Winyah Bay — Georgetown County, South Carolina
SC Picture Project | Georgetown County | Winyah Bay
The historic port city of Georgetown sits on Winyah Bay and is the home of the annual Winyah Bay Heritage Festival, which celebrates fishing and hunting in South Carolina. Winyah Bay is an estuary created by the meeting of the Waccamaw River, the Pee Dee River, the Sampit River, and the Black River in Georgetown County.
The USS Harvest Moon was a steam operated gunboat, used by the Navy, to patrol the waterways of the Confederacy to prevent trading between southern states and other countries. On March 1, 1865, the vessel struck a mine, blowing a large hole in the ship’s hull, and sank in over twelve feet of water. The admiral and crew were rescued and taken aboard the USS Nipsic, one man was killed. USS Harvest Moon was stripped of its machinery and abandoned as of April 1865. A restoration effort was initiated in 1963 but made little headway, a smokestack is visible today (seen below).
Shrimping is an important part of our state’s economy. There are many local shrimpers who make a living providing fresh, tasty, wild-caught shrimp to residents around our state. Learn more about shrimping in South Carolina and the importance of buying locally-harvested seafood.
Winyah Bay Info
Address: Winyah Bay, Georgetown, SC 29440
GPS Coordinates: 33.271469,-79.241893
Website: http://nerrs.noaa.gov/Reserve.aspx?ResID=NIW
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One Comment about Winyah Bay
December 18th, 2014 at 8:32 pm
Your introduction, Mr. R and Betty’s kind comment was a very illuminating moment and I learned a lot about this image from another insight. Thank you! I should say, I frequently pace the waterfront in Georgetown with purpose in mind, most especially to thumb my nose against the paper mill and the steelworks and this particular evening was no different. The offensive odor is quite unforgettable and the the official line from the mill might be noteworthy yet; we don’t know where the smell is coming from!!! I happened to have my camera with me and, as Christine pointed out, we can find beauty anywhere, when we pause to look and see in the right moment of time. What was especially significant about this arrangement was how it totally flew in the face of my pet-dislike of the day. What emerged was a complete eclipse of the negative elements of human activity, by an irresistible and overwhelming infusion of sheer cosmic beauty which we must leave in God’s Hands, the Master Artist. Hopefully it will encourage us to realize that is exactly how it is meant to be. To look, even listen, to the beauty around us and not be intimidated or distracted by offenses. I miss the mountains – they beckon!