As Palmetto Moon reported last week, the water gets thin between AICW markers #111 and #119, north of the Waterway’s entrance into Charleston Harbor. While not yet designated an SSECN Problem Stretch, we have established a Navigation Alert for these waters and caution should be exercised through Isle of Palms.

Hi Claiborne,
Sanctuary and crew transited southbound through Isle of Palms, SC, at 08h30 this am (Thursday, 11/3/2011). It was low tide, and our chart plotter reported the current datum at +0.91 ft.
That stretch of 4 – 5 miles has some very shallow spots, with some depths in mid-channel as low as 5 ft. We heard others talking about what they were seeing, so I pursued a route slightly favoring the red side of the channel. We found no less than 6.9 feet. Here’s the detail:
At R’118′ – 7′ mid-channel, 9′ red side
At G’117A’ – 40′ – 50′ off the marker, 7.5′
At the un-named creek 1/2 mile north of inlet creek – 6.9′
At G’119′ – 7.5′ red side of channel (There are crab pots in this area on both sides of the channel. Some extend into the channel. To favor the red, we passed some of the crab pots on the red quarter to our port side. Found favorable water depths there today. Of course, the crabber will move the pots, so the advice remains, favor red.
At G ‘121’ – 8.5′ red side of channel
With lower datum or celestial lows, this stretch would definitely be a problem for most cruising boats.
Peg and Jim Healy aboard Sanctuary
Currently at St. John’s Harbour Marina, Charleston, SC
Monk 36 Hull #132

Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s “AICW Problem Stretches” Listing For the AICW North of Ben Sawyer Bridge to Isle of Palms Bridge

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To This AICW Problem Stretch