Flagler Memorial Bridge, with a closed vertical clearance of 17ft, crosses the Waterway and Lake Worth at Statute Mile 1021, south of unlighted daybeacon #10. The former openings were twice hourly. Royal Park Bridge, with a closed vertical clearance of 20ft, crosses the Waterway at Statute Mile 1022.5, south of unlighted daybeacon #14. The former openings were on the hour and half-hour. Southern Boulevard – S.R. 700 Bridge, with a closed vertical clearance of 14ft, crosses the Waterway and southern Lake Worth at Statute Mile 1025, south of unlighted daybeacon #20. A big Thank You to Captain Healy for alerting us to these schedule changes. Now, even these schedules seem to be changing almost daily. See /?p=127999
Flagler Bridge (StM 1021.8): As of early November, 2013, bridge restrictions have changed. WORSE! MUCH WORSE! The bridge now opens hourly at the top of the hour. That’s it. Massive construction involving foundation rehabilitation is taking place at this bridge. Much heavy construction equipment is on scene. Saturday, 11/16/2013, the span was continuously open. Not sure if that’s the case all the time. Plan very carefully in this area!
Royal Park Bridge (StM 1022.6): As of early November, 2013, bridge restrictions have changed. Hopefully temporary. WORSE! The bridge now opens hourly on the quarter hour. Weekdays, it skips the morning opening at 08h15 and the evening opening at 16h15. This works well for Southbound traffic, but not at all well for Northbound traffic. That’s it.
Southern Boulevard Bridge (1024.7): As of early November, 2013, bridge restrictions have changed. The bridge now opens twice hourly on the hour and half-hour. Jim Healy
The North Lake Worth anchorage dinghy landing (just a small beach north of Little Lake Worth bridge) was the cause of much discussion in August of 2012 (see /?p=93324). Captain Kat is asking for advice from anyone who might have used the landing recently.
Hi everyone, What is the current status of this dinghy landing? We will be heading that way soon and it is a very important spot for last minute stores. What if anything is the alternative? Kat
As of Nov. 17th, 2013, the beach in the creek which flows into the North end of North Lake Worth anchorage, remains the same as it has been, a reasonably good dinghy landing. Probably best to lock your dinghy. Publix close by and a BIG West Marine just 1 block South of PGA Blvd (moved from old location North of PGA Blvd). Regards, Mike, Carolyn & Catcher the cat On NAVIGATOR
Mason Inlet separates Figure Eight Island and Wrightsville Beach and intersects the Waterway at mile 280.5. SSECN has had a Navigation Alert posted for reports of shoaling at this intersection since August of 2013. See /?p=120325.
On Nov 13, 2013 at approximately 1:00 pm (mid tide) our keel bumped & then slid over shoaling on the “ocean side” of ICW channel very near G121 (Mason Inlet) . Our IP350 sailboat has a draft of 4′ 3″. We were very surprised as we had checked this cruiser site for any problem areas and found no mention of problems in this area. Jim Murtha
In light of Captain Murtha’s last comment, SSECN would like to remind everyone to always check our Navigation Alerts, which can be reached both via our top of the page menus, and by way of the red, vertically stacked menus on the right side of all (except Chart View) SSECN pages. You can also set a bookmark for /alert-region/010-all-nav-alerts/?sort=date (though, do note that this “ALL Navigation Alerts” page is sorted chronologically by publication date, while the regional Nav. Alert pages (e. g. “EF Nav. Alerts at /alert-region/035-ef-nav-alerts/?sort=geo) are sorted geographically!
Came through Mason Inlet [intersection with ICW] yesterday 2 hrs after low tide. Two boats already grounded near floating green can. Bumped as started through further toward red but grounded and backed off only to bump again. TowboatUS near by came to pull off and led through. Ignore floating green, less than 4 ft of water with rising mid tide. You need to be as close to red side docks as possible then angle back to channel past G23. TowboatUS captain said this location had started shoaling badly 2 days ago. John Lark
11/19/13 ‘“ We traveled the area AICW at Mason Inlet at MLW. We had 2.9 feet of water under our boat, we draw 5’7’³. John Sims
Cruisers’ Net has posted reports of shoaling in this Problem Stretch (which the ACOE terms as “behind Breach Inlet”) for months now. (see /?p=120335). And we are once again greatly indebted to Captains Susan Landry and Chuck Baier, owners of Beach House Publications, publishers of “The Great Book of Anchorages,” (http://www.tgboa.com) for providing the superb, in-depth article below. THANKS CHUCK AND SUSAN! Please read on!
Claiborne, We transited the ICW from Dewees Creek past the Ben Sawyer Bridge at 0830 this morning, November 7, 2013. Here are the depths that we found. First, we did study the Corps of Engineers most recent survey to determine on which side of the channel the deepest water could be found. It appeared to us that favoring the red side would be best, and that is what we did. We are southbound, so take that into consideration for the report. All depths reported would be at low tide for today. Before the Ben Sawyer at red “118” we found 8.2 feet at about 30 feet off the marker. The depths increased to 10 feet as we approached Swinton Creek. Very near the crossing at Swinton Creek the depths were 6 feet. Here is a situation where many may get confused. The currents at Swinton Creek and several other crossing of the ICW near inlets are very strong cross currents. As we crossed the creek we were set immediately off to starboard and pushed out of the channel due to the incoming tide. Fortunately the depths as we crossed these creeks were 17 to 20 feet where the current has scoured them out. But if running on autopilot, the course would not be corrected enough to get the boat back into the channel before hitting shoal waters. We have also found that if set by current, looking ahead will give us a false sense of still being in the channel. But if we look behind us, it becomes very apparent the we have been pushed far out of the channel. We recommend hand steering through this stretch and looking forward as well as behind to determine where the boat is. The speed and direction of these strong currents will depend on whether the tides are incoming or outgoing and how strong the currents are at that particular time. Now back to the depths. Approaching green “117” the signboard is missing and the piling only is sticking about 6 feet out of the water and angled toward the channel. Passing Swinton Creek we found depths of 7 feet, then dropping to 6 feet. As we approached first opening to Breach Inlet, the depths were 5.8, then 5.3, then 4.5. At the intersection of Breach Inlet, the depths were 12 feet with very a strong cross current. Beyond that point to the second crossing at Breach Inlet we saw depths of 10 to 12 feet until we reached Inlet Creek where we briefly had 6 feet. The depths came back to 10-12 feet, which continued until the Ben Sawyer Bridge. Beyond Ben sawyer we never saw anything less than 12 feet. As you can see, there is one very shallow area at low tide in the 4- to 5-foot range, so boats with deeper drafts will need to transit at higher tides. With tides in the 5- to 6-foot range for this area, that allows plenty of depths for deeper drafts. We hope this will help all of those that transit this section of the waterway after us. We will keep you posted on any other issues we find. Chuck and Susan. Trawler Beach House The Great Book Of Anchorages <http://www.tgboa.com/> Navigation Notices <http://www.marinalife.com/navigationUpdates/index.cfm> Our Blogs Trawler Beach House <http://trawler-beach-house.blogspot.com/> Voyages of Sea Trek <http://sea-trek.blogspot.com/
Click Charlet Above to Open a Chart View Page Centered on Oriental
We are grateful to Carol Small for sending us this article from Town Dock, Oriental’s waterfront news source. See http://towndock.net/. At least one of the “homesteading” boats which have been the source of much discussion and debate over the last few months have now departed. See /?p=125893
Wednesday November 13, 2013 There’s more space for visiting boats to anchor in Oriental’s harbor now that the French-crewed sailboat, Primadonna, has been towed to Morehead City. Primadonna has been anchored in Oriental’s harbor since it arrived last November. It was one of four such homesteading boats taking up space normally used by many cruisers on their annual treks south and north. The other three boats continue to homestead in the anchorage. Carol Small
Oriental Harbor - Photo by Town Dock - "Look at all the available space!"
According to a spokesperson at the Delegal Creek Marina, their entrance channel MLW depths are 3 ft, with a tidal range of 8-9 ft, so mid to high tide would be the best time to enter Delegal Creek. Once in the creek, soundings improve, but clearly this marina’s entrance depths are an issue if your vessel draws more than 3 ft. Delegal Creek Marina’s entrance passage lies northeast of AICW marker #86. just north of Hell Gate.
Sanctuary and crew spent a couple of days at Delegal Creek Marina from 11/6 – 11/9/2013. The entrance to Delegal Creek from the Vernon River/Ossabaw Sound IS NOT correctly drawn on the chart (US5GA24M) of the area; the land features have changed since the chart was produced. Cruisers can download a “local knowledge” satellite view chart from the marina website, or contact Billy, the dockmaster at Delegal Marina, for local knowledge. The region has a 6′ – 7′ tidal range, larger during celestial periods. Sanctuary and crew entered Delegal Creek about 1 hr after celestial low tide (16h00, 11/6/2013), which wound up being equivalent to MLLW on our tide almanac. There is only one short stretch of shallow water on the entire route from the Vernon River to the marina. For about 20 – 30 yds immediately upstream of G’3′ and R’4′, we saw as little as 4.9 ft. at MLLW. Except for that stretch, water depths in Delegal Creek are not a concern. Minimum depths in marina slips are 6′ all the way against the inner wall. Depths at the fuel dock and face docks exceed 20 ft. The facility is very well protected, has floating docks, wi-fi, restrooms, showers and laundry. Broadband WLAN coverage is 4 bars and fast. Facilities are “newish,” well maintained and clean. Marina guests can get a “pass” from the dockmaster that allows access to all of the member-only clubs, including the several golf courses, in the Landings community. There is a small commercial center that has banks, ATMs, a food market, shoppes and restaurants. Golf carts are available for touring the Landings communities and Skidaway Island. Billy makes every effort to help visitors. This is an excellent stop. Peg and Jim Healy aboard Sanctuary, Monk 36
When we were there July 1, I created a JPG graphic to show the route in. I sent it to the dockmaster so they could us it on their web site to help boaters feel more comfortable about the entrance. Well since reading your post, I looked on their web site and now they have a fancy graphic of GOOGLE MAPS view showing the approach. It’s a PDF file that can be seen if you click on either of the following hyperlinks: Delegal Creek Approach Chart
We also found this marina to be very CUSTOMER SERVICE focused. We arrived just minutes before a major thunderstorm. Needed to get milk and bread but didn’t want to take the golf cart into town because of the imminent storm. The girl working the dock actually knocked on our boat and offered to go to the store for us ! We were so grateful ! Ralph Yost
As virtually all cruisers are aware by now, Georgetown experienced a horrendous fire on the harbor waterfront several weeks ago. We are once again greatly indebted to Captains Susan Landry and Chuck Baier, owners of Beach House Publications, publishers of “The Great Book of Anchorages,” (http://www.tgboa.com) for providing the superb, in-depth article and photographs on Georgetown’s recovery. THANKS CHUCK AND SUSAN!
Georgetown Harborwalk
Claiborne, we’re very happy to report that the downtown area of Georgetown, SC is recovering nicely from the devastating fire that destroyed a block of historic buildings. All of the affected businesses have relocated throughout the downtown area, and all of them are either open for business or will be opening very soon.
Georgetown is Recovering
Even though we arrived on a rainy and windy weekday with chilly temps, there was not a parking space to be had downtown. The shops and restaurants were busy and there were many visitors walking along the main street and on the Harborwalk.
The piles of debris still stand as a scar on the landscape and debris removal has been slowed due to finding asbestos in the ruins of the old buildings. This is not unusual for buildings of this age, but due to environmental regulations, the material can’t just be loaded on a truck and hauled away. The removal will continue as quickly as possible. The town is open for business and still welcoming to cruisers.
Georgetown Fire Aftermath/Debris
The marinas are all functional and doing their best to make us all feel at at home. The anchorage had about a half dozen cruising boats this evening, and there is space for more, even with the semi-permanently anchored boats that have been here for quite a while.
There are two new restaurants in town and the city has many holiday celebrations and events planned between now and Christmas. The town is raising funds for victims of the fire by selling t-shirts in some shops and taking donations.We encourage boaters to come to Georgetown and show our support to a great waterfront town. Chuck and Susan The Great Book Of Anchorages Navigation Notices Our Blogs Trawler Beach House Voyages of Sea Trek
Thanks Chuck and Susan’¦..Your kind words make every day better for all who are trying to recover from this devastating fire Geoff Groat
Georgetown Harborwalk Marina
Click Here To View the South Carolina Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Harborwalk Marina
We are once again greatly indebted to Captains Susan Landry and Chuck Baier, owners of Beach House Publications, publishers of “The Great Book of Anchorages,” (http://www.tgboa.com) for providing the superb, in-depth article and photographs, contained in the article below. THANKS CHUCK AND SUSAN! Please read on!
Swansboro, NC Located directly on the Intracoastal Waterway is Swansboro, NC. Rich in history, Swanboro was established in the 1730s but not incorporated until about 50 years later. It initially thrived via its shipbuilding industry which lasted until after the Civil War. After the decline in shipbuilding, the town then changed its focus to the fishing industry which, along with tourism, now supports the local economy.
Swansboro Waterfront
Swansboro doesn’t get nearly as many visitors as its nearby cousin of Beaufort, NC, but it is a little town with a big personality, and a great little place to stop by and visit. You can cover the downtown area by foot in just a few minutes. Although small in size, Swansboro has a lot to offer. If a marina is what you are looking for, both Dudleys and Caspers are available. Dudleys is across the bridge and a bit of a walk from downtown, but the price is right (75 cents a foot, includes power). It is not fancy, but the staff is friendly and the marina even provides a courtesy car. Just beyond the shops and restaurants downtown, close to the ICW, is Caspers. They, too, are reasonably priced. Or, you can anchor just south of the bridge near R `4’ in 14 feet of water and dinghy in to the town dock at the park toward the north end of town and the bridge.
If shopping is on your list, Lighthouse Boutique and Tidewater Gallery sit on the waterfront and tempt visitors with their wares. The Olde Brick Store, an historical landmark dating back to the early 1800s, houses a number of shops. Poor Man’s Hole, back on the waterfront, carries handmade furniture. The Cigar Shop, behind the Harry Pugliese Pavilion, is a popular spot for the gents to hang out and swap a few yarns. The Mercantile carries nautical gifts. And don’t forget Russell’s Olde Type Shoppe for those handmade gifts. Many more shops with a variety of wares line Water and Front Streets as well as the neighboring side streets. After all of that eating and shopping, take a stroll down to the end of Water Street to Ward Shore Park, for a front row view of the ICW. The sunsets from here are spectacular. We like this sleepy little town and would encourage boaters traveling along the Intracoastal Waterway to stop, spend some time, and have a closer look.
The Olde Brick Store
Chuck and Susan, Trawler Beach The Great Book Of Anchorages Navigation Notices Our Blogs Trawler Beach House Voyages of Sea Trek
Boca Grande Swing Bridge, with a closed vertical clearance of 9ft, crosses the Western Florida Waterway at Statute Mile 34.5, northwest of unlighted daybacon #21, connecting the mainland with one of our favorite places on earth, Gasparilla Island.
A reminder for boaters traveling on the ICW in Port Charlotte, Florida during high winds. Last Saturday we were sailing South on the ICW in Charlotte County, Florida during a cold front with high winds. We arrived at the Boca Grande Swing Bridge about 11:20 am and hailed the bridge tender on Channel 9 for an opening. The bridge tender advised us that because the wind gust were above 30 MPH he was not allowed to open the bridge. So we waited for the wind gusts to die down, which they did about a half hour later then he opened the bridge and we went through. Capt. Mike Savino
This is the only bridge on the [Western Florida – editor] ICW that only opens on the hour and half hour. I just came back from a trip to Key West and had no problems on both passes through this opening. Robert M. Wilson
Both Washington, NC, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, and Bath, NC, are some of the most delightful ports of call on the North Carolina coastline. Both are located off the direct path of the AICW, but it’s usually a pleasant 30 mile cruise upstream on Pamlico River from the Waterway’s passage across this body of water to the Washington City Docks. The Pamlico’s waters are usually not as rough as its sister stream to the south, Neuse River. Along the way, you will first pass Bath Creek, on the northern bank, followed several miles farther along by Broad Creek, also indenting the northerly banks, and home of Washington Yacht Club and SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, McCotters Marina. Susan and Chuck’s superbly written article below will whet the appetite of any true cruiser, and bring on an irresistible craving to explore Washington and Bath. We heartily suggest you heed the call! Read on! We are once again greatly indebted to Captains Susan Landry and Chuck Baier, owners of Beach House Publications, publishers of “The Great Book of Anchorages,” (http://www.tgboa.com) for providing the superb, in-depth article and copious photographs, set below! THANKS CHUCK AND SUSAN!
Approaching the Washington City Docks and Downtown Waterfront
The Towns of Washington and Bath, North Carolina by Chuck Baier and Susan Landry
Washington, NC About 30 miles upriver from the spot where the Intracoastal Waterway crosses Pamlico River lies the town of Washington, NC. For the many boaters that speed south to reach their winter destinations, missing these side trips is a shame. We have been just as guilty in the past, but decided that on this transit of the ICW, we would stop and smell the fish fry. The Pamlico can be daunting and a careful eye on the weather is required. The payoff to visiting this well protected harbor and yet another historic site along the North Carolina waterway is more than worth the additional time and miles.
The Washington Harbor entrance is marked by a very old railroad bridge that is always open unless a train is coming. The channel is narrow, and once inside the harbor it’s best to call the town dock Harbormaster on VHF Channel 16 for docking instructions and slip assignment. There are two options for staying at the town dock. One is the free docks along the lovely promenade and park that lines the harbor. Docks G through K are side ties and we stayed on G dock which was reported to have the shallowest water. We found 14 feet on approach and 7-8 feet alongside. There are no tides to speak of, but the winds from one direction or another for prolonged periods can raise and lower the water levels. The second option available is to take one of the slips at the other docks which have power and water. Those slips are rented at $1.00 per foot per day plus $3.00 per day for 30 amp and $6.00 per day for 50 amp service. Water is included on the paying docks but not on the free docks. Free docking is good for 48 hours, but if you want to stay longer, the charge is 75 cents per foot per day.
Washington City Docks
The Dockmaster was on the dock ready to assist us as we arrived. The harbor is well protected from all directions and docking was straightforward and easy. Once the boat was secured, the Dockmaster filled out a simple form to register us and gave us a brief rundown on what to find in the area, along with a warm welcome. A very nice brick walkway runs along the seawall and is very popular with friendly local folks that always took the time to wave and say hello. A few even stopped to chat a while. There are restrooms attached to the park near the free docks, however they are locked in the evening. The showers and restrooms for the docks are a long walk down the promenade and are located in a trailer behind the Dockmaster’s office. They are accessed by a code provided by the Dockmaster, so are available at any time.
It wasn’t long before we were off exploring this quaint river town. Our first discovery was Scoops Ice Cream & Candy near the waterfront. Several of the shops and restaurants back up to the waterfront with an entrance there as well a front entrance on Main Street. It was a little sad to see so many storefronts and shops closed and empty. This seems to be a fact of life in many of these small towns. Washington appears to have been hit rather hard. There are still many interesting stores and restaurants to spend your time and money. We sampled the cuisine at Down On Mainstreet, directly across the street and parking lot from the boat and also visited a number of shops downtown including Nautilife, with its nautical themed gifts, River Walk Gallery and Arts Center, with great pottery items and paintings by local artists and Little Shoppes, a large building containing 20 little individual vendors all under one roof. It was impossible to walk away without making a few purchases for Christmas gifts.
Bath, NC A 2-3 hour trip back down the Pamlico brought us to the entrance to Bath Creek. It is well marked by G `1’ and immediately followed by R `2.’ Then head north up the creek to G `3’ followed shortly thereafter by R `4.’ Near the fixed bridge with 13 feet of clearance you will see a small marina with a number of smaller sailboats. Just before you reach the marina you will see a long dock with a T-head marked with a green sign reading `State Dock.’ Depths at the creek entrance were approximately 14 feet and continued with adequate depths all the way to the dock. The depths at the end of the dock were 7.5 feet while depths halfway down the dock where Beach House tied were about 6 feet. As with Washington, depths can vary here with any significant winds for a period of days, either raising or lowering the depths in the creek.
Bath State Docks
A sign on shore instructs you to complete a form and drop it off at the Visitors Center, a short walk up the street to the left on Main, to Carteret then to the right, to register for your stay. A maximum stay of 72 hours is requested to allow other boats to have the opportunity to tie here. There is no water or electric provided, however there are trash cans and a recycling bin at the top of the yard to the right near the road. Once you are registered, the town will provide you with a small map which shows the historic sites of interest and other information you might need.
We chose to spend our first full day in Bath touring the historic sites. The recently refurbished Palmer-Marsh House is directly across Main Street from the dock. The Van Der Veer House contains a museum and is just across the parking lot and around the corner from the Visitors Center on Harding Street. A short walk down Harding takes you to Craven and the St. Thomas Church, one of the oldest churches in the country, built in the early 1700s. The Bonner House, on the corner of Main and Front, has been lovingly maintained and continues to maintain its vigilant watch over the Bath Creek entrance from its hilltop perch. A pleasant surprise on the walk back to the dock was the Pirate’s Treasure gift shop, located in the two front rooms of a private residence on Main Street. The Christmas ornaments made from shells and starfish were too irresistible not to purchase a few.
We needed to mail some packages and top off our provisions with fresh produce. A ½ mile or so walk east on Carteret will bring you to the post office and a small ABC package store. A little farther along on the opposite side of the road brings you to the Country Kitchen, one of 2 sit-down restaurants in town, and the Bath General Store. The store had a small but fresh selection of fruits and vegetables and a surprising interesting selection of wine. The owner even asked if we would like a free bunch of overly ripe bananas with which to make bread. We accepted.
Strolling Bath's Quiet Streets
We had our usual ice cream hankering while in Bath and were able to fulfill the craving at a little store/marina, the Quarterdeck, at the bridge on Back Creek off of Bath Creek. The store sells ice cream, non-ethanol gas, grills food for all 3 meals and has a variety of marine and novelty items. If it’s warm enough outside, you can have your meal in one of the rocking chairs or picnic tables provided.
The next day left us wanting lunch after a hike over the bridge toward Washington and we choose to stop at Blackbeard’s Slices and Ices, very close to the State Dock, just next to the bridge. We can recommend them for tasty club sandwiches, burgers and fries.
Our detour up the Pamlico River has been well worth the time and fuel. We only regret not doing it sooner.
Well, of course this fine facility continues to garner praise. After all they are a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR!!
Staniel Cay is my favorite place in the Bahamas, and Staniel Cay Yacht Club is my favorite place to be. If there is a more perfect beach bar in the entire world, than theirs, I have yet to find it. Everybody who asks me where to go in the Bahamas, I say Staniel Cay Yacht Club. It’s a great place to sail to, and, it has the absolutely most convenient airport, if you want to fly (and not even have to connect through Nassau). R. Holiman
Statute Mile 225 in Bogue Sound - Cclick for Chartview
Most of the recent shoaling in this area has occurred at Markers #45 and #45A at the intersection of the Waterway and the Bogue Inlet , an area which SSECN has designated as a Problem Stretch. Captain Baier relates a possible depth issue just north of the intersection at Markers #40 and #40A. If others of you find any indication of depths beginning to shoal at mile 225, please let us know!
We found the depths in Bogue Sound, heading south from Beaufort to be in the 13 to 15 foot range until we reached markers R”40″ to R”40A” off Guthrie Point. The depths dropped from 14 feet to 8.9 feet between the two markers, both in the center of the channel and on the red side. This was near high tide for the day and would put the depths at 6.5 feet at mean low water. Not a problem for many boats, but deeper drafts should use caution. Chuck and Susan, Trawler Beach House
This new Transportation bill is good news for the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. A big thank you to BoatUS for its continuing efforts on the behalf of all boaters.
NEWS From BoatUS Boat Owners Association of The United States 880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304 BoatUS Press Room at http://www.BoatUS.com/pressroom FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com Photo Available at: http://www.BoatUS.com/pressroom/previewImg/hiRes/951.jpg Photo Caption: One item in the boater-friendly Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013 directs the US Army Corps of Engineers to assess the operation and maintenance needs of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To A “Navigation Alert” Position at Mason Inlet
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