South Carolina Yacht Club, which is actually a transient friendly marina with GREAT fuel prices, and a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, is one of three facilities located in Coquina Harbor (in Little River, SC). Not only is SC Yacht Club a good marina, but Umbertos Restaurant is just next door. To say the food here is good, is to say something like the sun is kinda bright!

Cruising News: Stayed at Myrtle Beach Yacht Club. $1.35 dockage with US Boat and nice place. Great restaurant on site.
Patty Mitchell

Click Here To View the South Carolina Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Myrtle Beach Yacht Club

Little River Inlet intersects the AICW, immediately south of the North Carolina – South Carolina state line. In fair weather, I've always found this inlet to be reasonably easy to navigate, but the easily run inlet (at least for 100% of the time) has yet to be invented.
The discussion below was copied from the AGLCA list.

Little River Inlet at the State Line between SC and NC is fine, but not in Skipper Bob.  It's well marked and carries 12' – 15' feet the entire way.  The one area where it shallows is where it meets the ICW; stay in the middle until you get into the ICW channel.  The casino boats use the inlet every day out of Myrtle Beach.
We use Little River often, weather permitting.  It's just 25 NM to Cape Fear, and it's an easy, straight run.  No need to go miles offshore to clear shoals.  The advantage has been to avoid Shallotte's
Inlet, Lockwoods Folley and the Poontoon Bridge.  So it's a 3fer…
We're a 7.3 kt boat, and we frequently hear boats on the ICW – ahead of us at Little River – behind us at Southport, and vice versa.  So if the wind is 15 – 20 kts, we go outside between Cape Fear and Little River.
Peg and Jim Healy aboard Sanctuary

You can comfortably add the Llttle River inlet  on the North/South Carolina border as a safe daytime entrance.   This excellent inlet, about 30 miles west of Cape Fear, is used daily by two large gambling boats and by several big fishing "head boats" and some shrimpers. Better yet, less than a mile inside  and just across the ICW is a frequently used anchorage on the NC side of the channel.  It is pretty exposed to wakes, but most of the head boats will slow for you if you are well lit,
This is not a well lit entrance or inside channel, so , while it can be done in the dark, I don't recommend it for a first time entry.
Conversely, if you come north on the inside , you can avoid a slow 30 miles from Little River to Southport, including the often shoaly Lockwood's Folly and Shallotte sections, and the once-an hour Sunset Beach pontoon bridge by going out Little River and back in at Cape Fear.  No off shore obstructions, so you can basically run the beach almost all the way…
Olrick

Little River SC inlet is very easy to navigate. It is well marked and right on the SC/NC border, after entering inlet go just south 2 miles, on the ICW and you have numerous choices of overnight very nice marinas,
John M. Beaver

In the last edition of “Cruising Guide to Coastal South Carolina and Georgia,” I warned that the entrance to Calabash Creek was shoaling, and that low water entrance and egress from this popular anchorage could be more than slightly tricky. Looks like Captain Jeanie’s report bears out those observations!

Our adventure was not over. Our intention was to anchor in Calabash Creek. However, we knew we were now only 1 ½ hr before low tide and that this could be a problem. We left flashing green daybeacon 119 and crept toward red floating ICW R2, eyes on the sounder. DON’T DO THIS. Stay mid channel on the ICW. There is shoaling well out from the northeast at Calabash Creek. We had about 3 hours to watch shrimp boats and casino boats traverse this section, as we sat aground in the ICW channel just over the midline to the northeast in the ICW and east of red floating 2. We didn’t feel quite so inept, when we watched a shrimp boat go aground just in front of us as he came in from sea and crossed the ICW to go into Calabash Creek. He was able to wiggle off, however. By 1930 we thought we had enough water to work our way into deeper water, and persevered when we cited two shrimp boats returning from sea. They crept through the creek entrance and we followed them in. Of course it was now dark but we only went in enough distance to anchor in 9′ of water. That anchorage had been so close and so far away.
No problem leaving at 8 this morning, and we had a great run to Georgetown.
Jeanie Quigley

Click Here To View the South Carolina Cruisers’ Net Anchorage Directory Listing For Calabash Creek

First, please note that Captain John's note below refers to the dock off Barefoot Landing Shopping Center, NOT Barefoot Landing Resort Marina. These two facilties sit on opposite sides of the AICW – Pine Island Cut canal.
With all that out of the way, be SURE to watch out for the pesky shoal John describes below!

Subject: Barefoot Landing, SC Low Spot
Cruising News: There is a sailboat drawing 6' hard aground 150'north of the east end of the Barefoot Landing docks (just as you pass south of the Barefoot Bridge).  Low tide was at 1445 but they were aground at 1230.  (The sailboat is out in the ICW 150' from the docks…) Watch out for this low spot.
John Loving

Personally, I don’t think there is really any doubt that Barefoot Landing Resort Marina is one of the very best of the best when it comes to a discussion of South Carolina marina facilities. Of course, I’m prejudiced, as these good folks are a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR!

Subject: Barefoot Resort Marina
Cruising News: Just a note to say what a great deal Barefoot Resort Marina is. It is right across from Barefoot landing. Dockage is $1.50/ft which incl elect, water, cable, etc. Laundry room just off the dock. Have to walk across Barefoot Landing Bridge to shopping (3/4 mi).
John Loving

Click Here To View the South Carolina Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Barefoot Resort Yacht Club

Waterway veterans have long known that the man-made canal, used by the AICW to run between Little River and the Waccamaw River, may be officially known as the Pine Island Cut, but most call it the "Rock Pile" for good reason. And, that reason is, as you will read below, that rock ledges stick our from both shores of this canal along the way. The moral of this story is to stick to the mid-line if at all possible.
Also, note Captain George's good experience with TowBoat/US. These fine folks are a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS' NET SPONSOR!

Well, ok, we go through the Little River Bridge just a few minutes  after my last post. I'm behind a Fleming, who is behind a couple of  tows slowly moving a dredge and pipe rig. Fleming is advised there is  deeper water on the port side, and decides to pass. I tell him might  as well do it now, because the narrow part of The Rockpile is up  ahead a bit. I ask him to let me know what depth he sees and I follow  right behind. Everything is going fine; plenty of water. DOINK! I am  hard aground, Fleming continues on unflustered. So, for the very  first time ever, I've gone aground and can't get off! I mean we are  STUCK. Fortunately we had a rising tide, and great first time  experience with TowBoat US (Brian Cogsdell, Little River). Alls well  that ends well, no nasty prop vibes  etc. The Beatle's oldie "I  Should Have Known Better.." … can't get it out of my mind.
Of course the punch line is the tow had pulled over and tied up a  half a mile downstream….
George,
needing to break out his copy of the Stone's "High Tides and Green 
Grass"