Georgetown

ICW 101

The ICW is a marvel of engineering by the US Army Corps of Engineers.  Designed to provide a protected north-south route for both commercial and recreational use, the water system is an intricate series of connections of canals (some with locks), rivers, bays and estuaries.  There are often "cuts" that connect two rivers or streams or sometimes just provide a shortcut on the same river.  Every so often, there are inlets that connect to the Atlantic Ocean.  The ICW is affected by the ocean tides of every inlet which, in turn, can greatly affect the currents of any given section.  For large power boats, the current issue is not as important as it is for a single screw sailboat with modest power.  Trying to determine the maze of currents is difficult at best.  Depending where you are, you may find yourself motoring in a dead-straight canal for miles (Dismal Swamp Canal),  motor sailing on a wide, scenic river, sailing through a large bay, or navigating through a narrow rock cut.

After meandering down a lovely stretch of river, we arrived in Georgetown, SC on a Friday evening just in time for their annual wooden boat show.

Wooden boats of all shapes and sizes were on display: some restored, some new.

I learned to slalom ski on the Dick Pope, Jr. ski in Minnesota when I was a kid.  Now it's on display as an antique.....

We still have the ski.

A highlight was watching the skiff building competition.  Twenty teams of two persons each were given the wood materials and plans for the same eight foot flat-bottomed skiff.  They began at noon on Saturday and were given four hours to build the boats.  Each team was judged on both building time and quality.  It was fun to drop by the building area every once in awhile and check progress.  Some teams finished in under three hours and some did not complete the boat within the four hour time limit.  Some demonstrated fine boatbuilding skills, while others struggled a bit.  After a boat was completed, it was carried to the wharf for a "sea trial."  I think you got extra points if your boat floated.  

We had unloaded our folding bikes and used them to tour around the boat show and the town.  Georgetown is the third oldest town in South Carolina and there are beautiful examples of 17th and 18th century homes along the beautiful tree-lined side streets.