Reviews from Jim Louy (16)

Anchorage Review for Pine Island Loop

Reviewed by: Jim Louy, M/V Soulmates, on Nov 7, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 60'
Draft: 5.0'

This is a very scenic anchorage. We were there with two other boats, and several more could have fit. The mud bottom held great, even in the 30kt winds that were blowing. The depths are around to 10' – 15' once you get inside. The anchorage sits back from the main channel, so wakes from big boats dissipate before rocking you too much, and smaller boat wakes are a non-issue. We would stay here again.

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Anchorage Review for Pablo Creek - Island

Reviewed by: Jim Louy, M/V Soulmates, on Nov 7, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 60'
Draft: 5.0'

This is a bare bones anchorage, good enough for a stop and that's about it. There isn't much room for more than two or three boats. Depths vary from 10' to 30' pretty quick, so swing room and scope make things tricky. The mud bottom held great, even in the 30kt winds that were blowing. If you do stop, enter from the north only. This will do us in a pinch, and we will probably look for other options next time we are in the area.

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Anchorage Review for Cumberland Island

Reviewed by: Jim Louy, M/V Soulmates, on Nov 7, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 60'
Draft: 5.0'

Good news: there is a lot of space for several dozen boats. Bad news: since there is so much space, fetch can be an issue in strong winds. The bottom is mud and held great and we had a good T-Mobile signal. We didn't have any problem with no-see-ums, and we could see the wild horses on the island.

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Anchorage Review for South Newport River- Wahoo River

Reviewed by: Jim Louy, M/V Soulmates, on Nov 7, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 60'
Draft: 5.0'

Watch your depths while approaching. We draft 5' and used Navionics to maneuver through the shoaling. Once in the anchorage, the bottom is mud and held great. We had a good T-Mobile signal and the no-see-ums weren't that bad.

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Marina Review for Hinckley Yacht Services Savannah

Reviewed by: Jim Louy , M/V Soulmates, on Oct 27, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 60'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

We needed the drive gear swapped from a leaky seawater pump we were replacing to a new seawater pump. I didn't have the tools needed to swap a large drive gear. When I called Hinckley to ask if they could help, the service manager, James Peters, said they were pushed out several weeks for work, but said he would work the job in over the next few days if I could drop off the pump. I dropped off the pump off, and James called me back a few hours later telling me that it was done. We can't say enough good things about how positive our interaction was with the staff, and how grateful we are for Bob (the mechanic who swapped the drive gear) for working our job in so quickly so we could get back on the waterway!

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Marina Review for Safe Harbor Bahia Bleu

Reviewed by: Jim Louy , M/V Soulmates, on Oct 27, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 60'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

We stopped at Bahai Bleu for a week to explore the Savannah area and do some boat work. Hinckley Marine services is .8 miles away, and River Supply marine store is within a 5-minute walk of the marina. River Supply is a GREAT marine hardware store that specializes in marine supplies, not just sunglasses and clothes (although they did have a little bit of that). We walked to River Supply a few times, both to buy parts and browse. Tubby's is a great restaurant within a 10-minute walk from the marina. The marina was very clean with a great laundry facility and nice amenity touches like a Trager grill and fire pit. We plan to return to Bahai Bleu on our next pass along the GA coast.

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Marina Review for Thunderbolt Marine

Reviewed by: Jim Louy , M/V Soulmates, on Oct 27, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 60'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

We stopped at Thunderbolt Marine for only a short while as we just needed a pump-out. The pump-out is at their fuel dock and is a wide-open approach if coming from the north. The current can be swift around the dock, so definitely do your best to dock against the current. The fuel dock is about a foot higher than most docks, so give your fenders a shorter tie. The dockmaster warned us of that ahead of time, so we were prepared… and thankful! Overall, a very accessible and quick place to stop.

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Anchorage Review for Page Island - New River

Reviewed by: Jim Louy, M/V Soulmates, on Oct 17, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 60'
Draft: 5.0'

We enjoyed this anchorage. We draft 5' and found Navionics to be spot-on with our approach. The bottom is mud with shells, which is great holding for our anchor. The current is tame for this part of SC, and the scenery around this area is beautiful. We didn't experience any wakes – not sure if we got lucky, or if this just isn't a popular spot for fishing or boating. We found this anchorage to be very peaceful with a decent T-Mobile 5G signal. This anchorage is about 400' wide with lots of swing room with depths of 7' – 12' under our keel depending upon the tide. We would definitely drop the hook here again if we pass by this way in the future.

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Marina Review for Safe Harbor Beaufort

Reviewed by: Jim Louy , M/V Soulmates, on Oct 17, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 60'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 3

First and foremost, the people at this marina are excellent! The current is always a bit tricky to maneuver in, but the dockhands are great. We interacted with Kathy the most for the week we were there, and we can't say enough good things about how friendly and helpful she is. This marina has the newer style GFCI shore power outlets, so be prepared for that if your boat's electrical system is known for tripping shore power breakers with the new leakage-current standards. We found the docks to be adequate, with solid gates to keep the docks secure. The laundry area was clean and reasonably priced at $1.75 to $2.00 per wash and dry load. The ship's store is more of a Safe Harbor souvenir shop, so if you need basic marine supplies, you'll have to go elsewhere. We saw several people with dogs, so it appears to be a dog-friendly area. We didn't use the marina Wi-Fi, but there is a strong T-Mobile 5G signal in the area. Pump outs are via one section of dock in the middle of the fuel dock, so be prepared to move your boat to the fuel pump area when space is available if you need a pump out. We thought the general condition of the dock wasn't worth the price, and we'll will probably stay someplace else the next time we are in the area.

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Anchorage Review for Cowen Creek

Reviewed by: Jim Louy, M/V Soulmates, on Oct 8, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 60'
Draft: 5.0'

We anchored in the mouth of Cowens Creek, about 800 yards east of red nun #36. The Beaufort Shrimp Festival was going on at the time at the Beaufort waterfront, so the surrounding anchorages were mostly full and a tad tight on swing room for us. We had to wait overnight for a transient slip at Safe Harbor Beaufort Marina, so we didn't want to stray too far only to have to cruise back to Beaufort and choose to anchor near the mouth of the creek. There was no wake protection, so we experienced the normal amount of waking from being along a busy part of the river. We could have gone further up the creek, but were concerned about swing room at low tide, so we decided to anchor closer to the main river. The anchor set easily, with no drag, in soft mud. We were far enough from the shoreline grass and reeds that the no-see-ums were minimal, and the current was more subdued than we thought it would be. We had 4 bars of T-Mobile reception. This is a no-frills spot for sure, but it got the job done in a pleasant fashion.

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Anchorage Review for Toogoodoo Creek

Reviewed by: Jim Louy, M/V Soulmates, on Oct 8, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 60'
Draft: 5.0'

Navionics and Aqua Map charts were accurate for the approach, and we were able to drop in the middle of the creek with plenty of swing room. The creek depths are good for several hundred feet up and down the creek and would accommodate multiple boats in a line. The anchor set easily, with no drag, but came up with sticky, gray mud mud when we pulled it up. We have a 125# Mantus anchor and had to break suction to pull it up. The shore isn't accessible and there is minimal wind protection. The current was gentle in both directions. We thought this anchorage was very scenic. In fact, the Admiral says this is her favorite anchorage in this part of SC low country. Easy access in and out, and we had 3 bars T-Mobile 5G service. It was a very comfortable stay and we would anchor there again.

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Anchorage Review for Capers Creek

Reviewed by: Jim Louy, M/V Soulmates, on Oct 8, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 60'
Draft: 5.0'

Navionics and Aqua Map charts were accurate for the approach, and we dropped anchor right on top of the green anchor icon shown on the Waterway Guide map. We were the only boat, but there is plenty of room to accommodate a handful. The anchor set easily, with no drag, and wasn't muddy when we pulled it up. The shore isn't accessible and there isn't any wind or current protection, but the scenic beauty of the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the glow of Charleston to the west made up for it. Easy access in and out, and we had 3 bars T-Mobile 5G service. It was a very comfortable stay and we would anchor there again.

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Anchorage Review for Price Creek

Reviewed by: Jim Louy, M/V Soulmates, on Oct 5, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 60'
Draft: 5.0'

We tried twice to make this anchorage work, but neither time did we feel good enough that we wouldn't end up on the shore during low tide because the creek anchorage was too narrow for us. This may be a good "Option B" anchorage to have as a back-up anchorage, but with a 4:1 scope (80' for us), we might have swung way too close to the edges of the shoreline to feel at ease without sleeping with one eye on the anchor alarm app.

The area was beautiful and we tried twice to anchor in the exact middle to make this spot work. But unfortunately, we decided to keep going and see what else we could find.

We don't have pets, but this area has no access to shore to walk a pet. T-Mobile cell service was 3-bars 5G.

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Marina Review for Harborwalk Marina

Reviewed by: Jim Louy , M/V Soulmates, on Oct 4, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 60'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

We thoroughly enjoyed our time here. The dock staff is very courteous and efficient, and did an excellent job getting us tied up and connected to shore power. The marina is a very easy walk to the historic Georgetown waterfront with numerous restaurants, shops, and museums to visit.

Approach death were about 8' at low tide, and there are lots of cleats on the floating docks that made timing up a breeze.

Marina facilities are very clean, in very good condition, and inviting to use. We didn't really need to do any laundry, but did so anyway because the facilities were so nice. Another big plus is the price on diesel fuel. We looked on Waterway Guide didn't find a cheaper fuel price between the marina and along the way to where we were headed in St. Augustine. So although we still had a ¾ fuel load, we decided to top off at $4.25/ gallon since most places along the route south were greater than $5/ gal, and a few were over $6/gal!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Harborwalk Marina and plan to stay here again when we come back this way.

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Anchorage Review for Calabash Creek

Reviewed by: Jim Louy, M/V Soulmates, on Oct 4, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 60'
Draft: 5.0'

We only spent one night at anchor, and had a very pleasant experience. We didn't experience the boat traffic or waves that other reviewers commented on, so we had a calm, smooth evening. The surrounding shoreline is beautiful without any residential development in sight. Holding was excellent – the anchor grabbed alosmt immediately in a soft, mud bottom. We were there on Oct 1st, and didn't have any problem with bugs or no-see-ums.

We draft 5' and approached around low tide. We had less than a foot under the keel where there is shoaling at the junction of the ICW and creek. We favored the Little River-Winyah Bay Red Nun 2 and made it into the creek without any problem. Once inside the creek, depths were 8'+ and we anchored in about 12' of water.

We wouldn't hesitate to anchor there again.

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Marina Review for Port City Marina

Reviewed by: Jim Louy , M/V Soulmates, on Oct 4, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 60'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

Location… location… location… this marina is in the perfect spot to spend a week or several months. The marina sits on the Wilmington Riverfront Boardwalk, which is about 2 miles long with shops, restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues sprinkled along the way.

The water is mostly fresh at this part of the Cape Fear River, the staff is super friendly, and it is a great place to ride out a named storm event. Most of the floating docks are new, with stable electricity and great water pressure. The interior depths get shallow at low tide, but the river channel leading to the marina is deep and wide.

I would not hesitate to come back to Port City Marina.

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