The Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway begins in Norfolk and continues southbound to the Florida Keys. It utilizes natural bodies of water as well as dredged canals to create a continuous waterway. Although it was initially designed in order to help ships avoid hazards ranging from the natural forces of the Atlantic Ocean to enemy submarines in times of war, it is currently used by commercial and recreational traffic including of course, an annual fleet of snowbirds in search of warmer climates during the winter months.
It’s the kind of place where you substitute the sound of waves crashing against the hull to the monotonous white noise of your diesel engine. There isn’t time to get lost staring out into the open blue. The helmsman must be on high alert to stay within the dredged limits of the canal. Numerous lift-bridges and boat traffic will also keep the skipper on his or her toes.
I’ve had an introduction to this waterway in the past and quickly realized that this wasn’t my cup of tea. I promptly promised myself I’d never boat through it again. “I’m a real sailor.”, I thought. I’d rather be many miles offshore than motor through these rivers and canals. Indeed, a 24h period of Atlantic sailing covers as many miles as 3 full days in the ICW. Therefore, my chosen route would be obvious.
However, a combination of low-pressure systems and a time crunch made the waterway suddenly seem much more appealing. You see, it’s April, my crew and I are just south of the notorious cape Hatteras. A global pandemic has pushed us to return to Canada as soon as possible. Depressions are continuously forming off the Carolinas and there is no respite in sight. We need 2 or 3 days of consistent winds to make it around to the Chesapeake, but the predictions for foreseeable future do not give us that luxury. Cape Hatteras is known as the graveyard of the Atlantic, with good reason. Over 600 shipwrecks currently lay on the sandy bottom off these shores and I have no intention of adding my 35 ft sailboat to this collection.
So I swallowed my pride as we decided to travel it once more. We topped up the tanks, did a thorough engine check before attacking the last 311 miles of the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway. We were about to burn more diesel in four days than we had in the previous 4 months.
What we learnt from cruising the waterway southbound was that, although we will be protected from extreme sea states, we will still feel strong winds from storms waging a few miles east. Favourable conditions are needed to make it through comfortably. We know this because in October we found ourselves motoring straight into 30 knots of wind in the Alligator River at an exhilarating boat speed of 1 knot. These were the type of mistakes we did not intend on repeating. On our way north, we would plan accordingly to the weather. And so we did. The engine purred as we glided through the narrow canals as we enjoyed watching prey birds who nested on top of the channel markers. A falcon here, a bald eagle there. When we were closer to the ocean, dolphins would greet us and follow along for a while. We set our sails free whenever we could, in certain wider areas we could almost forget that we weren’t on the beautiful open blue. We even enjoyed smooth seas as we had protection from the swell. As the low pressure approached, we sailed downwind through a dredged portion of the North Landing river. While the breeze was picking up to the mid thirties, we were steering ever so carefully as an accidental gybe would potentially damage our rigging while the boat would run aground. We made it to protection just in time. “I sure am glad we aren’t out there.” I found myself thinking.
As we arrived to Portsmouth, Virginia we were all very happy that the ICW was behind us, but we were indeed much more appreciative of it. A nice yellow smear from its murky waters is printed on the bow of our white hull as if the waterway wants me to remember the gales we evaded thanks to it. I admit it’s a wonderful alternative that enables sailors to dodge storms while still making way. So here I am making a similar, yet more flexible promise to myself.
Next time, I’ll try harder to avoid it.