Station Creek, SC to Steamboat Creek, SC

Monday, 18 May 2015

After having sat anchored for perigee tides in Station Creek, we decided to go upstream this morning and look around a little with the higher tide.  We went to about N32 18.1 before we turned back.  While there is plenty of water now, we reached 6.0' MLW, so we decided we'd always anchor a little further back.  We could see a few houses with docks on the island inshore of us.  There is a boat ramp on the chart further up.  Standing on the roof, with the extra tide, I spotted several old vessels in stages of serious decay throughout the marshy creeks.  On our way out, we saw several fishermen way up in the creeks.

We left the creek and started up the Beauford River, passing Paris Island, home of the USMC basic training center, as well as Port Royal, and Beauford.  

Beauford is a great little historic town, with a gorgeous waterfront park.  There are horse and carriages, and a great spot to walk around the historical district.  There is a floating dock by the charted boat ramp that allows boats and dinghies to tie for a few hours to look around.  It was very hot and still, however, and we decided we would save our explorations here until the fall.  (OK, and there are a lot of boaters boycotting Beauford because they are upset with the recent bridge opening schedule change.  We are short enough that it doesn't effect us, since we don't require an opening, but....)

We continued north, watching the C130's practicing touch and goes at the Marine Air Base, before turning east into the Coosaw River, and south into Parrot Creek, and east into the Morgan River.  

We anchored off Morgan Island, aka Monkey Island, N32 27.456' W080 17.809,' a fair weather anchorage, for about an hour and a half listening and watching.  The bird calls coming from the island were amazing.  I needed someone to identify the calls for me.  What the island is most famous for, however, are its monkeys. You can do an internet search on the monkeys, imported as a breeding colony by the US gov't.  Unlike the islands where we had monkeys in the Keys, these guys don't seem to be destroying the island!  We didn't see any monkeys, probably because we were there mid-day, and I've heard you are more apt to see them in the evenings.

It is really hot, and really still, and we decided to keep heading to the north.  We went back out Parrot Creek, and turned east, arriving at the Ashepoo-Coosaw Cut-off on a minus tide.  The Cut-off joins Rock Creek for a time, then another cut, and you are in the Ashepoo River.  Heading to the north kept us at the lowest tides all the way through the problem areas, giving us a great vantage to update the depths on Active Captain.  

Our 1 3/4 mi journey up the Ashepoo River turned through the Fenwick Island Cut, and we were in the South Edisto River for a few miles.  The ICW is interesting in where the powers that be decided to make the cuts from existing creeks and rivers.  When the ICW was built, it was with commercial value in mind, as our intra state coastal highway.  For years, at less expense than bridges, it connected small coastal communities, and provided for our countries staples shipped from one area to another.  Today, most of its use is recreational, though all the boats have tremendous economic impact on the communities.

Watt's Cut is shallow, and I understand was not dredged this year because of economic constraints.  Recreational boaters can plan their voyages paying attention to the tides, or you can be crazy like me, and come through on the lowest tides.  This area has several hazards marked, as pilings sticking out of the water only at low tide.  I can tell you on the minus tide, I saw none.  This is a good thing.

We entered the Dawho River, which meanders through the area, and has been dredged with straight line cuts until it enters the North Edisto River.  The oxbows of the old River are largely dried across their entrances at low tide.  

This gorgeous spot is NOT the public dock, which is a little further up the creek.

We turned south into the North Edisto River and west into Steamboat Creek, our destination.  We anchored N32 36.328' W 080 17.809' just above a boat ramp with a floating dock to take the dogs for a walk by RIB.