AICW Shoaling Reported at Intersection of North Edisto and Dawho River (near St. M. 497)
The intersection of the Dawho, plus the eastern 1/3 of the AICW’s passage through the Dawho, has been infamous for shoaling, ever since I began researching the South Carolina poriton of the AICW, back in the 1980’s. There was some dredging done here in late 2008, and that is why these waters are not currently part of our “ICW Problem Stretches” list. That may have to change as this fall cruising progresses. Everyone please take maximum caution as you transit from the North Edisto to the Dawho, and everyone PLEASE send us more postings concerning the sounding you observe on these waters!
Subject: shoaling
Cruising News: Just an alert that at red marker 110 in SC going from Edisto into the Dawho River where the chart says 17ft of water on the SE side of the inlet near low tide there is NO water. We “discovered land” there and had to wait for tide to come back in….which we would have expected at low tide but did not expect in what was reported as 17 ft on the charts. It is also very shallow for a few miles south of that marker even inside the channel.
Sami and Barry Shreve
White Point (Dahwo/Edisto) MM497
Some spots at 6 1/2 MLW between R110 and the two green cans G 111 and G113. Since we had plenty of tide, i tried looking on either side of centerline but didn’t find anything better than that. same between G115 and R116, following the ICW line towards G115.
Pascal
Miami, fl
Comments from Cruisers (2)
Further on my earlier experience:
I think we hit the shoal amidships at the Lat/Lon given. It was difficult to tell in the muddy water, but it appeared that one could transit the intersection either (a) *VERY* close to (within 200′ of) marker 110 or (b) as we eventually did traveling due East at 32-37.5N. By then we were at +2′ tide and after getting unstuck we saw no less than 7′.
The intersection of N Edisto River and the Dawho River (SM 497) in SC has been a problem in the past. E.g. there is a note in my copy of Skipper Bob (10th edition) about shoaling to the effect that “the bottom no longer resembles the chart!” I can vouch for that. We’re aground at 32-37.556N 080-16.750W where my chart shows we should have had over 12′ at the time we ran aground at about +1′ tide.
Larry Shick (KG6CYP) “Moira” Valiant 42