ICW Trip Leg 17&18 -Johns Island SC to Thunderbolt GA MM 583

Saturday 17 November 2001

In preparation for the trip to Beaufort SC, we spent the night at Johns Island, just south of Charleston. Bob heard a barge and tow go up the river early this morning.

Limehouse bridge early in the morning

We were up and about before 7, and Penelope on PENELOPE JAYNE told us that the tug had hit the Limehouse bridge. So I turned on the radio and I heard the tug captain who was really upset that he'd hit the bridge. A sailboat was on the radio asking to go through the bridge and the bridge tender told him the tug had just hit the fenders (hadn't damaged the bridge mechanism) and he could open. I checked on the radio, and the bridge tender told me the same as the other boater. We got underway about 7.

Limehouse bridge after run-in with barge

Looking back at the Limehouse Bridge

Barge moored near the new bridge

We got to the bridge, and I took a lot of pictures of the damage as we went through. I think the barge that hit it probably had construction materials for the new bridge. They are constructing a new high rise span, which may be open in a year or so.

New bridge

Cranes for the new bridge

Later, we heard some boats behind us go through, and then we heard the bridge tender say that he was closed to water traffic until further notice. Some people apparently anchored in front of the bridge. The bridge guy said the engineer was climbing down to inspect it.

Fixed bridge south of Charleston

We could also hear the Wappo Creek bridge tender saying that she would not open either, and that people had to go out Charleston Harbor and come in south of Johns Island. When I looked on the chart I saw that the route she recommended would have been impossible.

Fishermen north of Beaufort

About noon, the Limehouse Bridge opened and let the people waiting through. The Canadians (PENELOPE JAYNE, CJ VI and a ketch that had been anchored near Johns Island) caught up to us eventually, and then stopped and anchored before we got to Beaufort.

Side of the river at 12:13

We went on down toward Beaufort SC - saw again the yard doing work for the army and took pictures.

Army yard

Came into Beaufort and were tied up by about 3 pm.

Beaufort marina

Tide was low and ramps up to ground level were very steep. The word there was that the Limehouse bridge was not going to be open until about Weds. for boat traffic.

I did email at their counter inside the store on the fax line, and called Palmer-Johnson on my cell phone and they said they'd put me on the waiting list for tomorrow

We walked up and had dinner at the Bank Street Grill which was a very rich looking converted bank in the historic district. The bank was originally built between 1914 and 1916 but went out of business in 1926. Between '47 and the early '80s it served as a movie theatre. It was restored in 1988, and is "the only example of Beaux Arts Classicism in Beaufort"

Bank Street Grille

The menu carried through somewhat on the bank theme, with "Beginning Balance" (appetizers including "Initial Investment which is a $16 seafood assortment), "Combined Interest" (soup and salad- "ask your teller for today's selection"), "Prime Rate" (primarily beef altho the whole lobster and 10 oz rib eye for $Market Price$ is called 'Investment'), "Junior Investors" (kid's menu), "Ending Balance" (desserts featuring "$Dirty Money$", "Liquid and Frozen Asssets" (drinks and frosted drinks, which includes "Banker's Tea" - Long Island Tea with a splash of Sprite), and "From the Safe" (non-alcoholic drinks. Lucette would have loved it - they had herbal tea.

It was popular, but I didn't think much of the service. We both had prime rib, and I took some of mine home for lunch. I didn't like their garlic potatoes- too much garlic. Our bill for the two of us without dessert was $47.37.

When the Bank Grille didn't even offer us dessert, we left there and walked down the street to a small mall where there was an ice cream store, and got dessert there. The people were helpful and friendly.

Sunday 18 November 2001

Palmer Johnson was supposed to call me back if we could get a space and the Toshiba which I am using for charting keeps asking for virus software updates, I thought I'd do that. I made the mistake of trying to do it without plugging it in, and it is SO SLOW on the battery.

While I was doing that I heard that the Limehouse Bridge concrete supports had been damaged, not just the wooden fenders, and it was considered unsafe for motor vehicle traffic, so was permanently open for water traffic until they could repair it. That means that all the folks who want to drive to Johns Island have to get to James Island (possibly by the Wappo Creek bridge) and then from James to Johns Island via the bridge over the Stono River.

Then I had a shower. Afterward I found that Palmer Johnson had called back, and Bob couldn't figure out how to answer the phone. Even though we had gotten the thing I ordered which makes the cell phone into a speaker phone, playing the other person through the radio. Palmer Johnson had said we had a space, but now we had to hurry and leave.

We got underway about 10 just as PENELOPE JAYNE and CJ VI and a houseboat were coming through the Ladies Island Bridge just north of the marina. We followed them down to Port Royal Sound, past the Parris Island Marine Base.

Parris Island

From Beaufort, we had 47.5 statute miles to go, and we normally go about 6 mph. So that would put us there about 6. I was concerned that the dock master would have gone home by the time we got there.

Shrimp boat about 1:15

We did get some good wind, and also some good current to help us,and were averaging 6.6 mph. (Although Bob put out the whisker pole at one point not realizing that we were going to turn pretty soon and had to take it in)

Barge with multiple daymarks

We saw this barge anchored by the ICW - I took the photo because it had so many daymarks (the black shapes on the top poles) and so many cranes that I thought it looked like Edward Scissorhands.

We crossed the Savannah River about 4,

Tug pushing a barge about 4:00

Bridge near Thunderbolt 17:12

and came down to Palmer Johnson very close to 5 pm. Which is really pushing it from Beaufort (almost 48 miles). They charged us $5.00 for electric even though it was only 30 amp, and their literature says it is less for 30 amp. There are no longer separate lines in the mens and womens rooms for internet - you have to share.

Just as we were getting tied up (at the very tippy end of the dock because we were on the wait list), two rafted shrimp boats came in together to get fuel. One of them was completely out, so the other one was giving him a tow. I actually thought at one point that they would crush us to the dock as they seemed to think that they had the right away over all other traffic.

Shrimp boats rafted

The first time they tried to tie up, they threw the dockmaster a line and neglected to hold onto their end. Oops - then they missed the line he threw back and he had to do it a 2nd time. They took 199.9 gallons of fuel

Egret on back of a shrimp boat

Dock beside the shrimp boats

The restaurant by the marina was closed, so we walked up to Tubby's Tank (has a bathtub on the roof).

Looking back at Tubby's

There are two trees with spanish moss on them and a cross right in the middle of the road at that point.

Cross

I had an oyster stew

Cup of soup

which was very much like crab soup except with oysters, and fried asparagus and a chicken salad.

Inside downstairs

This was a shell with a tossed salad and chicken fingers on top.

Bow of our boat and the megayachts in yard

Our boat at sunset

Tomorrow - we went our way through the Georgia marshes. We will probably anchor in the Wahoo RIver tomorrow night.