This update was provided by the South Island Dredging Association
to the CSA Board Oct. 25, 2011.

Calibogue Sound	Harbour Town

As a large populated island - surrounded by water and located in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, Hilton Head's most precious treasures are the natural waterways that wind through its beautiful marshes along with the private and public yacht harbors - making the Island one of the top rated water based vacation spots in the United States.

No other location in the Southeast comes close to matching the variety of marine options that Hilton Head offers - marshland bird watching and fishing; deep sea fishing; kayaking, canoeing; parasailing; waterskiing; tubing; wind surfing; sail boarding; and boating - ranging from mega yachts to dolphin watching tour boats to recreational and small fishing watercraft. The vast expanse of Calibogue Sound with its multiple marshland islets and waterways, a maximum depth of 60 feet and average depth of 20 feet - offers safe, well sheltered yachting, speed boating, sailing and fishing for all sizes of watercraft.

Sea Pines community - founded over 40 years ago - with its waterways and marinas directly accessible to the Sound, have provided a variety of recreational and commercial activities for generations of vacationing families, residents, property owners and other members of the public. Harbour Town Yacht Basin and its signature lighthouse have been beacons for the Low Country tourist industry. Similarly, South Beach Marina and Braddock Creek attract visitors for dining, shopping, and a myriad of water- oriented activities. Together they have generated significant revenue for all of the Lowcountry. But, these Sea Pines waterways and marinas along with Baynard Creek, Gull Point Marina and other residential docks along these waterways are in danger of being permanently lost. The silt and sand from Calibogue Sound which naturally moves through them with the tides are overtaking them. They are silting in.

At low tide some of these waterways are not navigable at all and others only by vessels with minimal drafts. Not only is the sand and silt preventing navigation they also are causing damage to moored boats in these waters.

Harbour Town Marina and Lighthouse