Jim and Peg Healy Cite Their Favorite AICW Ports
Elizabeth City, NC, and the “Albemarle Loop:“ Elizabeth City is the anchor town on the Dismal Swamp Route of the ICW southbound from Norfolk/Portsmouth. Elizabeth City has a marvelous small museum dedicate to the region. The Elizabeth City Public Wharf is the Harbor of Hospitality. Docks are free, albeit without services. This is a favorite stop for us to relax and refresh.
The Albemarle sound is a shallow body of water; the “deep water” range is 12′ – 18′. These waters are home to many crab fishermen; crab pot floats are to be found virtually throughout the sound. The sound lies geographically East-West, and the prevailing winds are from the West and Southwest. Winds greater than 15 kts can raise uncomfortable beam seas for North-South crossings. Winds greater that 20 kts can produce uncomfortable chop in all directions.
While not technically part of the ICW, this “loop” is centered around the ICW Routes from
Norfolk/Portsmouth to the southbound ICW at the Alligator River in North Carolina. Â The “Albemarle Loop” [see
/154885] is a cruising route that touches some wonderful and oft-overlooked venues. On the Crystal Coast, the towns of Manteo and Ocracoke are excellent stops. On the Western Albemarle, the towns of Edenton and Plymouth are delightful. The history of the Albemarle dates to the earliest English colonists. At Manteo, visit the Lost Colony Plantation. At Edenton, visit the revolutionary period Chowan County Courthouse, St. Paul’s Church, learn of the ladies of the Edenton Tea Party, and visit many other historical sites. Here is a link to information on the Albemarle Loop:
http://albemarleloop.com.
Beaufort, NC: This is a seaport town near Morehead City; it’s a very pleasant, laid-back, “chillaxin'” place with a small but well done Maritime Museum, many shoppes and some nice local restaurants. Â For those who might enjoy a short off-shore (maybe 10 miles) cruise, depart the Beaufort Inlet and head out the the bight at the
Cape Lookout National Seashore. Â It a large, well protected anchorage, with access to the beach for campfires and swimming. Â The bight itself is well protected from winds and ocean sea states, but the trip out and back can be too much for some if the wind offshore is up. Plan accordingly.
Charleston, SCÂ and Savannah, GA: magnificent old southern cities with many points-of-
interest and fine restaurants; our strategy is to take a tour bus around the city.  Look for a tour company that has same-day on-and-off privileges.  (We do this every time we arrive somewhere we’ve not been before, including Canada).  We take the entire tour circuit first, then go back to places that we think we’d like to know more about.  At Charleston, start at the Welcome Center.  Or, take the tour boat to Fort Sumter; nice 
aquarium near the Ft. Sumter ferry docks.  In Charleston, there is a water taxi from the Charleston Maritime Center that goes back and forth to Patriot Point, which is 
where the USS Yorktown is located. In Savannah, there is a nice stage theater within walking distance of the downtown waterfront (http://www.savannahtheatre.com). The Savannah waterfront is very interesting, with a large riverwalk, wonderful park overlooking the River, and large shipping and commercial traffic as well as every kind of small-
boat and pleasure craft. There are several architecture tours in both cities, and both have lots of weekly and seasonal activity for visitors. From Savannah (there are marina options in downtown Savannah on the Savannah River or at Thunderbolt and Isle of Hope), boaters can also visit Tybee Island (light house and Fort Pulaski).
Beaufort, SC: from the Beaufort Downtown Marina, take a carriage tour through the historic ante-bellum homes in the area. Â The downtown is friendly with many shoppes and good restaurant options.
Fernandina Beach, FL: City is easy walking distance right at the foot of the docks at the Fernandina Harbor Marina.  Take the tour to Fort Clinch. Visit the house where the Pippi Longstocking movie was filmed. Visit Billy Burbank’s trawl net factory; they make shrimp nets; they’re open to the public for tours, and it’s a very interesting afternoon.
St. Augustine, FL: The St. Augustine light house is open to the public; the Catholic Cathedral Basilica would be of
architectural interest to all; the Fort itself (Castillo de San Marcos) is wonderful, and the docents that do the historical interpretation are excellent.  There are many restaurants within walking distance of the St. Augustine City Marina. We like the a1a Ale House.
Titusville, FL: Not really remarkable as a destination in itself, but the Titusville City Marina is an excellent place for boaters to stay in order to visit NASA at Cape Canaveral; the public areas and displays at Canaveral are excellent. Â It’s also a great place to watch a launch, if one is scheduled.
The entire region from Charleston to St. Augustine has high tidal ranges, ranging from 5′ at St. Augustine to as much as 9′ in Savannah/Beaufort/Charleston. Â Those high tidal ranges create swift tidal currents, and especially for first-times, docking is easiest in the 1/2 hour before and after slack.
There are many areas of shallow water in the region. Â The very best resource for current data on low water and caution areas is available viaÂ
www.activecaptain.com. Two other websites that all ICW travelers should know about are
www.waterwayguide.com andÂ
www.cruisersnet.net.  I’m sure you are familiar with the Waterway Guide book series.  The “Salty Southeast Cruiser’s Net” (SSECN) is  really a boating group.  It was founded by Claiborne Young.  After Claiborne’s untimely loss, the group continued in operation.  The Cruiser’s Net website specializes on the US Southeast.  There is some duplication of material between the WWG site and the SSECN site, but there is unique value to both.  Both are excellent resources for fuel prices, marinas and anchorages.  These websites would make a good sidebar for any ICW article.  Two of these websites require registration – SSECN does not, but all three are free, and all are very useful to ICW boaters.  Both WWG and SSECN also have smart phone apps that duplicate and augment website information and are very useful on small-format devices.
There are some generalizations that apply to the region, including the stretch from Georgetown, SC all the way south to below Fernandina Beach. Â In some of those areas, boats drawing more than 4′ will want to consider not traveling at low tide; especially celestial low tides. Â The Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for dredging the ICW. Â USACE is funded by state congressional delegations. Â In recent years, the money congress allocates to dredging has been diverted to “more pressing needs,” and so many areas of the ICW are shoaling, and in fact, the ICW resource is slowly being lost; well, allowed to die, really, by congress. Â There is a not-for-profit called the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association. Â The Executive Director is Brad Pickel;Â
bpickel@seahavenconsulting.com. Â That would make another sidebar for any article on the ICW. Â There are some local knowledge bypasses around some shoal areas. Â All of the cruising sites above can provide additional detail.
Renting a car in any of these venues greatly expands what a boating visitor can see and do. Â Some, but not all, marinas have courtesy cars. Â Generally they can’t be used for long periods, but they are useful for re-provisioning when needed.
Hope this helps.
Jim
Peg and Jim Healy aboard Sanctuary, currently at Ft. Myers, FL
Monk 36 Hull #132
MMSI #367042570
AGLCA #3767
MTOA #3436
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To A “Navigation Alert” Position at Mason Inlet.
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