Canterbury Sails by Chasseur: South Carolina

November 21, 2012 Wednesday
Moving our way down the ICW we "crossed over" into South Carolina....finally. There were 2 inlets from the Atlantic Ocean that we had to prepare for, Lockwood's Foley Inlet and Shallotte Inlet, where shoaling can be severe. Approaching an inlet is both exciting and disconcerting. It is amazing to see how close the ICW is to the ocean. The effects of the wind, tide and current changes an inlet daily- so we never know for sure what we will experience when we get there. This is "pay attention" cruising. When we arrived at Dock Holiday's Marina we ran to the grocery store to provision for Thanksgiving.

Lockwood's Foley Inlet, where Atlantic meets the ICW

Shallotte Inlet

November 22, 2012 Thursday, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
After resting on the bottom at Dock Holiday's slip for the night, we waited for the tide to cooperate for our departure. As soon as the we had 7.5 feet under our keel we shoved off. Next stop was an anchorage at Butler Island, but first we needed to complete 44 nm. Shortly after departing Dock Holidays Marina we approached a narrow dangerous section of the ICW known as the "Rock Pile"(self explanatory), the most concerning is a 4 mile stretch (very narrow, rocky shoals). We called ahead on the radio for any north bound commercial traffic and we were clear to move on. Photos give a good navigational perspective. Yes, we were that close to those rocks!
We arrived at the Butler Island anchorage before sunset. "Blue" anchored ahead of us preparing for "Chasseur" rafting to her. Captain Ladd is very experienced at rafting and had everything ready as we approached, in spite of the strong current, it was a smooth landing. We had planned on rafting at anchor, so we could have Thanksgiving dinner together. Once we were settled, Denise and Suzanne went to work in their separate galleys. Food was transferred from "Chasseur's " galley over to "Blue" and the feast began. We had to substitute "grocery store-deli rotisserie chicken", instead of turkey, but we did not feel at all deprived. We were all grateful to have each others company. Suzanne brought "Chasseur's" "Life is Good" book for an after dinner reading. We took turns reading - here are some of our favorite "simple words from Jake and his trusty dog Rocket" that had particularly meaning to us:

"Not all who wander are lost."

"Everything is a once in a lifetime experience."

"Don't fight Mother Nature."

"Create your own Happy Hour."

"If you don't go, you don't see."

"Take your sweet time."

"The world is your entertainment center."

"There's no place like ROAM."

"Sometimes nothing is the right thing to do."

We had the best time and Thankful for this day and night.
We miss our family and Friends!
Happy Thanksgiving!