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Please Note That Postings Below From Fellow Cruisers Are Listed in Chronological Order, Based on Publication Date
To access Bohicket Marina Village, cruisers must depart the AICW east/north of the easterly mouth of the Dawho River, and journey more or less south on the North Edisto to Bohicket Creek. It’s then a trek several miles upstream to the marina, but many will consider this sojourn well worth the time, effort and fuel. At least one of the on-site restaurants, the Rosebank Farm Cafe, is truly outstanding!
We are at Bohicket Marina, which is remote from the locations that Bob mentioned but has nice amenities. Several restaurants in the marina and a grocery store and shops within (long) walking distance.
I’m a 50 and I’ve had 54′s in the slips on my pier so you should have no problems. Here is a link to the marina website.
http://bohicket.com/
Steve Kromer
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Bohicket Marina Village
Even the latest chartplotters cannot keep up with buoys added to mark shoaling and it can be confusing to approach a marker that often just does not make sense when looking at the chart. Thanks to Capt. Long for bringing this uncharted marker to our attention!
This marker is when you start to look for the bridge fendering and line up for it. It looks like a straight shot to the bridge but it isn’t.
Roger Long
Stono River Mile 480.1 just south of John F. Limehouse Bridge
Between G 39 and G 41
N32 46.824 W80 07.162
Red to mark apparent shoaling
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To A “Navigation Alert” Position at Mile 480
Even the latest chartplotters cannot keep up with buoys added to mark shoaling and it can be confusing to approach a marker that often just does not make sense when looking at the chart. Thanks to Capt. Long for bringing this uncharted marker to our attention!
An uncharted buoy to keep an eye out for.
Roger Long
Dawho River entrance into North Edisto River about Mile 496.25
Opposite Fl R 110
N32 37.563 W80 16.679 (PA)
Green to mark apparent encroaching shoal shown on chart
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To A “Navigation Alert” Position at Mile 496
Glad to hear that Captains Flint and Leslie are having such a good fall season at St. Johns Yacht Harbor. This facility lies just off the AICW, after passing through the western entrance of current plagued Wappoo Creek and Elliott Cut.
And, St. Johns Yacht Harbor is a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS NET SPONSOR!
To all [cruisers] passing through Charleston on their way south, we are staying at St. Johns Yacht Harbor on the Stono River for the winter. As you pass through Elliot’s Cut, look to your left and we are the marina just before the bridge. It used to be called Buzzard’s Roost, but has been renovated by new owners. You will find the most beautiful bathrooms on the ICW here. Please come and see us on your way south.
Flint and Leslie Firestone
aboard Grace Full
at St. Johns Yacht Harbor
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of St. Johns Yacht Harbor
Palmetto Moon with Jim, Su and Lazy Cat Alex have just traveled from Georgetown, SC To Brunswick, Ga. Palmetto Moon cruises at 8.5 MPH and draws 4.5 ft. Here are the issues and observations of their travels:
2-Isle of Palms (MM-456.9) to Port Royal Landing (MM-539.5) We left 2.5 hours before low tide.
In the White Point area (MM-495-500) at low tide
Between R-110 and G-121 center of channel;
At G-111 – G-113 we saw 4 feet under us
At G-115 – G-117 we saw 3.5 feet under us
Running at just above Idle Speed stirred up a lot of mud/sand through most of the area from G-111 G-119
This info is what we experienced in our travels. As always you are the captain of your vessel and should use this as info only. Safe travels.
Palmetto Moon
Off the North Edisto River in Bohicket Creek, Bohicket Marina Village is located three nautical miles upstream on Bohicket Creek’s southeastern banks, upstream of unlighted daybeacon #8.
Bohicket Marina, Johns Island (Seabrook/Kiawah) – this facility just keeps getting better. Reds Ice House, a great causal restaurant/bar opened up in the old Privateer location last year and they are off to a great start again this year. There are now bike paths from Bohicket all the way to Kiawah Island. The paths opened last year to Seabrook and Freshfields, which make for a great weekend get away. Freshfields has several restaurants, many shops and a great grocery, all within a walk or easy bike ride from the marina. Both Seabrook and Kiawah are great to ride through and their beaches are close by. Normally we go outside on this trip, but did take the ICW one-way thus far and it was fine the entire way.
Skipper Bill Saint
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Bohicket Marina Village
Steamboat Creek cuts the southwestern banks of the North Edisto River, southeast of the ICW/Dawho River; anchorage lies northeast of the charted position of Steamboat Landing.
Just had a short voyage to Beaufort, SC with my yacht club, the Wild Dunes Yacht Club. Went offshore from Charleston and came in the N. Edisto River and traveled up it to Steamboat Creek. Very lovely place to anchor, plenty of water and a lot of swinging room.
Philip W. Mullins
aboard S/V Katash,
Isle of Palms, SC
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Steamboat Creek
South of Charleston, the AICW leaves the Ashely River and traverses a partially man-made, partially natural creek/canal known as both Wappoo Creek and Elliott Cut. To say that tidal currents boil through this passage is something akin to announcing that the sun it a little bit bright.
And, apparently the South Carolina DOT feels our on-the-water lives need even more spice, so one of the bridges crossing this passage carries a closed vertical clearance of 33 feet, and a restricted opening schedule. Below, Captain Ted Jones, former publisher of the late, great “Coastal Cruising” magazine, relates a short story about how commercial traffic can sometimes make these waters even more exciting!
We waited for half an hour for the Wapoo Creek bridge’s scheduled opening at 0900. Two tugs pushing construction barges were waiting on the other side, going north. When I heard them call, I told the bridge tender that we would allow them to pass through ahead of us, but in when the bridge opened they were so far back that I wasn’t sure they were coming. We, and the sailboat waiting behind us, got through and out of the way well before the tug captains were ready to go through.
Ted Jones
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Wappoo Creek – Elliott Cut
Adding their positive experience to the many comments in praise of this anchorage, the crew of Elixir names Church Creek as a favorite. Eighteen miles south of Charleston, Church Creek, with 13-22 ft. depths, lies east of the AICW’s flashing green daybeacon #77.
Submitted on 2010/06/12 at 9:52am
We spent 2 nights here, 6-11 & 12-10. Very nice and peaceful. Straight off the ICW- East from green 77 at about 487.5mm. Anchored off the small dock- only one. Seems like excellent holding. Beautiful sunrise. This is definitely going into our log book as a favorite stop. Would have good protection from SW wind. Otherwise more of a fair weather anchorage.
Charlie and Jackie
on Elixir
Captain Larry Shick shares more details of his recent grounding at the intersection of N. Edisto and Dawho Rivers:
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′.
Larry Shick aboard S/V Moira
Tom Point Creek anchorages are among the best south of Charleston, as a number of you have commented.
Submitted on 2010/05/22 at 6:13pm
We pulled into Tom Point Creek on 4/27/10. It has been a blustery day and we had to run 2+ miles upstream before we found a spot with trees to block the gusting wind. We dropped the hook and were joined shortly by two other boats, one upstream and one down stream. Holding was good, and we spent a quiet evening. Not much local traffic.
Captain Dick Litchfield
Tom Point Creek cuts the western shores of North Edisto River, well south, southwest of flashing daybeacon #102
The most delightful creek is Tom Point Creek. Keep going up it for at least 2 miles and you’ll have great protection from trees, deep water and perfect natural silence. I was visited there by a large loggerhead turtle and several friendly dolphins.
Captain Arnold
The Wappo Creek – Elliott Cut Anchorage lies just off the AICW’s track through these twin streams, between the Ashely and Stono Rivers. It makes for a good spot to anchor if you are waiting for a fair tide on Wappo Creek – Elliott Cut. The tide BOILS thorugh these streams!!!
Anchored here again 4-13-10. The mooring ball is gone so we anchored closer to the west end in 14 feet of water near low tide. Pretty good protection from wakes.
Jean Thomason
Doveskie
The question and answer below are copied from the Net’s “Ask Your Neighbor” page, which was, in turn, copied form the AGLCA mail list. Of course, no surprise here. We particularly recommend Ross Marine, and these good people are a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR!
We are heading N from Savannah and just found our daughter inlaw is having our grandbaby a few weeks earlier than expected. We’ll be gone from the boat a few weeks so would like it kept on the hard until we return. Please suggest a Charleston area boat yard or marina for this.
Thanks,
Roger & Mary Carter
Jolly Roger
Roger & Mary,
In the Charleston area it is very unusual to store a boat on the hard. Even in the dead of winter boats are in the water. Having said that there are three boatyards in the area you can try
Rockville Marine http://www.rockvillemarine.com/
Ross Marine http://rossmarine.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-home.cgi?d=ross-marine
The City Boatyard http://www.thecityboatyard.com/
Your other option is to leave the boat in a Marina.
Steve
I have a boat at Bohicket Marina and would suggest leaving your boat there in the water.
B. Sanders
St. Johns Yacht Harbor will be spied along the western shores of the Stono River (just south of Charleston, SC), a short hop south of the AICW’s westerly exodus from Wappoo Creek and Elliott Cut. These good people are a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR!
We stayed here on January 12 2010 on oue way south. It is a great place. Everyone is friendly and helpful. It is so late in the year that the store is closed, however they did offer to open it if we needed something. The laundry and bathrooms are first class, they look brand new and were spotless. You will need food on the boat as the restaurant is still under construction. They also have a pool, that needless to say was closed this time of year. One thing, the diesel pump is VERY SLOW. IT too me around half an hour to pump 220 gallons. However, the word is that this will be fixed in the near future.
The bottom line, if you are in the area you can’t go wrong with this place.
Dave Boxmeyer
We also love dropping the hook on the waters of Tom Point Creek. Except for a slight restriction on swinging room, it doesn’t get much better than this!
Our favorite anchorage in SC. If you go to the third turn (way up the creek) then there is a bar that is exposed at low tide. Be careful, but just before it is our favorite place to stop. A few small bass boats may come by from time to time, but that is no big deal. Also, the dolphins are great many times.
John Winter
Click Here For The Cruisers’ Net’s South Carolina Anchorage Directory Listing For Tom Point Creek
Mariners Cay Marina is located well off the AICW, a stone’s throw from this stream’s inlet into the briny blue. To reach its docks, you must traverse a twisting channel in Folly River.
I used to be thoroughly unimpressed with Mariners Cay Marina, but there have been MANY improvements here since the last edition of my South Carolina – Georgia cruising guide went to press. And, the dredging described below is yet another excellent addition.
The Mariner Cay Marina has completed a dredging project and all slips now have a minimum depth of 7 feet. A great spot to stop for a overnight or longer.
Bob Eggleston
Click Here For The Cruisers’ Net’s South Carolina Marina Directory Listing For Mariners Cay Marina
In this note below, the crew of “Restless” is referring to the two potential anchorage, north and south of Elliott Cut’s westerly entrance. The AICW travels though this man-made canal on its way from Ashley River (Charleston) to the Stono River. I have anchored in both these spots myself over the years, and have seen many others do so, BUT these are very unsheltered waters, and “Restless” is quite correct in relating that there is PLENTY of current.
You might consider the recommended waters (see below), off the Stono’s western banks, north of St. Johns Yacht Harbor (A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR) and the Highway 701 bridge. I’ve never tried dropping the hook here, but it sounds as if “Restless” found a good overnight haven.
I would not anchor in either of these two locations shown by the western entrance to Elliott Cut. The current really rips through here because the river narrows down as it swings past the shoal. A better location to anchor is to the south-west, along the western shoreline just north of the St. John’s Yacht Harbor marina. Be aware that there can be a 5-6 ft. tide here when picking your spot to drop the hook. The current in that location is somewhat less, but be prepared to swing through 180 as the tides change. You can dinghy to the marina for ice, etc. Call them on VHF 16, they will shift you to VHF 71. Inquire about facilities use if you are anchored out. See the listing for this marina it is accurate.
S/V Restless
I [anchored] several miles from the spot in question (up the Ashley River) and have been anchoring near the more Southern of the two spots shown for several years, but as close to the point as possible considering the water depth. This is one place we go just to get away but not go far.
I will agree on the lack of shelter but we only go in fair weather. We anchor overnight and although there can be a strong current, we have never slipped anchor.
Moving down towards St. Johns Harbor, there is a large shoal where local go to beach and play. Also, there have been some sunken boats in that area.
Rod Widman
"Sunset After The Storms"
by: Susan Leaf
