favorite places ... with pictures

Okay folks. How about posting your favorite places to go, but with pictures of your boat/crew and why you like to go there. With so many places to boat, you must have pictures of you being there! Share your knowledge and we all benefit by expanding our options for exploring new areas. There are a lot of lurkers and members on this forum, how about getting active and helping your fellow boaters enjoy our chosen addiction ... boating. This invitation is even open to those who drink sea water or cruise the ICW! Remember, this thread will be worthless without your pictures.

This isn't that hard. I'll start, and just to let you know these pictures are from where we currently live ... planning on moving your way this summer or early fall.

Our current boat: 25'welded aluminum 460hp with a jet drive


My fishing buddy - bass, trout, steelhead, salmon, sturgeon


some of the local river scenery


pulling tubers through some small rapids


what the big rapids look like from the boat - time to get serious and concentrate for running these!


more scenery


sequence of running the rollers in a small set of rapids




Along the way we picnic, swim, and fish on the river. There is no cell phone service, and this area is in Hell's Canyon National Recreation Area along the Idaho, Washington, and Oregon borders.

I'll openly admit to being a saltwater girl and favoring the boating in South Carolina! There's nothing like a day spent on the sandbar in Beaufort with a cooler full of sandwiches and beer. The kids and dogs all run amuck in a pack while parents migrate from boat to boat socializing. When it gets too hot the floatie goes in the water and you relax with the smell of salt water and the laughter of happy kids. Hours later when the tide comes back in the party moves to the neighborhood dock where boats are tied up and everyone can hang out finishing off the booze. It's a good life!
Occasionally a trip out to the ocean is made and everyone drops anchor at Baypoint, an isolated point marking the convergence of Port Royal Sound and the Atlantic. It's a beautiful spot and a great place to find shells and horseshoe crabs. Those who prefer to stay in the boat can make a run out to Monkey Island (aka Morgan Island) along the Coosaw River and see if they can spot one of its elusive inhabitants. On the way back you have an incredible view of the waterfront homes and miles of salt marsh, it's just such a stunningly beautiful place. Downtown Beaufort has a free day dock which affords you the opportunity to tie up and grab chow at one of the multitudes of waterfront restaurants. If the day dock is full you can follow the Beaufort River to the Backporch Grill, our favorite place to eat after a day of boating. The view from the porch is incredible and the burgers rock! A bit farther along the river is our little tributary, Battery Creek. Remember Forrest Gump and the shrimp boat dock scenes? That would be the Dockside Restaurant on Battery Creek which sports a view of Parris Island and the best hush puppies and fried green tomatoes you'll ever eat. Best tie up here and grab a drink while you enjoy the view. The wait is long but well worth it!
And those are just the main places. You can spend days lost in the multitudes of tidal creeks we have. Shrimp, crabs, and oysters are abundant and have supplied us with many a community dinner in the hood. Can you tell how much I miss that place?!
Pics are not spectacular as I prefer to spend more time drinking and floating than using my camera! I've borrowed some shots from far better photographers than I!

The Dockside Restaurant in a scene which is typical of the Lowcountry. You never grow tired of seeing this.


The downtown sandbar on a summer weekend


Always best to get there early and procure a good spot before the tide leaves you high and dry!


My three favorite boat buddies- Elli the mooch, pluff mud boy, and Glory who just wants to get back in and swim laps around the boat.


My elusive boat captain, usually hidden from the view of water gun totting children and women asking for yet another mixed drink.

That looks awesome! Do a lot of people leave their boats "high and dry" at their favorite spots until the tide comes back in, or do you keep moving the boat out as the tide goes out? I've never boated tidal areas. Are there a lot of free day docks along the coast? Do most have size limits? Can you go cruise around/through the golf courses on the south side of Port Royal Sound? Yes, I had to look up your favorite area on Google Maps to see where you were talking about.

Appears that the folks standing next to beached boats look none too concerned about them being out of the water - rather like they've done it before. I suspect they have!

Great pics y'all.

Yup, the sandbar is a day long event and beaching the boat is standard protocol. The only concern out there is running out of libations before the tide comes back in, and even then someone will spot you a drink. Occasionally we'd leave a boat farther out for tubing/skiing but the kids have far more fun just playing in the mud all day. Time really stands still in the Lowcountry and no one rushes anything, especially time spent on the water. I wish ya'll could enjoy a day out there, it's an experience you never forget. I'm smiling right now just remembering all the great times we've had...

Tidal boating in that area is an adventure. With average daily tides of six to eight feet checking the tide chart is a must. Most of us live up small tidal creeks so timing is essential. One particularly amusing story that we have is the time that we took our neighbors out tubing and wound up coming back in as the tide was receding. I had taken a ride from a friend back to the dock and waited forever for my hubby and friends to bring our boat back. The normal 15 minute ride turned into well over an hour because they wound up having to walk the boat back in just enough water to float! My girlfriend was on the bow weighing down the front end while the two men pulled the boat down the creek. I never laughed so hard in my life! Fortunately the middle channel is oyster free and they made it back with humans and boat intact. It's not unheard of to have people beached in the mud for half a day because they've explored a tidal creek unfamiliar to them. I myself once fell prey to the "Hey, let's take this creek back home". I expressed my extreme reservations and was overridden. To this day I can mention the flip flop left behind in three feet of pluff mud and immediately silence my husband.
Now that being said, looking at your pictures I think you'd do just fine! Any boating that requires windshield wipers is pretty impressive!

Day docks are pretty plentiful but most are tied in to restaurants. We've seen some pretty large boats tied up at the Beaufort city dock but most of the yachts just pay to dock at the yacht club right next to the day dock. They provide the usual showers/laundry facilities for customers passing through. Hilton Head also has quite a few accessible docks on the river side. Charleston has some great yacht clubs to dock at for a fee but you'll pay there. It's a beautiful city to visit though and well worth what you'd pay for an overnight. Should ya'll ever decide to venture down that way I will hook you up with the local gouge, I have many places I would recommend with enthusiasm.

As far as the golf courses on HHI are concerned most are not visible/accessible from the water. PRS up until it reaches the Atlantic sports a lot of beautiful water front homes with the golf courses tucked well behind them. Harbour Town, the host of The Heritage Classic, is one exception. If you follow HHI down to the toe (it's a big converse sneaker) you'll see a small inlet surrounded by the greens. During the tournament a lot of boaters drop anchor and watch the action from their boats. Given the distance there's more partying than watching but it's a fun time to be had by all.

I love the fact that you named your beer bong Juanita, you are my kind of girl! It's great to know that boaters, regardless of where you go, share the same appreciation for the good things in life.
We did locate Tim's 1 pretty easily a few weeks back and simply followed all the boats to Tim's 2 on Memorial Day, what a fun place! It's all the off the beaten path places that are tough to find without coordinates or a visual so we're grateful for all the good gouge.

M

We are now in Virginia, and I'd like to do some boating around the Occoquan area this winter to check out the sights. How long on the river from Occoquan to Aquia? We are in Ashburn right now, so that's the closest point I can find that looks reasonable for putting the boat in. Any suggestions on where to go and what to check out. Cold weather is no biggie with a heated cabin, just want to start learning the area and river ... where to go and where to avoid. Want to get the boat wet as soon as I can get it registered. Have my boat safety course certificate, so D.C. area is a go. Thanks for any suggestions. Also looking for recommendations for portable VHF radios.

Welcome to Virginia SRJ.

Yeah, probably closest put in spot for you is Occoquan Regional Park, which is just up river from Prince William Marina and just before the Rt 123 bridge. A fair bit up the Occoquan so I too would guess about an hours ride down to Aquia - it's a long no wake zone coming out of Occoquan.

Dan

Thanks for the replies. I was planning on using Occoquan or Pohick Bay Regional parks for launching for day trips this winter and spring. Is Mt. Vernon accessible from the river? Are underwater hazards pretty well marked in this area of the river, or should I stick to the channel? I have a GMCO map and will probably take it really slow since I won't have many other boats to use as reference! I just found the distance-map, thanks. Is there much brackish water above the 301 bridge? Don't think I can get out this weekend, but maybe next week. Thanks for all the work putting up the maps in the "Waypoints" forum.

Russ

You might also consider putting in at, say, Leesylvaina State Park. Puts you farther South without too much more of a drive. From Ashburn it would be Rt 28 to Rt 66, a brief hop on 66 then off on Rt 7100. 7100 all the way past Occ Regional Park to Rt 95 S. a few miles on 95 and off at Dale City exit. We leave near the Rt. 66 and 7100 interchange and from our house it is about a 35 to, maybe, 40 minute drive to Leesylvaina. If you want to be up river to visit DC you could put in at Gravelly Point Park which is adjacent to Regan National Airport in Arlington Va, just off the George Washington Parkway - though it's not especially easy to get to.

No, MV isn't accessible from the water.

I had thought about Gravelly Point Park, but towing a 25' boat with a crew cab pickup sounds a little challenging to me at almost anytime of the day on the GW Parkway!

Dont be a scared!

Sissy. :D

I agree, the GW Parkway isn't what I would consider boat towing friendly and, from the direction you'll be coming from, I'm not sure if you can even make a left into GP from the parkway. Which means you'll have to go past and turn that rig around somewhere.

I suggest the Departure lanes at Regan National. ;)

Dan

Anywhere around Leesylvania S.P. to launch? Any public ramps ... I want to avoid the long no-wake out of Occoquan if possible, and the gal at the S.P. said they have fishing derbies almost every weekend.

I'll be looking to store or moor the boat in Prince William County if possible to enjoy no property tax on the boat. I found out it would cost me $588 a year for taxes in Loudoun County. Yikes! Anyone have experience with the marinas on Neabsco Rd. by Leesylvania S.P.? Thanks.

Thanks for the info, I'll give them a call about rates. I visited with Justin at Pilot House, but ran out of time to visit the others ... had to get back up north to pick our son up from school. Couldn't believe how calm the river was yesterday. Barely a ripple! Are there any city boat launches in the area if I store my boat at Holly Acres?