Swift

Photos from ICW Southbound 2017

We are a bit behind in blogging, so we thought we'd catch up this week with a trip down memory lane (for us) of our migration south along the ICW. We were in a bit of a rush; we didn't stop to explore many new places or take the time for daily blogging. We were up with the sun and moving every morning and had the goal of the anchor down by 4 o'clock in the afternoon while there was still plenty of light. We stopped for 4 nights in Swansboro, NC where the dock was cheap and the weather was bad. It was a cold trip that had us wishing we'd gone ahead and built a full enclosure! We had a blast, but we're going to try harder next time to avoid schedules.

Not including the four nights in Swansboro, here are some stats from the trip:
Departed Deltaville, VA on Nov 2, arrived Amelia Island, FL on Nov 16.
Days traveling 12
Total miles 707 (statute, because the ICW doesn't make sense that way)
Total gallons of diesel used 84, which was about $200
Best meal: Shrimp and Grits with Gator Sausage gravy in South Carolina, yum!

We had a few foggy mornings, like this one on the Alligator-Pungo River Canal.

Capt. Hastings checking bridge clearances

North Carolina has the BEST sunsets, hands down.

Their sunrises aren't too bad either.

The. Most. Pathetic. Excuse. For. A. Beach. Walk. EVER.

Must still be in North Carolina! Swansboro to be exact.

Walks in Swansboro...fun but cold!
Cute town of Swansboro, our home for four nights. Our address: behind the BP gas station.

Bridge pile-up! Carolina-ers don't really get the whole timed bridge thing...
Anchors down on the NC/SC state line!

South Carolina carrying over a little bit of the NC sunset glory!

Took a walk to the beach at Isle of Palms, South Carolina

Okay, South Carolina can hold their own in the Battle of the Sunsets!

Leaving Charlestown Harbor for sea.

Checklist for a good passage: dolphins on the starboard bow? Check!

Chapter 2: And then it got nautical...messy inlet at St. Mary's River. Yeesh. Where did all this wind come from?

Yep, that's a hasty, messy reef in the mainsail, it must've been nautical out there!

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3 comments

  1. Nice blog, Matt! I LOVE the NC sunrise. What a fun trip!

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  2. I never thought about it back when we were heading down the ICW (the colder it got, the faster we moved), but seeing your photos and looking back at ours, the scenery along the "channel" is very scenic. Especially the sunsets and the fishing boats. And, I loved the dolphins as well. But, having slippery frost on the decks and finding the dogs' water bowl frozen meant we left too late in the season as well. You will be happy without the full enclosure once you hit the islands again. :-)

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    1. Being cold takes the fun out of everything. We were chilly, but my goodness, the water never froze! The upper ICW is such a different experience from South Florida (what we are used to). It's nice to see there are parts of the waterway still free from unused mansions and shopping centers.

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