I have recently purchased a 35 Bertram an have been trying to decide where I want to keep her. One of the options is Folly.
I know there is a lot of talk about the stono being a bear to run, but I have done it on three or four occasion in my previous CC, without incident. I know that is too small a sample size and a different boat, but what is the true deal? Is it really that bad? I mean boats run the Oregon Inlet everyday and it is dreadful. How bad are we talking here?
I typically fish out of Edisto so folly is relatively the same water. It is relatively convenient and close to my home.
Have run a 33’ out that inlet at dark thirty for years. Can be a little tricky at lo water, but all in all not too bad if one has a good track line on GPS, good spotlight and radar preferably as well. The channel changes year to year it seems. I usually go out in a small boat in spring and spend a few hours marking deepest channels and logging the best track line. Most of the bouys in the Stono have been removed (were usually out of place anyways) If there’s any swell running against the current be prepared to have to look via spotlight for the calmest spot where the waves aren’t breaking at the outer bar and punch thru the waves. That’s about the time I tell guests to “sit down, shut up and hang on!”
Russ B. www.joinrfa.org
God is great, Beer is good, People are crazy
I keep my boat out at Sunset Cay on Folly. Just as RussB said about the Stono Inlet you have to follow someone out or have a good track on you GPS. Let me know if you decide to keep it out at Sunset Cay.
I’d recommend St. Johns Yacht Harbor. It’s convenient to run out of the harbor or Stono. Plus it’s a MUCH nicer facility than either of the marinas on Folly
Rember that the Bertram has inboard drives and needs more water, if you run aground you cant trim them up like outboards. I took me only 1 trip to learn the hard way when I made the change to Bertram,
What RussB said. It’s a much quicker ride out from Sunset or Mariner’s Cay than St. John’s. I am surprised that the CG hasn’t put the 1-S buoy back, which was the marker for the inlet, but maybe they are waiting for Spring or something.