Post #23: Runnin’ in the Rain

 Sunday, October 25, 2020

On Friday we had learned from the Coast Guard that the ICW would be closed for part of the day on Sunday to accommodate the Offshore Powerboat Association World Championship Races in Morehead City.  So we had to leave Beaufort by 8 a.m. if we were to get through before the races started.  This is what me missed:

We did see this fishing vessel docked at the North Carolina port facility.  Sometimes I wonder that there any fish left in the ocean at all!

The rain began soon after we left Morehead City so I don’t have a lot of pictures of this part of the trip.  We really can’t complain as this is our first rainy day since September. It pretty much looked like this:

We know that when we are at anchor we need to leave our “Anchor Light” (a white light at the top of the mast) on all night.  And we know we’re supposed to keep some lights on when we’re moving at night or in reduced visibility like today.  So I went below to our electrical panel to turn them on.

Wait, was that “Running Lights” or “Steaming Light” or “Tricolor Light”? And what’s the difference between them?  (It’s times like this when I’m reminded how little I know about boating and that it will take me decades to learn all I should know.) I searched for an answer on line and finally went right to the source and resorted to reading the USCG regulations—as I should have done in the first place.

By the way, if you thought the breaker board was confusing, this is the spaghetti that resides behind it:

Navigating along the ICW in the pouring rain is not for the faint of heart. Although the channel waterway is supposed to be at least 150’ wide, that is far greater than the actual navigable waters (for many sections of the ICW) for boats that draw more than 5’. There is substantial shoaling (shifting sands and mud) along many parts of the ICW, so we need to pay close attention to the ATONs (all those buoys and markers) and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) survey maps which are overlaid on our electronic charts.  To keep from going aground in the sand or mud, it is sometimes like threading a needle or, as David says, “We’re going to be doing a dosey-do ahead.”  

In addition, we have downloaded  “Bob’s tracks” on top of the USACE maps and ICW charts. “Bob” refers to Robert Scherer, who cruises the ICW, works for the Waterway Guide (a nautical publication), and writes a yearly ICW passage guide. This fall, Bob is about 200 miles ahead of us, and daily posts the “track” of  his boat’s passage.  

Here’s David to explain—

Time for a picture:

Here is a (particularly bad) section of the ICW that we transited yesterday.

• The width of the ICW is covered by the colored US Army Corps of Engineer’s survey - done on 9/10/2020 - so quite recent. The depths in feet are MLLW (mean lower low water).  If we transit at high tide, we know we have a bit more cushion but unlike in Boston where the tidal swing is 8-9 feet, the tidal swing in parts of North Carolina have ranged anywhere from 18” to 4.5’.  Figuring that out requires referencing another chart and keeping vigilant.
• We download the latest USACE updates every day when transiting areas like this.
• As you can see, there is nowhere near 150 feet of navigable water for Onward, as she needs 5’4” clearance.
• The green square marked “99A” is a US Coast Guard buoy - but good luck trying to navigate with that alone:-)
• The dark blue dashed line is “Bob’s track” - dated 10/20/2020 - one week ago.
• The green dashed line is Onward’s track yesterday (10/26/2020) - as you can see, David was following Bob’s track as closely as possible.
• There are areas along our track that are barely 6 feet at low tide.
• When we transit areas like this, Carol watches for other boats or any other issues, as David is glued to the chartplotter. One little slip, and Onward is aground.
• David has taken to referring to these sections of the ICW as the areas where the “fiery red tentacles from Hell” are reaching out to us from both sides. We’re OK in the green, blue, and yellow but that’s it.

Obviously before this data was available, a lot more boats went aground. We often wonder how many boats have this technology.  If not, they must be wondering why on earth we are zigging and zagging sometimes!