We
left Titusville, Northern Florida on the 26th of March
after visiting the Kennedy space centre and watching a rocket
launching. We were bound for Merrit, North Carolina to visit American
friends whom we had sailed in the Pacific with in 2006.
Cathy raising the US courtesy flag
This
passage took us up the Intracoastal waterway with one sidestep out to
sea to avoid some winding routes and strong opposing tidal influences
through a part of Georgia
The
ICW is a 3000 mile (4800km) inland waterway along the Atlantic and
Gulf coasts of the USA. Areas of the waterway consist of natural
inlets, saltwater rivers, bays, and , sounds, others are artificial
canals. It provides a navigable route along its length without many
of the hazards of travel on the open sea and wonderful quiet
anchorages at night.
We
entered at Port Canaveral, Florida and transited Georgia, Sth
Carolina and North Carolina.
Many
of the opening swing and bascule bridges which cross the waterway
have been replaced with 65' high bridges and those low bridges that
remain are opened at timed intervals or on demand.
We
saw many fishing boats, tugs and barges along the way
Parts
of the waterway are shallow where silt builds up or areas of rock
which have been blasted for a canal are narrow in parts which makes
navigation interesting.
This
is all maintained by the Army engineering corps. Many boaters pay a
yearly subscription to US towboats as it is common for boats to run
aground at low tide in these shallow shifting sand areas.
We
sat on a sandbank for 3 hrs until the tide gave us more water to
float off. All we needed was a bit of a wash from a passing motorboat
to reverse off but at the time no one who passed us would answer
their VHF radio and courteously passed at slow speed.
We
were amazed how many dolphin there are in the waterway and we saw
lots of manatee and alligators in the warmer waters in the south.
The
bird life is prolific with pelican, herons and oyster catchers and we
saw dozens of Osprey and their chicks nesting on top of the marker
bouys and in trees up the rivers.
Canadian
geese and other birds were slowly returning to the north as the
spring arrived.
Up
the Waccamsaw river in Sth Carolina away from the tidal flow where
the water was not salty, we saw small turtles on the riverbanks and
at night anchored in mirror calm black water and watched fireflies
twinkling in the trees.
In
our travels we have seen and experienced so much off the beaten track
but we are still in awe by what nature serves
In
some parts of the waterway we were able to sail and with a tidal flow
to our advantage it was great to turn off the motor and glide along
enjoying the peace and tranquility.
Mostly
we motor sailed but at times with no wind or strong wind “on the
nose” and an opposing current the motor pushed us along barely
making 2-3 knots speed.
We
averaged about 25-30nm a day
There
are many marinas along the waterway for those who wish to avail
themselves of a berth at night and amenities but they do not factor
into our cruising budget.
There
are some free public docks where one can tie up for a few hrs or less
frequently overnight. We were able to do this on a few occasions and
walk to supermarkets to restock and dispose of rubbish.
When
we've needed diesel we've pulled into a marina to fill up and water
and holding tank pump out are mostly free.
The
recommended anchorages are more sparse and if an anchorage can't be
made by nightfall one can be in real trouble as night navigation
would be hazardous. One can't just pullover and set the anchor as it
is shallow out of the channels.
One
has to consider tidal flows which change constantly as inlets go out
to sea and tides ebb and flow along the routes with sometimes no
obvious pattern, bridges that open at designated times can be
difficult to reach and waiting times can very much effect ones
destination timing. It amused us as the evenings drew to a close and
daylight waned how we all increased our speeds, not worrying about
the fuel consumed to get to the anchorage before dark.
The
scenery changed interestingly along the way. We passed populated
areas with palatial homes or holiday getaways with piers and
boathouses and boats of varying styles tied alongside. Some trying to
outdo their neighbours with lounge furniture and bars and boathouses
out of “Vogue” magazines.
The
funniest we saw was a life size giraffe statue on one property and the
neighbour had what looked like Poseidon's mistress? in his yard!
We
saw the fronts of houses completely screened in extending sometimes 3
stories high and encasing large courtyards. Initially we thought they
were bird aviaries then suddenly realised it was insect screening!
The midges and mosquitoes were prolific in these areas
On
the other hand we passed miles of marshy and everglade type scenery
as the waterway wound its way inland sharing it only with the bird
life and dolphin.
We have arrived in the Oriental area of North Carolina and will settle “Erica” in a yard out of the water for the hurricane season.
We
are now preparing to return to NZ and Australia to visit family and for
work after visiting family in Vancouver
