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

So, we broke anchorage and headed north for our destination--Bald Head Island, NC. It was about 70 miles from our Waccamaw anchorage. Above Myrtle Beach, we decided to poke our heads out the inlet at Little River to see if we could go outside for the rest of the trip to Bald Head. The ocean was smooth with 2-3 foot rollers, well spaced out, and the weather forecast was favorable, so outside we went. As I pan left, you can see IslandHopper; Sea Huddle was farther aft and is not visible. You can also see the shore as I pan left to get an idea how far off shore we were. I was on autopilot for most of the 1.5 hour off shore run. Autopilot really shines in off shore runs.

[video]https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QFwZ5X8BREmpgY0Kj7KdTrqrYrJSwpHJM-VgeNtwGCc?feat=directlink[/video]
 
We arrived at Bald Head and quickly settled into relaxing and having a beer. My boat is behind me in this photo, and Sea Huddle is in the middle, and Frayed Knot (IslandHopper) is in the back ground. Rbryn and Goin' Coastal had not arrived yet. Bald Head is a great destination. the marina is spacious, well managed, well protected, and very picturesque. Cars are not allowed on the island (except for construction), so everyone rents golf carts to get around--lots of fun.

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Screen shot of my off shore run from Little River to the Cape Fear River inlet to Bald Head. The other red track is from a previous trip to Wrightsville Beach and Bald Head a few years back.

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Day 4: Here's the only shot I have that shows all five boats: Hey Babe (Sadler), Sea Huddle (Hellman Huddle), Frayed Knot (IslandHopper), Blessed (Rbryn), Goin' Coastal. Check out the flags on Sea Huddle! We had a wet day on Saturday, but Friday and Sunday were perfect. The golfers played 9 holes Saturday and nine more Sunday morning.

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It was great to meet the folks on Blessed and Goin' Coastal. Super nice people and very knowledgable and both obviously very good boaters. I think this is the fourth CSR Carolinas Rendezvous, and at everyone of the get togethers, I've met super nice people, had a great time and made many lasting friendships. If you boat in the area, please join in if you can in the future. I promise you'll have a great time.

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Epilogue (Day 5): on the way back, just south of Myrtle Beach, I was driving, and we were in 14 feet of water, right in the center of the ICW, when we hit something. I never saw it, and when I looked back, still did not see it. Whatever it was, it did a number on my sterndrive and props. I stopped, checked for water intrusion, felt the props, and decided it was safe to continue on to Osprey Marina, about 40 miles to the south. I knew the marina had a forklift for their dry stack, and hoped they could just lift me far enough out to do a hull check. They were SUPER nice and immediately lifted me out. Not even a scratch on the hull, but the props were bent and my skeg was an inch or so shorter. We anchored for the night nearby, and the next day I decided it was probably safe to motor the boat home at a slow pace.

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The front prop sustained the most damage, but the back prop was also slightly bent. There was no vibration at all, but the drag of the bent props overheated the drive, so we kept the rpms below 1800 all the way back, going about 10 mph. After that all day trip going slow, I'm not sure I'll ever be a trawler guy.

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This front prop is toast. Fortunately, the prop shop I use had a 22p front prop that he sold me for $130; he straightened the back prop, and I was repropped the day after I got back.

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Props all fixed on Hey Babe. I've taken the boat out and it runs fine, with no vibration, and shifting is fine. I think I probably dodged a bullet. This was the first time I've hit ground at speed in probably 10 years, and the worst back then was just sand up the water intake that took out my impeller. This is one for the record books. I've done this same trip at least 6 times before and never hit anything. I guess my time had come. I'll probably get the lower drive unit removed and the skeg rebuilt next winter. The skeg is really not needed, but I'd like it to look original. Whew, a great trip, and the damage I just chalk up to the normal risk you take when you really use your boat. I gladly accept that risk for the great times we have. Oh, btw, Islandhopper and Sea Huddle also had sterndrive damage on the way back--all of us hit in different places! And like me, they were also between the markers and in supposed deep water. Almost like Neptune was extracting a toll for a great great trip. :)

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Wow is right.....what a great job and Thank you for sharing -I too also feel bad I did not make it -but I am close to being back in the water! So I will be ready for the marina hopping.......
 
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Great job Sadler! I'm so happy I made the trip, or else I'd be kicking myself for not making it. Great documentary.

I really love the stretch of ICW between Socastee and Georgetown. It's a place that time has forgotten. It's hard to vision just a couple of miles to the east there is all the hustle and bustle of the Myrtle Beach area though.

I can't wait for the next trip. I get a certain kind of zen when I'm on the boat running at cruise, or anchored out for the evening in a calm cove. It's the most relaxed I get. My job can be very stressful, and these trips clense me somehow. Thank you guys, and everyone whom attends our little trips. They mean alot to me.

I wanted to add, the folks of our club, Carolina Boaters and CSR are very good at handling their/our boats. Weather it is docking, running, or navigating. It's nice to cruise with a group of folks that can hold their own.
 
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Dang, it looks like everyone had a great time. Damage to the prop sucks, but at least you got out of it relatively inexpensively. Thanks a lot for sharing those pics and videos.
 
Very nice... and great write up. Thanks for taking the time to post...
 
This was a perfect read with my morning coffee....thanks for sharing.
 
Sadler said:
This front prop is toast. Fortunately, the prop shop I use had a 22p front prop that he sold me for $130; he straightened the back prop, and I was repropped the day after I got back.

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Click to expand...

Great post and sorry you found something on the bottom.
Must have been solid rock to do that!!
 
Man I hope not solid rock in the middle of the icw channel!

The area he was running in is called the "Rock Pile" though. The ICW thru that area was hand dug, and the channel is narrow. The edges of the channel are jagged rock, thus called rock pile. The thing is, these "rocks" at high tide are underwater and you can't see them, and the edges of channel is not well marked. It's easy to wander to far port or starboard. I hit the rocks this trip also. I was giving room for a big sail boat to pass down the middle of the channel when I hit. I didn't do the damage Sadler did, but I was at idle speed when I hit them.
 
Great post Sadler and great pics. Do you guys have crocs in them there waters? I mean, would jumping over the side to check the damage prop before continuing be a no no?

Terry
 
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