BoatBanter.com - Pee Dee River

"Billy" wrote in
ps.com:

I think we have decided to try the Little Pee Dee from Galivant's Ferry
Landing instead of starting up in Cheraw. Hopefully we will make it.
Biggest boat is a 16' McKee Craft, rest are jon boats. Will have a GPS
so hopefully can stay in the correct channel.

When you get time, Billy, come down to Goose Creek (the city), just up US52
from Charleston. A really great boat trip begins in the salt water side of
the Cooper River at Bushy Park, a public boat landing on top of a earthen
dam that makes a freshwater reservoir for our water system through a canal
up above the salt water line in the Cooper River. You drive down Red Band
Road, right through the Naval Weapons Station on the public road to get to
the dam. The salt water side of the dam is to your right, the freshwater
reservoir is to your left and has a floating dock and another boatramp in
the reservoir.

The short tour is about 3-4 hours long simply making the loop. You come
out of the little cut into the river and turn left, going upstream in the
Cooper River through ancient rice fields on the old plantations, following
the meandering river towards Lake Moultrie. Just after you pass a nice
campsite on a little bluff we've spent the night on the river on, the river
Tees. You'll see houses and trailers on a bluff to your right that
continues up the Cooper River towards the lake. On the short tour, you
take the left down an artificially-cut canal, past another public boat
landing at a LOW-CLEARANCE road bridge you pass under, going down the canal
into the upper reach of the Bushy Park Reservoir about 2 miles down the
canal. Just after the road bridge, there is a railroad bridge you go under
and watch for the kids swinging out of the trees to port on weekends on a
huge tire. It's been there for 30 years that I know of. Just follow the
canal into the reservoir. Stay near the right side of the upper part of
the reservoir, maybe 50 yards from the grass, as that's where the deep
water is. The fishing to port is great but there are many obstructions to
watch out for. You'll probably see the waterskiiers in their powerful
inboard boats as the reservoir narrows, next. They have a permanently-
moored, inflatable course set up in the reservoir. A red airtank in the
weeds inflates the bouys that are weighted to sink when air is released.
Great fun watching these expert skiiers run the slalom behind a big V-8 on
summer weekends. Further down the reservoir it gets much deeper and you'll
come to the first water intake structure out in the reservoir. Lots of
alligators live in the canal and reservoir and they hang out a lot in a
canal dug to service a small factory just before the intake. Down from the
first water intake you'll spot the second water intake by the floating dock
and ramp. You'll see your car in the parking lot as you're now on the
freshwater side of the dam, all freshwater flushed of the salt and ready to
be put on the trailer...(c;

The long tour changes our route back at that Tee in the Cooper. If you
turn right at the Tee (or quicker come up from the freshwater side of the
boatramp up the canal to it) you'll be headed up the Cooper River past some
homes up on a bluff, through a railroad bridge that opens and on up past
some really nice homes upriver. The channel was finally marked a couple of
years ago by the Santee-Cooper power company as many people just drove off
into all the rice fields to clog their props in weeds and go AGROUND in 2'
of water that looks like it's deeper. From the houses on the left, the
channel goes across the rice paddies to Mepkin Abbey, a beautiful Catholic
abbey whos claim to fame is they are in the egg business. You are welcome
to land on their lawn and look over the beautifully kept grounds, if you
like. The monks are very friendly. Past the abbey, the river meanders
past lots of interesting South Carolina wetlands and a few more plantations
eventually becoming the Tailrace Canal almost imperceptably near Moncks
Corner, SC. Where possible, waterfront homes line the canal near Moncks
Corner for a while ending in the "ditch" just above a waterfront park that
has a pier. Just above these woods you'll come to a no-wake-zone that's
enforced quite vigorously to protect The Dock Restaurant which has changed
hands to one of Charleston's best seafood companies. Dock the boats for
lunch in front of the dining room and head on inside to food and beverages
that are great.

From the Dock, head again upstream under the high level US52 bridge. On
summer weekends, try to keep looking ahead and not at the bikini-clad girls
who seem to congregate where the boats land under the bridge's shade to
swim. The canyon of the canal becomes deeper, now, as you pass under yet
another railroad bridge where you'll see the 90' high Lake Moultrie Dam and
powerhouse in front of you.

Mill about with the other boats waiting for the FREE trip up 70 feet in the
big lock into Lake Moultrie, itself. The nice man from the power company
will ask you for your boat's name and where you are from. I think they use
that to justify keeping the lock maintained at company expense. There is a
floating dock that rides up a groove in the lock wall, a JetDock, where
everyone rafts up safely to ride the water up the dam. This is great fun
with kids as you are staring into the cavern of the empty lock at the short
monstrous doors with a little water spraying out the seam way above you,
the depth of the lake at that point. It's quite a sight for the
youngsters...(c; The claustrophobic will tremble as the much higher lower
doors close behind you. The water comes in quite tame so small boats are
not upset and it only takes a few minutes to fill the lock. The short
doors open and ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE as the Bubbas try to see how fast they
can get out of the lock and to the fishing and partying on the lake.

The US Air Force's Hodge Podge Lodge is the facility just to the right
sticking out on a point. If you are military or military retiree with your
ID card, you can use this facility from their marina on the dam-side of the
point. Others are not welcome unless there is an emergency, of course.

This end of the lake is quite deep, of course. As you go across the lake,
over submerged towns, roads, farms, church steeples you can plot on your
sonar, you'll be VERY careful as these lakes were NOT CLEARED BEFORE
FLOODING in the 1930s! The shallower parts of the lakes is FULL OF STUMPS
that all have magic magnets on them to hunt down lower units of outboard
motors and props to kill. There is a little store on the other end of the
dam from the lock (Lions Beach) to port as you exit and if you go around
the AF point and up the lakeshore there is another small marina/store/gas
station at Bonneau Beach where the road drives right into the lake as it
was there before the lake was there.

Reverse course and come down through the lock to get back the same way you
came, taking the canal into the reservoir like the short course did on your
way to your car/trailer at Bushy Park. Make SURE you get back to the
landing by DARK......OR YOU'LL BE SORRRRRRRRRRRY! The river, rice paddies,
canal and reservoir are NOT friendly places to strangers in the pitch black
dark.....Time your trip up so you can plan your trip back.

Oh, there is another marina down in the Tailrace Canal just on the lake
side of the US 52 bridge up another short canal that goes parallel to the
road. He as gas and some eats, too.

Great fun on a weekend.....Don't forget the suntan oils!