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Definitely a 'No Wake Zone' on the ICW You won't get away from this Sheriff! Although the major canals around the world, such as Suez and Panama, offer a safe shortcut between oceans, the ICW offers a safe inland route along almost the entire length of the United States Eastern Seaboard. It officially starts at Norfolk Virginia (Mile Marker 0) and ends at Miami at Mile Marker 1089.0 (statute miles). The overall length of the waterway systems that run down the Eastern Seaboard and into the Mexican Gulf is around 3,000 miles and starts as far north as Boston. Coming south from Boston, I had used the seven mile long Cape Cod Canal which saved us the 135 mile trek around Cape Cod. South of the Chesapeake are many natural swamps and waterways and already in the late 1700s they were being used for the transportation of people and cargo. The idea of joining all these natural waterways to make one long passage eventually got underway when in 1826 Congress authorised a survey for an inland canal between the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Throughout the 1800s and the early 1900s, natural waterways along the Eastern Seaboard became linked by man made canals, mostly measuring 9ft x 100ft (2.7m x 30m). The ICW came into greater use as a transportation highway with the invention of the diesel engine in 1892. No longer did small vessels have to brave the storms of the Atlantic Ocean, and during the second world war it meant that they could also escape becoming easy prey for the U-boats that were lurking along the coasts. Transiting the ICW all the way from Norfolk to Miami means there are 146 bridges to negotiate. Many are fixed, with the remainder being swing, bascule or vertical lift bridges. In this stretch of the ICW there is only the one lock and that is at Great Bridge, Mile Marker 11.5, just south of Norfolk. Some bridges would open on request, but most opened at set times and for these it paid to arrive just prior to their opening otherwise it meant joining a queue and juggling around in the wind and current amidst a gaggle of other boats. Because of our tow, I tried very hard to arrive to experience a minimum of delay before going through the bridge, but of course many others had the same idea. Apart from keeping a sharp eye on the depth sounder, the helmsman had to be aware of where the channel markers changed from red being on the starboard side of the channel when heading south, to being green to starboard because of the tidal characteristics of the area. Luckily, at most of these change points the seabed is of a soft composition, as many boats would continue putting the red marker on their starboard side only to find themselves slowly coming to a sliding stop and outside of the main channel. There are seven of these change-over points and it's best to have them well marked before the day's run. Our daily run was governed by distances between suitable marinas and bridge opening times, and being underway for 10 hours we would sometimes only accomplish 60 miles. When passing through built-up areas there were speed limits of five knots with many "no-wake" zones where one had to be really careful so as to avoid being sued by someone who may say that the wake damaged their moored boat. www.skipper.co.nz Aisling with her 7.9m tender moored at Great Bridge in the only lock on the ICW Running down the east coast can be a bit of a bash, especially while going against the north bound Gulf Stream and a fresh northerly coming up from astern. Five miles off the coast and all one can see is a long flat line on the horizon, as there are no distinguishing features such as hills that stand out. It's a wonder those early navigators in the 15th and 16th centuries ever found any inlets on this low lying coast, but there are plenty of wrecks that bring full meaning to the term "dead reckoning". The small coastal towns have a fascinating history. The ICW comes out to the coastal town of Beaufort in North Carolina and it was here that I found a house that was dated 1585. Because there were some depth problems further south in the ICW, I chose to head out into the Atlantic for the 230 mile run down to the charming city of Charleston. Founded in 1670, it quickly became one of the largest cities in the Unites States, its wealth coming from being a trade centre, and in the late 1700s cotton became its major export. Because of its trading past, the early slave population and its prominent participation during the American Civil War (1861 to 1865), Charleston has a unique blend of cultures and architecture. In one part of the old city, I could well have been in a provincial French town. Towing the 7.9m tender was nearly our undoing on the next coastal leg as a large following sea was encouraging the boat to overtake us. So I called into Mayport at the entrance of the St John's River that leads up to river port of Jacksonville. There was a strong out-flowing current at our first berth and I opted to move into a more sheltered berth. As we pulled in the towline of the tender, the pin of the major shackle in the towline was seen to be ready to fall out. On the trip down the coast the mousing had worn through allowing the shackle pin to unwind. We had been very lucky not have lost our tow in that big following sea. Before leaving port again I had small eyes welded onto the outside of the "D" shackles so the mousing could go directly from the eye of the pin and through the new welded-on eye. Using this method avoided the mousing being chafed on the inside of the shackles. After wasting a week there waiting for the weather to abate, I put a crewmember in charge of the tender and gave him enough cash for fuel and food so that he could take the 300 mile run down the calm waters of ICW. Meanwhile, we headed out into the four metre seas and around Cape Canaveral, where thankfully it calmed right down to a beautiful moonlit night. Port Everglades is the entrance for Fort Lauderdale and with the new restrictions in place due to 9/11 no movements of any vessels were allowed if there was a cruise ship arriving or departing. The Coastguard was in full attendance and wanting to know details of everyone on board before allowing a vessel into the port. Fort Lauderdale is the home of superyachts in the United States and along with the super mansions lining the ICW and canals there is an outlandish and unashamed display of wealth. Such scenery was in complete contrast to the destruction we had witnessed in New York only a month earlier. September/October 2013 Professional Skipper 61