Day 13: Georgetown to Myrtle Beach

6 hr 22 min. Preston cooks breakfast muffins in the air fryer, and we slip our bonds at 0830. We are promised a more scenic and pleasant vista today (and easier navigation) as we head up the ICW for a destination that sounds, from Preston's description, like an amalgam of Queenstown NZ and Luna Park, on steroids. But we will have no time for such trivial and frivolous pursuits... we will have grocery shopping to do!

We have a more scenic and leisurely cruise along the ICW today. We encounter more traffic and pass through two swing bridges that open for us. We encounter more traffic today, mostly fisher rec boats and jetski terrorists. Eventually, we reach the 'ditch', as Preston calls it.

There is an almost constant string of houses along the banks that all look the same or similar, with the requisite jetty at the front, and runabout or pontoon picnic boat, usually sitting on a boat-lift. Many other houses are individually architectured and are obviously owned by a more wealthy sector. The 'ditch' (ICW), which runs parallel to the beach and between one and two km distant from it, is also fronted by numerous restaurants. We do not see the sea at all.

By 3.00 pm we are stern-in and tied up. We Uber uptown to Lulus restaurant at Barefoot Landing, a large restaurant and entertainment precinct. Greg Norman's 'Australian Grille' (don't they know that a 'grille' is a portion of the front of a motor vehicle whereas a 'grill' is a bbq cooker?) is next door. Lucy's is one of several around the US owned and operated by the late Jimmy Buffet's wife. We then Uber to the nearest Publix and do a big grocery shop before returning to the boat.

Looking at the stern of many 'lifted' boats as we make our way along the ICW (and zooming around the waterways in Miami), I have been astonished by the multi-engined outboard setups I've seen. 3, 4, 5, and even 6 engines clamped across the transom of some vessels. I ask Preston if that makes the boat go 3, 4, 5, or 6 times faster than a single. He thinks not, but the guy will have 3, 4, 5, or 6 times the maintenance bill. I reckon these guys must have accountants who advise them to spend money before the taxman gets to them.Leggi altro