Below, you will discover our listing of what have been reported as the worst problem stretches of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway along the Georgia coastline, arranged in a rough, north to south geographic format. Be sure to click on the links labeled, “Click Here To See What Your Fellow Cruisers Are Saying About . . . ” to check on the latest input from the cruising community, and, don’t miss the links labeled, “Click Chartlet Below To Open A Chart View window zoomed to the Location of This AICW Problem Stretch.” This latter link will bring up a “Chart View” window, zoomed to the location of the problem stretch in question.
The Problem: Shoaling at Hell Gate has reappeared here, particularly along the edges of the channel. One report places depths near marker #87 as little as 4 1/2 feet, but most cruisers report MLW soundings of around 5 feet. Hell Gate as last dredged in August of 2019.
The Solution:Time your passage through Hell Gate for mid to high tide.
The Problem: The Little Mud River section of the ICW, particularly the section just north of the Waterway’s intersection with Altamaha Sound, is universally considered to be the WORST single stretch of the AICW, and this assessment is still very much the case – see comments below.
The Solution: Time your passage through Little Mud River for high tide – NO FOOLING!
The water depth in the Little Mud River is highly dependent upon the track you take, and being 50 feet either side of the center of the channel can result in very different water depths. April 8 we worked our way through using the Navionics Sonar Charts. At 2 hours past low water we were carrying +2.2 feet. We did not see any depths less than 6.4′ on the track we took. This would equate to 4.2′ at low water. This stretch certainly is about tied with Hell Gate for the shallowest water on the GA ICW. But I think if you are fortunate to find the deeper water you can still take 4 feet through there at low water. There was a large dinner cruise ship going south and a tug and barge coming north. They managed to pass each other without incident.
Jekyll Creek (Statute Mile 683, Georgia ICW)The Problem:Shoaling continues to plague the AICW channel north of the Jekyll Island bridge near marker #19
The Solution:Be sure to pass NO MORE than 20 or 30 feet west of marker #19! We also advise traversing this section of the Waterway at mid to high tide.
AICW Channel Through Cumberland Dividings Statute Mile 704, Georgia AICW
The Problem:The Waterway channel near the southern tip of the “Cumberland Dividings, just north of where the AICW intersects the southerly reaches of the Brickhill River, has multiple problems. First, some charts and chartplotters show the magenta fairway line running on the western side of the red markers in this area. Those who blindly follow this erroneous magenta line will run aground every time. Also, and perhaps even worse, the Waterway is shoaling badly along its western flank, north of marker #63.
The Solution:Time your passage through these waters for mid to high tide. FOR THE MOMENT (subject to change WITHOUT NOTICE), heavily favor the easterly side of the channel between #59A and #60A. Be on the lookout for missing, temporary or uncharted markers along this stretch, and carefully observe any which are spotted. Proceed with MAXIMUM caution, and be SURE to read the remarks of our fellow cruisers who have recently passed through this AICW stretch, by clicking the “Click Here For Updates and To See What Your Fellow Cruisers Are Saying About the AICW Channel Through the Cumberland Dividings” link below!
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