Calabash Creek

We get up at 6 AM and are on our way by 7. Lots of boats leaving after waiting out the rain. We have a few light showers during the day, but mostly rain free. A couple hours later we catch the current down the Fear river all the way to Cape Fear. Then we get back into the ICW at Southport. Since we get to Southport at low tide we catch the flood heading west on the ICW. Good day for us, down hill in both directions. By noontime we are 10 miles further than I expected to be at that time.

We pass through Lockwoods Folly inlet, one of the infamous shoaling areas on the North Coralina ICW. 

Green line is our track. There buoys are further north than shown on the chart

Two years ago going south we passed a couple boats aground there. That winter it was dredged and coming north in the spring it was a non-issue, deep water all the way through. Well, two years later it has filled back in. The buoys have been moved to show the deepest water which is way off from the charted channel. The charts can never keep up with the buoy changes. Boats that follow their chart plotters and not the buoys will plow into a two foot deep shelf of sand filling in from the inlet to the south here. Tow BoatUS hangs out near inlets like this because of the frequent groundings. Other shoaling inlets have missing buoys taken out by barges, making it more difficult to figure the optimal passage. Reading recent accounts online is very helpful.

By mid-afternoon I call the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club to make a reservation, but they are full. I call a couple others in the same harbor, but no one answers the phone. I leave a message at one of them. At that point I give up and decide to anchor in Calabash Creek. Suppose to be only room for a few boats, but there are 7 boats there including us with plenty of room. Nice quiet anchorage in a creek with a strong current, but good holding. Once we get anchored I get a phone call from one of the marinas telling me they have space for us. Since we are comfortably anchored, I tell the woman, not to hold the spot for us.