November 20, 2014

On November 20, 1948 a very large nose with a small body attached was born. Since then the nose as grown prodigiously as, sorry to say, has the mid-section. Happy birthday to me. Sixty six years on this planet. I have come a long way with the help of many remarkable people too numerous to mention. The two guiding lights in my life, Sarah Rinehart my wonderful and accomplished daughter and Henry Talley, my equally accomplished son. Emily my wife of 27 years is my constant companion and soul mate. She inspires me. Many remarkable people have inspired and guided me, some close friends, many acquaintances. Making a list like that is dangerous because one runs the risk of leaving someone off. I’m going to make that list, but not here – at least not today here. In fact I think I will make a list of everybody whom I have ever known – at least those I can remember. 

But this is a blog about our journey southward on our reliable and seaworthy 32 foot Allied Seawind ketch, FLICKA, and on this day, my birthday, we left our anchorage at mile 381 on Bull Creek at 0900 with steady, light west winds. Very cold – down to 27. Another brilliant sunlit day. We reentered the beautiful Maccamaw River and continued traversing a broad bald cypress swamp with national wildlife refuse lands on both sides. Very rural country, small villages. Lots of fishermen. The Maccamaw has lots of tributary creeks that beg to be explored.

 

 

We are traveling at 6.5-8.0 knots with a strong current. The wind, as usual, has come around to be on our nose and is freshening.

1100 – Passed Butler Island still traveling through a bald cypress swamp with cypress (Taxodium distichum) and grand live oaks (Quercus virginiana) lining the shore, festooned with Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides). In the background loblolly pine (Pinus tadea) dominates along with at least two palm species.

 

 

1200 – Confluence of the Great Pee Dee River and the Maccamaw forming Winwah Bay. Notice all those Native American names. This marks the entrance to the South Carolina town of Georgetown, a popular stopping point on the ICW, but we press on. South of Georgetown we enter the Western Channel and then the Eastherville Minim canal which connects us to the Santee River watershed and suddenly we have left the cypress swamp and are in an expansive salt water marsh, flat as a pancake punctuated by hillocks with low woody vegetation.

 

 

South Carolina has more acres of salt water marsh habitat than any other Atlantic coast state. These marsh lands are dominated by salt marsh cord grass (Spartina alternaflora). This plant exhibits an interesting property of many plants. It exists in two distinct forms – tall and short. The tall form dominates the ‘low’ marsh and the short form the higher marsh. Other wetland plants join the tall form in the slightly higher areas. This productive ecosystem is an incubator for fish, crabs, worms and other species including a fantastic array of water birds, shore birds, ducks, etc. Brown pelicans and common cormorants are everywhere. Bottlenose porpoises make a daily appearance.

 

 

We cross the North then the South Santee Rivers through very narrow channels and miles of salt marsh on either side. Finally we anchor in 15 feet of water on Awendaw Creek at sunset with 5 other boats. A 55 mile day. Tomorrow on to Charleston, SC

 

 

Good night. Sweet dreams.