Kayak to Sandy Island, Waccamaw River, SC

• Date Kayaked: May 17, 2020
• Total miles Tracked: 6.57 miles 
• Type of paddle: River - Tide dependent
• Best Features: History, unique setting, easy launch
• Put-in/Take-out:  Easy, gravel launch
• Worst Features: Strong currents and boat traffic!
• Wildlife spotted: Variety of typical coastal water fowl
• Vegetation: Marsh grasses, wildflowers, water lilly
• Associated Websites: https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/sandy-island-preserve/   and https://discoversouthcarolina.com/articles/secrets-of-sandy-island
• Primary Author:  Cheryl

A kayak to Sandy Island on the Waccamaw River is a trip we've taken several times before.  We went down to Garden City Beach, SC in May to kayak with the family, and Sandy Island was a destination many of us listed when making plans.  Sandy Island is completely surrounded by rivers and there are no bridges to the island.  The residents that still live on Sandy Island are the decentents of enslaved people that worked on the rice plantation.   There are about 50 residents that still live on the island, and the state of SC even has a School Bus Boat that brings the kids over during the school year.  Several years ago, developers wanted to build on the island, but that was stopped and most of the island is now a Nature Conservancy.

The boat launch that we embarked on is the same launch that the residents of the island use.  The launch itself is gravel and there is enough room for small power boats to also launch from. The boat ramp is at the end of a canal that leads out into the Waccamaw River.

I am always taking photos of wildflowers!

As you can see from this satellite view of our tracker, the island is very sandy. After leaving the launch, we traveled downstream of the Waccamaw and explored one of the canals into the island. We were very close to the "lagoon" but the canal we were in did not connect.  The interior lagoon and the sandy bank on the other side (on Thoroughfare creek) is a popular boating destination, including where we were heading.  Alas, wind, current and boat traffic altered our plans.  

The day started out sunny. These photos show the stillness of the water as we paddle the canal leading from the boat launch.

Once we leave the canal, we're on the Waccamaw River.  The Waccamaw is part of the Intracoastal Waterway, and there are several marinas up and down this portion of the river.  The Waccamaw is also quite wide in this section.  The shores are lined with cypress trees, creating plenty of shade.

Water Lilly plants also live close to the shore.  When traveling downriver, these are not terribly difficult to paddle through.  They do get caught in your paddles, but if you are traveling in the direction that the water (and leaves) are flowing, it's not an issue.

We love to explore when we paddle.  James had noticed there was a canal that led inland, so we paddled down as far as we could, which was quite a long way!  In this canal, we were out of the strong current and all the traffic on the river.  It was peaceful and beautiful.

 We knew we were close the the lagoon, within a hundred yards according to GPS. We'd hoped there might be some connection, but we couldn't find any and the land was too overgrown and mucky to try to drag the kayaks to it.  We departed from the calmness of the canal and went back into the busy river.  Unfortunately, due to Covid19, the boat ramps had been closed for two months and had just opened back up. Since it was a pretty weekend, EVERYONE had their boats on the water!

To get to the lagoon, you paddle up Thoroughfare Creek from the Waccamaw.  Where the creek meets the river there are a lot of swirling currents.  Add that to the wind we started to encounter, the ever present current from the tide, and the wake of all the boats, we all were nearly swamped as we turned into the creek. 

Want a hot dog?  Party on the cabana?  This entrepreneur was ready for all the boats.  

We made it up Thoroughfare creek and attempted to enter into the lagoon through the canal.  But WOW we encountered some amazing current.  We were all tired and ready for lunch.  The sky had changed from the sunny blue to gray and overcast.  There was some space to pull our boats up at the entrance to the canal so we took advantage of it and had our break there.  As we stood around eating our sandwiches, somebody noted that the canal was a clown car of boats.  They just kept coming out, one after another!

Rested and refreshed, it was time to paddle back.  We knew we had a challenge ahead of us.  We had to paddle upstream against a head wind and rain.  We kept taking breaks to rest among the cypress groves. 

Our paddle plan had been to hug the shore on the left and paddle all the way up to the boat launch at the Sandy Island community.  We knew that crossing the Waccamaw we'd lose ground (or river) due to current and wind, so we were aiming to go straight through the main canal instead of making a beeline for our take out. Luckily, we made it across without getting pushed too far downstream.

The last photos we took during the paddle:  creating a flotilla to rest before continuing our paddle up river.  

Sandy Island is a fun adventure.  There are other creeks and canals along this section of the Waccamaw that we'd like to explore in the future.  If you make it to the lagoon (or the sandy side from the creek) keep in mind that these rivers are affected by the tide, so pull your boats way up from the water line.  Also, if you go in the summer, the temperature of the sand is close to that of molten lava!  Another plan would be to make the trip during the week instead of a weekend. With less boat traffic, you can reach the lagoon, which is a perfect spot for a swim on a hot day.