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Choices, choices.
Regular blog readers will know that I'm on a sailing adventure with my partner, Ian. We left Georgian Bay, Ontario (Canada) last summer and travelled south to the Bahamas. After a sun-filled, enjoyable 'winter' there (sans snow), we're now heading home.
Part of our route involves motor-sailing through the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), a 4,800 km (3,000 mile) waterway running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean. It extends from Massachusetts to the southern tip of Florida, up and around the Gulf Coast to the city of Brownsville, Texas. We will only travel the section from Florida to Norfolk, Virginia, and then traverse various canal systems to Lake Ontario.
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| The Intracoastal Waterway |
The US government has mandated that the ICW be maintained/dredged to a minimum depth of 12 feet at low water tide.
I can unequivocally state that this 'minimum' 12 feet does not exist! Some areas - yes. But where shoaling occurs, and boy-oh-boy, does it occur, some areas are as low as four feet. The GPS will show the depths at varied levels, and other apps will state something different. Unfortunately, we have 'hit' bottom several times over the last couple of weeks. The draft on our sailboat (meaning the depth of the keel below the boat) is five foot seven inches. If there are waves, then we have to add more depth to the GPS sounding as the trough or lower part of the wave will affect the overall depth. Shoaling often occurs after storms and heavy seas, so I have to give some latitude to the Army Corps of Engineers who are tasked with dredging the ICW channels. Nonetheless, the shallow waters in the ICW make travelling a nail-biting, sphincter-test of nerves.
But back to the choices.
Dismal Swamp
It's the oldest operating, man-made canal in the United States. Originally an enormous swamp, it was drained and dug out by hand, beginning in 1793. It took 12 years to complete the 22 mile waterway which connects Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, to Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. According to Wikipedia, the government borrowed slaves from neighbouring plantations to be the labour force. What a sorry job for these men - the name Dismal Swamp is an apt description of the landscape and insects. The average depth along this route is six feet. Our boat requires a minimum of five feet seven inches to clear bottom.
ORAlligator River
This section of the ICW is also part of the Pungo River Canal. It's a 21-mile stretch of man-made land cut that's between eight and ten feet deep in the centre. Erosion along the banks of the river have contributed to logs and stumps scattered throughout. This makes for a dodgy travelling day because also scattered with the drifting logs and stumps are hundreds of crab pots. And if that isn't nerve wracking enough, you have to be on the lookout for swimming black bears, red wolves and yes, the occasional alligator.
Our choice?
Alligator River. It's all about the depth!
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| Our GPS display as we travelled through the Alligator River. The red arrow symbolizes our boat's position. Note the depths (in feet) surrounding the dredged channel. |
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| We didn't see any alligators or bears, but we did see this beauty swimming across the river. |
And so, our adventure continues. We're anchored in Norfolk, Virginia and tomorrow, we have to decide if we'll head out for an ocean pass to Ocean City, or, stay on the ICW and head to Chesapeake Bay. Choices, choices.
On a sad and personal note, the revered publisher of BWL Publishing, Jude Pittman, recently passed. It was sudden and unexpected. She has joined her beloved husband, Métis medicine man John Wisdomkeeper, in the spirit world. Rest in peace, Jude. You will be missed.
Stay safe, and don't forget to tell the ones you love that you love them.
J.C. Kavanagh, author of
The Twisted Climb - A Bright Darkness (Book 3) Best YA Book FINALIST at Critters Readers Poll 2022
AND
The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends (Book 2) voted BEST Young Adult Book 2018, Critters Readers Poll and Best YA Book FINALIST at The Word Guild, Canada
AND
The Twisted Climb,
voted BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers Poll
Voted Best Local Author, Simcoe County, Ontario, 2021
Novels for teens, young adults and adults young-at-heart
Email: author.j.c.kavanagh@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/J.C.Kavanagh
www.amazon.com/author/jckavanagh
Instagram @authorjckavanagh
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In the U.S.
