Belle Isle Marina, SC is a No-Go

[Gypsy]

A few days ago, I left Charleston, SC headed up the ICW. My next Port of Call was to be Belle Isle Marina, just under fifty miles. The write up in Dockwa read well. I arrived in the afternoon at high tide. Got a slip and hooked up for the night. While having dinner, the AC shut off. Upon inspection, I realized that the tide had gone out and the boat was sitting in the mud. My boat only has a 28-inch draft. Two hours later, the boat was out of the water sitting on a mud bank. So here I am, hotter than blue blazes, no AC, and even worse, no functioning head. What to do? I waited utill three AM, when the tide was high. With a flashlight in the bilge, I dismantled the strainers and backflushed the intake lines to clear out the mud. When I say mud, I don’t mean silt, I mean that everything was chock-a-block with solid clay like mud. I eventually got both systems working. At five AM I felt it was time to make my escape. It was still dark, but I knew that if I waited any longer, I would be back in the same mess. When I tried to leave the slip, the boat didn’t want to go. Realizing that I was already touching bottom, I felt compelled to take my chances, power through the mud and navigate out what they marked as a channel. Fortunately, I made it out in the dark. Also, had I had to go over the side for any reason, it wouldn’t have been good. While in the slip, I counted over eight alligators swimming around the boat.

 

[mikee30]

We docked across from you at the Municipal Marina in St. Augustine - green Ranger Tug, Little Tug Nutz. My wife still has nightmares about the marina in McClellanville, SC from a few years ago. Tough stretch from Charleston to Pawleys.

To better moorings and mornings.

Mike