330 Miles up the ICW to the 2012 Rendezvous in a 290DA--Videos and Pics

[Sadler]

I took some videos and photos of my trip up the ICW to the 2012 Rendezvous described in this thread: http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/48382-2012-Rendezvous-Coastal-Carolinas-Club-Sea-Ray-Members
I thought it might be of interest to folks who haven't done the waterway in this area or who might be interested in attending a Carolinas Rendezvous.

Day 1. 330 miles to go. Boat waxed, cleaned up, fueled, and checked out. The 290 has pretty good range for a gasser. The tank holds 130 gallons, and at 1.8 mpg average, can go 230 miles to empty. This is RiversEdge Marina in North Charleston where I dry stack the boat. If you call ahead, they will fuel the boat up, pump it out, put it in the water, drive it to your usual slip (I keep a dockbox at mine), and even hook up the shore power. Just as good as wet slipping without the sun damage and barnacle growth. This boat is 15 years old and has spent its entire life in drystack. The bracket on the stern normally holds the dinghy motor mount; we left the mount, motor, and dinghy at the marina since we would not be needing it for this trip. (Click on the link in my signature if you'd like to see the dinghy and motor on the boat.)

 

[Sadler]

That's my long time boating buddy Bob (aka Beerbob) coming up the companionway steps. We met when our kids were 4 and 6 years old; now those "kids" are all in their late 20s, two of them married! We've both worn our wives out with boating, so it's become mainly a "man club" for us. Bob's an avid golfer, and has graduated to driving the boat pretty well. He's colorblind, so a good boating friend made a marker minder with squares and triangles to help him stay within the markers. He got his nickname because he's a real beer connoisseur, and always shows up at the boat with several cases of specially chosen beer that he shares with everyone. Bob owns a textile manufacturing company and by specializing in custom orders has kept his company profitable for 20 years despite the beating that industry has taken.

 

[Sadler]

Day 2, 7 am. Rather than spend the first night at the marina, Bob suggested we motor on up until near dark and anchor out for the night. So, we shoved off from the marina, and took off. This is where we stopped to anchor. I believe that's the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston in the distance, and the two vertical set of lights are the two bridge towers.

 

[Sadler]

Day 2. Sunrise. We anchored on a creek next to Shark Hole opposite Dewees Island, about 10 miles north of Charleston on the ICW. Shark Hole shows depths of 80-85 feet!

 

[Sadler]

Headed north on the ICW, about 20 miles north of Charleston, right at the start of the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, which you will see on the right of four or five of the following photos and videos. It's a beautiful area and one we anchor in and visit frequently.

 

[Sadler]

Video of motoring up the ICW, aboout 30 miles north of Charleston, with Cape Romain/Bulls Bay and Island on the right.

[video]https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/W_HtYIrq4J-hjNbMBgp497qrYrJSwpHJM-VgeNtwGCc?feat=directlink[/video]

 

[Sadler]

Video farther north on the ICW, below Georgetown.

[video]https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6FM_7b-qUJ57SnIZgJuRSLqrYrJSwpHJM-VgeNtwGCc?feat=directlink[/video]

 

[Sadler]

Video motoring north on the ICW, getting closer to Georgetown. There were almost no other pleasure boaters on the water that day. I think we counted 3 in 5 hours of cruising.

[video]https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bgScK3lvTqHx3aFSNEHJv7qrYrJSwpHJM-VgeNtwGCc?feat=directlink[/video]

 

[Sadler]

Video of just north of Georgetown. The view aft is of the Highway 17 bridge and view to the front is the start of the Waccamaw River section.

[video]https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pamayVCqVm0S-09LRExobLqrYrJSwpHJM-VgeNtwGCc?feat=directlink[/video]

 

[Sadler]

Headed north on the Waccamaw. It's a beautiful section of the waterway.

 

[Sadler]

Video of boating on the wide section of the Waccamaw, about 10 miles north of Georgetown.

[video]https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/v4tM6TY83NymFob0HF-_fLqrYrJSwpHJM-VgeNtwGCc?feat=directlink[/video]

 

[Sadler]

Video of the Waccamaw, where it's beginning to narrow. We were headed to an anchorage for the night where the Waccamaw joins the ICW, south of Myrtle Beach. Two other CSR members would join us there.

[video]https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mQRvSMnOSyuunYBPxU4RcLqrYrJSwpHJM-VgeNtwGCc?feat=directlink[/video]

 

[Sadler]

This is the Waccamaw River just before it joins the ICW. We were looking for a good spot to anchor.

 

[Sadler]

Video of slow cruise up the Waccamaw River looking for just the right spot to anchor for the night.

[video]https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0aiiwQvS--N-5yCq3Aau-LqrYrJSwpHJM-VgeNtwGCc?feat=directlink[/video]

 

[Sadler]

We found a great place to anchor and a few hours later, Islandhopper (boat name Frayed Knot) called on the radio and was rafted up with us 30 minutes later.

 

[Sadler]

Sunset at anchor on the Waccamaw. This place is like a time machine into the past. It's mysterious and devoid of almost any signs of modern civilization. After dark, we heard some blood curdling screams that someone suggested was an owl. I'm not so sure.

 

[Sadler]

Day 3: Sunrise at the Waccamaw anchorage.

 

[Sadler]

Morning at the Waccamaw anchorage. That's Sea Huddle (Hellman Huddle, another CSR member) rafted to my port side. He arrived just at sunset the night before.

 

[Sadler]

Looking north up the waterway from our anchorage.

 

[Sadler]

Another shot of Sea Huddle. The crew member, on the left, has been on a couple of trips on the Sea Huddle and has gotten the bug and is now looking for a cruiser.