[EXPIRED] ARGUS Seems to Confirm Shoaling Along AICW’s Eastern Flank in Creighton Narrows (GA AICW, near St. M. 642)
Our strategic partner, Survice Engineering, is currently collecting ARGUS data from research vessel, Altair, as this boats wends its way north on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.Altair has encountered shoal water on the Creighton Narrows section of the AICW, south of Front River. Please note that Altair’s soundings are NOT yet included in the ARGUS data displayed on the SSECN. That will happen with the next update.
Anyway, look at the graphical representation to the right that depicts what Altair found while cruising through the Creighton Narrows. In particular, notice the very shallow water Altair encountered in the channel’s crook, south of #155.
First, I went back and checked our earlier ARGUS data, and noticed that previous ARGUS research craft had not found as thin water along this stretch. Conversely, we noted a 1/4/10 SSECN “Navigation Alert” established for almost this exact same spot.
We interpolate that south of #155, the AICW’s eastern flank is shoaling, and Altair may have gotten a bit closer to this side of the channel than might have been intended, while the earlier ARGUS research craft, may have cruised through closer to the mid-width, or even favoring the western and northwestern side of the Waterway slightly.
This is all a VERY LONG WINDED way of saying that cruisers might try favoring the western side of the AICW slightly, south of #155, and, hopefully, that will improve depths. Really safe and wise skippers will time their passage of the Creighton Narrows section of the AICW for mid to high tide.
Just got in some additional info by way of John Hersey, at Survice Engineering, from Captain Mike aboard Altair. As you can see, this text tends to confirm my hypothesis, that Altair encroached on the AICW’s easterly flank, south of #155.
“The soundings around 0950 were the result of meeting a tug and tow in a narrow part of a turn in Creighton Narrows, and I needed to get over as close to the bank as I could. Very thin water.”
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To A “Navigation Alert” Position at Creighton Narrows
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