Georgetown, SC, to Myrtle Beach, SC

The cruise from Georgetown to Myrtle Beach was beautiful. We had two beautiful, warm days for cruising. The river banks along the Waccamaw River are covered with Cypress Tress and wild flowers, and the absence of condos and highrises and other commercial development made for a delightful cruise on Sunday and Monday.

There were a lot of boaters and sea doo’ers out on Sunday, enjoying what was most likely the first warm day in a while to get out and enjoy boating, as well as many bikini clad females who caught the eye of the captain. He knew the first mate saw what he was looking at through the binoculars, but he looked anyway. She could see them quite well without the binoculars, but then, why was she looking!?! Hmmm!

We took our time traveling from Butler Island to Myrtle Beach, since our reservations at Barefoot Landing did not begin until Monday, April 23. We left Butler Island around 11:15 a.m. on a rising tide on Monday and dropped the anchor about 2:30 p.m. This anchorage was the last anchorage before getting to Barefoot Landing, and we were glad that we got there when we did. As we pulled into the anchorage there were several pontoon boats, bass boats, and other boats of various sizes at anchor, enjoying the warm, beautiful day. We finally found a good spot at the other end of the cove and decided we better take it while we could. A couple of sailboats joined us later in the evening, once the majority of other boats moved out of the anchorage.

After we got the anchor set and were settled for the rest of the day, enjoying this pretty little anchorage, we heard what sounded like fighter jets coming down the river. These “jets” turned out to be VERY LOUD “cigarette” boats traveling at very high speeds. From where we were anchored, we could see all the boats coming and going. And come and go they did until dark. We were thankful for nightfall and the peace and quiet that followed. We had a very calm and nice night at anchor.

Traveling along the Waccamaw, we saw a ferry boat used as a South Carolina Public Schools “School Boat” that was docked along the waterfront around MM387. We also spotted a pretty ragged-looking houseboat that had been pulled up on dry land being used as a camper or a homesite. We had to take a picture of this houseboat, because no one would believe this one.

We arrived at Barefoot Landing Marina early on Monday, 23 April. We only had about 15 more miles to travel from our last anchorage on the Waccamaw River (MM 377) in order to get to Barefoot Landing, so it was a short day in terms of cruising. We left our anchorage about 7:30 a.m. and arrived here at 9:30 a.m. We had to pay close attention to the water because of all the debris that was in the water. It reminded us a lot of the Tennessee River during the first part of spring when there is a lot of debris floating in the water.

Barefoot Landing Marina is not really a marina as we know marinas. It is a long, “face” dock with power and water, and there are no showers/bathrooms or pump out facilities. A big tourist attraction, Barefoot Landing, that includes numerous restaurants and shops, is directly behind the marina. (The House of Blues restaurant is a great place to have breakfast.) Barefoot Landing is is a nice place to stop for a day or two, but if you are looking for all the amenities that a lot of marinas offer, this is not the place to stay. We have heard that being docked here on the weekend can be somewhat uncomfortable when there is a lot of boat traffic coming and going on the ICW, although being here during the week, we did not have any trouble being rocked and rolled.

Mike’s son, Mike Jr., joined us on Monday afternoon. Since he had a car, he hauled us around all week to run errands and to make several trips to West Marine. We spent most of Wednesday afternoon and Thursday with family from Dillon, SC, and Effingham, SC, who were vacationing at Myrtle Beach. We had a great time and enjoyed spending time with family.

Late Thursday evening, we said our goodbyes to family and headed back to the boat to prepare for leaving on Friday morning. Next stop Holden Beach, NC.