Tides, weather, boaters impact evolution of May River shoreline

By Gwyneth J. Saunders CONTRIBUTOR

A boat ride around the May River gives a different perspective on Bluffton’s personality. Filled with smooth cordgrass, sand bars and the odd abandoned boat or three, the tidal river is a dead end lined with cottages, elegant homes and memories forged on the water.

Over the centuries, the community’s shoreline has been affected the river’s tides, stormy weather and, in recent years, wakes from recreational boaters.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Boating Safety staff marked two no-wake zones around the Oyster Factory Park boat landing and the Calhoun Street public dock on May 4, 2018, ahead of the Memorial Day weekend that generally kicks off the region’s boating season.

The increased use of the water by visitors as well as locals became a safety issue, and the regulations created no-wake zones from the riverbank with a 75-yard buffer around the boat ramp and a 50-yard buffer around the public dock.

Native Blufftonian Amber Keuhn, who has a Master Captain’s license, a Master’s Degree in marine biology, and owns Spartina Marine Education Charters, remembers what fun she had growing up on the river.

“Thinking back on all the fun things we did as kids – skiing and everything – you can’t have a no-wake rule,” she said. “The problem is the people moving here who don’t know how to handle a boat.”

Boats entering the no-wake zones must be at idle speed – the minimum speed to maintain steerage. Boaters are also advised to pass through from the middle of the zone to the farthest extent away from the ramp or dock, something Keuhn said does not happen.

“The problem with boat wake is if you aren’t familiar with the water, you need to go slow. But new people stay very close to the docks because they feel safe, and that sends more wake onto the shore,” she said. “There are a lot of people who are unfamiliar with boats. Do you offer a lot of training or do you shut it down and make it a no-wake zone? Who is going to enforce it? If you try to educate the public, would you be able to reach that amount of people and teach them boating etiquette?”

Knowing how to drive the boat and at what speed to minimize the wake is important.

“When a boat is ‘on plane’ – which is flat –it is going down the river either very slow or very fast. That does not cause a large wake,” said Keuhn. “When people slow down to mid-speed, which they think is doing a

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