat "hanging onto" a sailboat that was headed North. It took us a while to pass these two because of the no wake situation, but the Coast Guard had boarded the sailboat and they were giving her a good inspection.

After we passed the Coast Guard, we came upon another Coast Guard boat inspecting another sailboat and a sherriff's boat with 4 or 5 commando looking guys in BDU's sitting next to the channel. They looked us over with binoculars, then waved us on. Then there was a South Carolina DNR Law Enforcement boat that had boarded another boat. We eased past these two and the DNR boat came up behind us. He came out of the cabin and told me that I was cleared to proceed North. Good Deal! I though I had made it.

Still in no wake mode, we were crawling along at 4-5 mph. There was a third Coast Guard boat in front of us heading North that was sort of doing a rolling road block. We could not get past him so we followed him at slow speed.

It took us almost two hours to go 11 miles and to get past Isle of Palms and Wild Dunes. I had finally gotten out of the no wake zones, so I eased up the big Cummins diesel to 1700 rpm and hit 8 mph. We stayed at that speed until I met a Charleston County Sheriff's boat coming South in the ICW. We were out in the middle of no where. He slowed down and passed me, then did a 180 and turned on the blue lights. Oh boy. I stopped and went into neutral. He came along side and asked when we had been boarded last. When I told him that I had not been boarded, he told me he was putting three officers on my boat: one Coast Guard, one Sheriff's Deputy, and one Customs and Border Protection. The three guys jumped on the boat and told me to keep going at slow speed. I was on the flybridge and I sent Susan below to deal with the Law.

Susan first gave them the "Coast Guard Boarding Book" that I had put together. This gave them all the info on the boat and pictures of all the Coast Guard requirements that we had met. They asked about weapons, drugs, etc. They took the book and checked the things that were shown. The Coast Guard guy took the lead and they focused on flares, PFD's, the head and holding tank, and the signaling devices. The Sheriff focused on the boat registration, driver's licenses, and where we were coming from and going. Customs wanted to know about the boat history and where it had been in foreign waters. The Sheriff came up to the flybridge and asked me some of the same questions he asked Susan.

After the inspection, the Coast Guard guy came up to the flybridge with the Coast Guard Book and a copy of the inspection report that he filled out. He told me what he had inspected and what he found and he was very complimentary of the boat and the Book. What a big relief!!! He said that if we were boarded again in the next 3 to 6 months to show them the inspection report. The inspection took about 20 minutes, and they got back on the police boat and left.

So, the ice has been broken, and we passed the first test. Whew!

The trip other than the boarding was boring. The weather was overcast until we got to the 45 mile point, and then we got some clearing AND the first of the big horse flys that bite so badly. We covered ourselves with bug spray. I also found that the tide is not as strong as it has been in lower South Carolina and Georgia. When we bucked the tide today, it did not slow us down as much.

Long Straight Stretches in Northern South Carolina Today

We passed a ferry across the ICW

Ferry across the ICW

We found Harbor Walk Marina in Georgetown and docked in calm water and no wind. Quite a nice change from Beaufort and Charleston. On the way in, I saw a steel mill, then something clicked in my head and I remembered Bain Capital and the steel mill they allegedly closed in Georgetown, SC. Yep, this is the one, very close to the marina.