The only specialised marine publication in Oceania that focuses on the maritime industry, from super yachts to small craft to large commercial ships, including coastal shipping, tugs, tow boats, barges, ferries, tourist, sport-fishing craft
Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/172326
NEW YORK 9/11 TO FORT LAUDERDALE BY MICHAEL PIGNÉGUY F or six days after 9/11 the Port of New York was closed to private vessel traffic. We were champing at the bit to continue our voyage to Fort Lauderdale, some 1330 nautical miles south via the Intracoastal Waterway. When American Airlines Flight 11 flew into the North Tower at 0846 hours on Tuesday September 11, 2001 we had been berthed in the Harsimus Cove Marina in New Jersey – directly across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan and just under a mile from the Twin Towers. While we were watching what was thought to be a terrible accident, 17 minutes later United Airlines Flight 175 ploughed into the South Tower. Most local communication systems came down with the collapse of the towers and it was very difficult to find out any information regarding leaving the port. The Hudson River was being patrolled by armed Coastguard vessels who turned me back with rifles pointing and fingers on their triggers when I tried to cross in our 7.9m tender. At 0830 hours on Sunday September 16 just by chance I heard that the Port Authority had granted a two hour opening for any vessels wanting to leave, but they had to be past the Statue of Liberty by 1000 hours. Unfortunately, the owner and his family were ashore at church, but knowing that he wanted to head south as soon as possible I told the crew that if they were not back by 0930 hours we would cast off anyway and get him to travel by road to Atlantic City which, for us, was about nine hours steaming. Luckily, they all arrived back at the boat just as I was about to cast off and we made it to the Statue of Liberty with five minutes to spare. Those vessels that didn't make it on time were turned back by the Coastguard and had to wait a further four or five days to break free. Smoke was still rising from the ruins of the Twin Towers as we left New York behind. Atlantic City is like one big casino, but it did provide a convenient stopover to regain some semblance of normality after the chaos of New York. Just as we were leaving the following morning the starboard engine failed, but I decided to carry on to the pretty little port of Cape May Harbour, just 40 miles south and right at the entrance of Delaware Bay with the Delaware River at its head. After much head scratching as to why the engine would go for a bit and then fade, the problem was found to be a small piece of rag in the fuel line just before the primary filter. From Cape May Harbour there is a very convenient canal, just over three miles long, that provides a shortcut into Delaware Bay, and once through we turned to the northwest and up into the Delaware River. It was here that we started to experience what was to become the norm for nearly the next 1200 miles: Shallow winding waterways and low-lying land. We were also venturing into areas of many beacons and buoys and I had to be careful not to forget that we were in the land of the International Association of Lighthouse Authorty "B" system of buoyage (red right returning). We needed to head up the river in order to find the 17 mile long Delaware-Chesapeake Canal that would take us into the 60 Professional Skipper September/October 2013 The 26.8m Aisling moored at Las Olas Marina, Fort Lauderdale headwaters of the popular sailing area of Chesapeake Bay. This is a 200 mile long bay, 30 miles wide at its widest point and which has more than 150 rivers and inlets running into it, including the famous Potomac River. There are large areas of shallow water, but the average depth of the main channels is 14m, and is 63m at its deepest point. As with all inlets down the eastern seaboard, there is a proliferation of crab pots – most of which seem to inhabit the main channels! Our destination in the Chesapeake Bay was Norfolk. For us this was where the official start to entering the "Ditch" began, the Intra-Coastal Waterway, Mile Marker Zero. There are mile markers at every mile, although in statute miles they are very useful in helping keeping track of position because, as we were to find out, between the various towns and cities there are at times very few distinguishing landmarks. Before committing ourselves to a passage through the ICW, I had to check that our air draft and maximum draft were both under the minimum heights of the many bridges and depths of the variety of channels through which we would pass. Fixed bridges have a minimum height clearance of 19.8m at Mean Low Water, but most have a board-at-water level indicating the clearance at that state of the tide. We had an air draft of 14.6m with our mast, but our radio antennae often scrapped along the underside of a bridge. The United States Army Corp of Engineers is responsible for keeping the ICW channels to a minimum depth of 2.13m at MLW, but as funding is an on-going issue, we found there to be many areas of less depth which eventually caused us to have to leave the ICW and brave the Atlantic instead. Whoever is at the helm has to keep one eye on the depth sounder at all times and keep an eye on similar sized vessels ahead that may come to a sudden stop. Coming to a sudden, or any kind of stop, presented another problem for us as we were towing our 7.9m tender. It meant that a crew member had to very quickly dash aft to fend the darn thing off, otherwise it was a real pain in the stern! When berthing it also meant that someone had to man the tender until we were tied up at our "slip" (berth). During October and November each year there is an annual migration of recreational craft from as far north as Boston and beyond, that head south to escape the harsh winters. Known as the "snow birders", in their thousands they head to the countless marinas of Florida to laze in the warm winter sun before heading north again the following April/May to avoid the hurricane season. Because of the high number of craft transiting the ICW it was very important to book ahead for a marina berth, as anchoring in most parts of the ICW was not an option for a vessel of our size. There was only one marina that wouldn't take a booking and said it was "first come, first served". On this particular occasion some dirty weather was fast approaching and there was nowhere to anchor. The marina manager said there was another boat due, but there was only one berth left. I leaned on the throttles and amid some calls of "watch your wake" managed to beat him there by 10 minutes, just before the wind and rain appeared and darkness fell. www.skipper.co.nz