Adventurers from Lake Murray Power Squadron took to the rivers of Central South Carolina for a great day on the water, 17 May 2016, cruising not one, not two, but three rivers. It's easy to do because of the geography of the Midlands.

The adventure began with a rendezvous on Bluff Road and a detoured trip (bridges are still out on Bluff Road) to Lower Richland County before reaching the boat landing at Highway 601.  There to meet the Columbia gang were Sep Harvin and his son Sep Jr., who had towed the Betty B over from Sumter to enjoy the day's cruise. David and Debra Allen led the group in Meridian Flyer. Also launching on the Congaree River were RJ Becht with his crew Mike and Cathy Urquhart in Under Budget and Jason Carrico with his crew Ginger Norris, Trey Byrd and Ginger's dad, Carl Swartzmiller aboard Sane Asylum.

We traveled about two miles downstream to where the Congaree joins the Wateree River and to become the Santee River. Then we headed up the Wateree for several miles. Going was sometimes challenging because of flood debris in the water from recent rains and last fall's flooding. We turned around on reaching a rail bridge, which interestingly, had been converted from a swivel bridge into a fixed bridge that looked as though it would no longer support the weight of a train. The group then ran down the Santee River for several miles toward the upper end of Lake Marion. Reversing course, we passed the boat landing and cruised another 10 miles in search of the perfect spot for lunch. After some selection challenges, we found a suitable sand bar and pulled out the food and drink. It was a quiet spot with only a couple of fishing boats passing us by along with a baker's dozen kayakers who were "paddling" across the state.

Wrapping up the day, it was a short run back to the landing to load our boats and tow back home in time for supper. We all learned that while everyone had "tapped" some of the wood bobbing in the river, happily, no one experienced any damaged props. A great day cruising and exploring; what Lake Murray does best!

Check out our photos below and plan to sign up for our July small boat cruise to Lake Greenwood!