Wednesday, November 9th

The anchor is up in Dutchman Creek at 6:30 AM.  Being up and underway at sunrise is one of the highlights of living on the water. 

Our course takes us through Holden Beach and Ocean Isle Beach.  Along this stretch of the ICW, the shoreline is dotted with homes and condos, most of which have piers and docks that reach out into the waterway.  Many of the docks appear to be structurally unsound, perhaps victims of Irene or simply the result of years of decay.  Real estate for sale signs are everywhere.  Beach properties have been hit hard by the downturn in the real estate market.

[caption id="attachment_1844" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The Aquacasino on the ICW near the North Carolina / South Carolina border"][/caption]

By 11 AM, we cross the border into South Carolina.  This is a twisty, meandering section of the ICW.  Rounding a bend in the waterway, we encounter a huge passenger ship moving in our direction.  She is the Aquacasino, a floating gambling mecca that carries passengers through the Little River Inlet and three miles out into the Atlantic Ocean where gaming becomes legal. 

Encountering a vessel of this size in the ICW is an anomaly.  The Aquacasino takes the middle of the channel.  Opposing traffic, including Cutter Loose, is forced into the extremities of the channel in order to make way for this behemoth.  As we pass port to port with the Aquacasino, there is perhaps a mere boat length of distance between us.  We are at low tide.  The depthsounder on Cutter Loose is signaling dangerously shallow water on the edge of the channel.  Suddenly, we lurch to a halt.  Cutter Loose is aground!

The wake of the Aquacasino rocks us from side to side.  For the next 20 minutes, we coax Cutter Loose out of the mud banks and into the deeper water of the channel.  Having witnessed the grounding, pleasure boats in our vicinity offer to be of assistance via the VHF radio.  After much cajoling, she finally breaks free and we resume our journey along the ICW.  The only damage sustained is to our pride.

Our destination for today is the Barefoot Landing Marina in North Myrtle Beach, SC, a distance of 41.4 miles for the day.  Adjacent to the marina is a shopping mall with a variety of restaurants.  It feels odd to be within walking distance of a mall when docked at a marina.  We enjoy dinner ashore and return to Cutter Loose to prepare for another early departure in the morning.