Saturday July 9, 2011

78°44.737’ W

33°48.136’ N

Barefoot Marina

North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina



On the ICW going to Myrtle Beach



Along the ICW



First mile marker we have seen



Osprey nest



Today was a long 52 mile day! The going was unusually slow due to the weekend boaters and many restricted speed areas. Twenty five miles into the trip Carl radioed me that he had a transmission problem and we stopped at a marina that had a mechanic working. A short time later the problem was diagnosed, as a leaking oil cooler and the boat would have to stay put until they can get the part replaced. With luck Carl and Ricki will rejoin us Monday or Tuesday!



Find the turtles



Gondolas for the golf course



I needed to get to Myrtle Beach and have the leg looked after, and the weather was turning a little ugly - so Barb and I said our farewells to Ricki and Carl and headed north. We waved our goodbyes and pulled into the river. The next 4 hours we traveled on one of the most scenic rivers I ever had the pleasure to cruise. The name of the river is the Waccamaw River! The slow speed we were moving was somewhat unpleasant but the benefit was we had plenty of time to look at the outstanding scenery and enjoy all of it.



With the sky turning increasingly darker and thunder directly behind us, we slipped into Barefoot Marina and into our assigned slip #103. We worked quickly closing the boat to the weather and as I was finishing securing the last line the rain started. Other than a damp shirt it was just another day on the river!



Tomorrow we will rent a car before driving to the hospital to have the leg checked. At present the leg is a potential problem ----- not an emergency!