North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Monday, May 10, 2010
It was another coolish day - highs in the high 70's and for the most part sunny. We cruised the Waccamaw River - possibly the most scenic part of the ICW we've experienced. Initially the river was very wide with abandoned rice paddies on either side. As the river narrowed there were moss draped cypress trees and water the colour of dark tea. We were intent on getting to Myrtle Beach and the supposed spots to stop along the river were few and far between. Once again there was lots of traffic - this time all northbound! We had two swing bridges - the Socastee and Little River. They seemed pretty odd given that next to each of them there were new traffic bridges with 65 foot clearance. We even passed an outlet mall but didn't stop. At one point it felt like we encountered a deadhead as there was a "thunk" but everything seemed OK after. As we neared Myrtle Beach the houses got larger and larger and the landscaping more and more grandiose. We decided to stop at Coquina Harbour, a large deep water basin with three choices of marinas - Lighthouse, Coquina and Myrtle Beach Yacht Club. After we re-fueled we took a spot behind "Rambler", a Nordic Tug 42. Richard and Cathy are from Rochester and will begin their "loop" this summer from the Great Lakes. We had them in for a drink and we discussed favourite spots in Georgian Bay and the North Channel as well as the coast ahead of us.
Tomorrow it's North Carolina - all being well.
Comments
Looks very picturesque. My trip today consisted of northern forests, a moose, some deer and a hawk. I think White River is a little less sophisticated than Myrtle Beach :) Significantly cooler too.