I have made two round trips from Chesapeake Bay to the south—the first time to Daytona Beach, FL, and the second time to Charleston, SC. I have accumulated some information that I would like to present to you. In all cases, these are my own personal opinions. Please use your own judgment when traveling on your boat, and don't take anything I say for granted.

For convenience, I have listed things as if I was traveling south from Chesapeake Bay.

General Traveling Philosophy and Strategy

Buzzard's Roost Marina, just off the ICW on the Stono River near Charleston, SC. I climbed up the mast to take this picture. The old swing bridge is being replaced with a tall fixed bridge.

My general philosophy is that getting there is half the fun. Some people are always in a big rush to make as many miles as they can, and travel every day, but I take a more relaxed pace. I plan daily runs conservatively—50 statute miles is a really big day, and most days are substantially less. This way, if I'm delayed for some reason, I'll still have time to arrive at my destination in the daytime. I try very hard (and so far successfully) to avoid all travel at night, since I think that night ICW travel would be difficult and greatly increase the chances of getting lost, running aground, or having an accident. I also include plenty of layover days—one layover day for every two or three traveling days. If I'm someplace nice, I might have more than one layover day. Layover days let me catch up on trip planning and boat chores, and also let me relax and enjoy the surroundings. I also add layover days to sit out inclement weather.

My general strategy is to travel down Chesapeake Bay to the bottom of the bay, then travel on the ICW to Beaufort, NC. At this point, I head offshore and make a series of one-day overnight offshore hops down the coast. After each hop, I stay for at least two nights in a marina to catch up on sleep and chores. For example, heading south from Beaufort, NC I went offshore to Bald Head Island, NC on the Cape Fear River, followed by Charleston, SC, followed by Savannah, GA, then Mayport, FL. At this point, I picked up the waterway again. Coming north, I left from Ponce de Leon Inlet near New Smyrna Beach, FL (where I obtained local knowledge before leaving), then went offshore to Brunswick, GA, followed by Beaufort, SC. I traveled the waterway to Charleston, then went offshore to Southport, NC on the Cape Fear River, followed by Beaufort, NC, where I picked up the waterway again.

By traveling offshore, you get to experience an ocean passage, which is dramatically different from ICW travel in almost every respect. Since each passage is only one day, it's relatively easy to work it into the weather forecast during trip planning. I have done the overnight passages by myself, and I find that I don't have any real difficulty staying awake all night. I know that when I arrive, I'll be able to tie up at a marina and get a good rest, confident that the boat is well secured.

By traveling offshore, you also avoid a lot of twisty-turny waterway that might be slow going. You also avoid the Marine Corps firing range, numerous shoal areas, and some areas without a lot of good places to stay. On the other hand, going in and out the inlets to travel offshore adds a lot to the mileage, especially when you go around Frying Pan Shoals between Cape Fear and Beaufort, NC.

Sources For ICW Information

I highly recommend getting information from many different sources. Different people have different opinions about things, and have different experiences to report. If you only rely on one or two sources of information, you might have trouble coming up with a broad enough perspective on things. I read many different sources, and took the following information with me on the boat:

• Waterway Guides: Mid-Atlantic Guide (from Chesapeake Bay to the Florida Border), and Southern Guide (from Florida to the Mexican border) - These two books are kind of pricey ($40 each), but they are really great sources for all kinds of information. I used them almost every day and consider them to be essential. They have navigation information on the rivers and canals (including trouble spots), listings of most of the marinas and anchorages along the route, information on the cities and things to do, plus general ICW and boating information. They also have ads from marinas, so you can read what the marinas say about themselves. Everything is well organized, so you can just read the book sequentially and see how the trip will progress. Be sure to get the current editions of all publications—things change rapidly enough that an edition even a year or two old can have serious errors or omissions.
• Anchorages Along The Intracoastal Waterway, Marinas Along The Intracoastal Waterway, by "Skipper Bob" - These two slim paperbacks look kind of amateurish, since the guy publishes them himself, but they contain a lot of useful information. The marina guide has all kinds of useful details about facilities, water depths, exact prices, distance to stores, protection from wind/wakes, etc. The anchorage guide has lots of details, too, including listings of free docks, unusually economical marinas, and opening bridges.
• The Intracoastal Waterway Chartbook, by John & Leslie Kettlewell - This is a set of miniature charts (approximately 8 by 10 inches) covering the whole trip, plus notes on anchorages and bridges, and common sense advice about waterway travel. This is very handy to have in the cockpit at all times, instead of wrestling with the big chart kits. They also have their own opinions about anchorages. The disadvantages are that the paper is very flimsy for a book that gets a lot of use, the charts are sometimes hard to read because they are reduced in size, and it's very expensive ($55 list). Also, you can't really use this book to pick GPS waypoints off the charts, since they use an odd scale and don't always have latitude/longitude information on each page.
• Maptech Chartkits for Chesapeake and Delaware Bays (Region 4), ICW Norfolk, VA to Florida (Region 6), Florida East Coast (Region 7) - These are full-size copies of the official government charts with complete scale and latitude/longitude information on each page. They also have aerial photos of popular locations, more high-level overview charts than the little chartbook, and cover some rivers further inland. These are the charts I use to plot courses and pick off GPS waypoints. They average about $120 per set, so they aren't cheap, but they are much less expensive than buying the individual charts. To use the chartkits in the cockpit, you need to get the plastic chart protectors they sell in case you have to use the charts in the rain. Since the chart protectors themselves are kind of flimsy, buy two in case one falls apart.
• United States Coast Pilot, Region 3 (Atlantic Coast: Sandy Hook to Cape Henry), Region 4 (Atlantic Coast: Cape Henry to Key West) - These two documents are the official U. S. Government's "cruising guides". The first one covers Chesapeake Bay (plus other areas not part of my ICW trip), and the other one covers the ICW trip itself (plus other areas). They are fairly terse, and cover most things from a big ship point of view, however they do have lots of details.
• U. S. Coast Guard Local Notices To Mariners, 5th district (northern portion of the waterway) and 7th district (southern portion of the waterway) - These notices contain last-minute official information about ICW problems like shoaling, bridge closures, dredging operations, broken or missing buoys, etc. The notices were very useful after the hurricanes, because the waterway had a lot of problems and was actually closed for a while in South Carolina due to storm damage. The information is updated weekly, so you could follow the progress of storm repairs, including when the waterway was reopened. I printed out the lastest versions before we left, but didn't really use them while traveling. After reviewing them to see that there were no insoluble problems, I decided that we could cope with all the other minor problems as we encountered them, without having to review the upcoming problems day by day.
• Reed's Nautical Almanac, East Coast - This is an indispensible volume, containing tide and current information for the the entire east coast. There's lots of other information, too, like chartlets, navigation details, and radio frequency usage. The only drawback is that you have to buy a new one every year, since the tide information only covers a single year.
• Atlantic and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Anchorages from Tom Dove's WWW home page - This web site has a list of anchorage notes, accumulated from several different people. This isn't something you could use by itself, but it serves as another set of opinions to go along with everything else you have.
• Mel Neale's Favorite Stops Going South on Chez Nous - I picked up this little two-page handout at the Atlantic City Boat Show just after I bought my boat. The Neales have done the ICW trip numerous times, and they're good about sharing information. This handout had quite a few good ideas on places to stop, and I referred to it frequently. I basically trust the Neale's opinion—if they say a stop is nice, I'll probably think the same thing.
• An Anchoring Guide to the Intracoastal Waterway by Norris D. Hoyt - A previous owner of the boat left this 12-page mimeo handout on the boat, along with his handwritten notes on anchorages he used. Although the information was old, it was yet another set of opinions to throw into the pot.
• Guide to Cruising Chesapeake Bay, published annually by the same people who publish Chesapeake Bay Magazine - This is a very detailed and useful guide, definitely worth having.

How I Do My Overall Trip Planning

First, I figure out the starting point and the final destination. I figure out when I'd like to leave the starting point, and when I'd like to arrive at the final destination. In doing this figuring, I keep in mind the seasonal changes in the weather and plan accordingly. For example, I don't want to linger up north too late in the fall, and I don't want to be down south in hurricane season. As I do all this figuring, I write it all down in my logbook so I can review it later.

I read the Waterway Guide (and other books and guides) thoroughly, maybe more than once, and come up with a list of places I want to visit and things I want to see and do. This list will have more places than I wind up visiting, because it's everything that appeals to me. At this point, I don't bother trying to make it a practical cruising itinerary. I also read the guides and study the charts to figure out where marinas and potential anchorages are, and add these to the list. Some areas of the waterway have lots of marinas or potential anchorages, some areas have few or none.

This whole mass of information makes up the rough plan for the trip. Now I make additional passes through the rough plan, trying to figure out practical daily runs, keeping in mind the various places I'd like to visit and the available marinas or anchorages. Even now, I still don't finalize the details, and still leave the information in rough form. There might be multiple options or variations on the trip still undecided. But at least by now, I have a pretty good idea of all the possibilities and have some practical itineraries that fit into my general timetable.

How I Do My Detailed Trip Planning

When I work out the route details, I want to wind up with a list of all the navigational information in my logbook and with the courses marked on my charts. This requires a commitment to use particular stopovers, so I can follow the route as-planned. I think it's too difficult and time-consuming to try to figure out all these details for the entire trip in advance. Plus, if I figured out everything in advance, I might want to change my mind later, which would require refiguring lots of details. Instead, I just work out a few days of details at a time.

In cruising mode, I travel for a few days in a row, then stop somewhere for at least one layover day. On traveling days, I don't usually have enough time to figure out all the navigational details for upcoming passages, especially if I'm by myself. Therefore, I use the layover day to do complete passage planning for several days of day-after-day traveling. While I'm doing that day-after-day traveling, I don't have to do any passage planning. At my next layover, I work out the next set of day-after-day passages, up to the next layover. This way, I spread the time and effort of detailed planning over a long period of time. This also gives me the flexibility to change my plans without having to refigure lots of details. Every time I figure out details, I review my notes for the rough travel plan that I worked out before leaving. I try to stop where I wanted to, using available marinas or anchorages, while keeping within the overall timetable.

In my nomenclature, I consider a "voyage" to be the whole trip, such as heading south from Annapolis to Daytona Beach. I divide a voyage into several "passages", each of which consists of moving the boat from one anchorage/marina to another anchorage/marina. For most waterway traveling, a passage will be one day's run. But on my overnight offshore hops, a single passage spanned two days. And when I came up the coast non-stop, one passage took five days. I divide each passage into several "legs", each of which consists of a single straight-line run from one waypoint to another. When the route passes down a twisty-turny river, I don't try to make straight-line legs, but consider the whole river section to be one leg, usually starting and ending the leg at notable landmarks.

For each passage, I write down the following information in my logbook:

• Passage number - The voyage starts with passage 1 and goes as high as it has to. When I went from Annapolis to Daytona Beach in 1999, it took 16 passages. When I went from Charleston to Baltimore in 2002, it took only four passages, since most of the trip was non-stop.
• Passage name - The starting and ending locations, for example: Town Center Marina, Solomons, MD to Smith Creek anchorage off the Potomac River.
• Total legs - I leave this field blank until I finish planning the passage, then I fill in how many legs for the entire passage. Passages typically have from five to ten legs. My five-day non-stop passage had 25 legs.
• Total distance - I leave this field blank until I finish planning the passage, then I add up the distances for each leg and write the total here (always in nautical miles). Passages typically are 25 nm to 45 nm.
• Total time - Once I know the total distance, I compute the total time for the passage (hours and minutes). For this purpose, I assume my boat speed is 5.0 knots. Even though my cruising speed is usually greater, I use a more conservative value to allow for bridge delays, adverse currents, perhaps sailing at speeds slower than normal, etc. I also write down total time values for 5.5 kt and 6.0 kt. This range of values usually defines the limits for my actual cruising time—I usually get there sooner than the 5.0 kt value but later than the 6.0 kt value.
• Information for individual legs - For each leg in the passage, I write down the following information in my logbook:



• Map reference - I write down the Chartkit page number(s). Some legs can span two pages. Also there might be two chart scales available—one page with a big overall view plus another page with a closer look at the details.
• Leg number - Each passage starts with leg 1 and goes as high as it has to.
• Route - For straight-line legs, the route is usually from one waypoint to another waypoint, for example "CDRP to PNP". The first time I mention a waypoint in a passage, I write out the name (such as "Cedar Point" or "Point No Point") since the waypoint name might not be very descriptive. The first time I mention a waypoint, I also write down the latitude and longitude, in degrees/minutes/seconds. If the route isn't between waypoints, I briefly describe the route (such as "Centerville Tpke Bridge to North Landing Swing Bridge").
• Course - For straight-line legs, I determine the magnetic course from the chart. If the leg isn't a straight line, or if it's in an area where navigation is simple (like a canal), I just say "course = visual".
• Distance - Measured from the chart, as accurately as possible, by walking a pair of dividers.
• Time - Usually assuming a boat speed of 5.0 knots.
• Passage notes - After listing all the legs, I typically have several lines of passage notes. In this section, I work out the tides and currents for the start and end of the passage, write notes about bridge schedules and VHF calling frequencies, jot down page numbers for the waterway guide, etc. I also figure out and write down my planned departure time and estimated arrival time.

Here are some sample passages, transcribed from my logbook:

Passage 9 South River anchorage near Oriental to Town Creek Marina, Beaufort, NC
legs = 6, dist = 26.2 nm, time @5.0 kt = 5 hr 15 min, @ 5.5 kt = 4 hr 46 min, @ 6.0 kt = 4 hr 22 min

15 Leg 1 Anchorage to SOURA (South River approach) 35°00'07"N, 76°36'00"W
course = visual, dist = 2.5 nm, time @ 5.5 kt = 28 min
16 Leg 2 SOURA to M01795 (Mile 179.5) 35°01'19"N, 76°38'50"W
course = 308M, dist = 2.6 nm, time @ 5.5 kt = 29 min
16 Leg 3 M01795 to M01849 (Entrance to Adams Crk) 34°57'52"N, 76°40'53"W
course = various, dist = 4.8 nm, time @ 5.5 kt = 53 min
16 Leg 4 Adams Crk, plus canal to T----T on chart inset
course = visual, dist = 8.3 nm, time @ 5.5 kt = 1 hr 31 min
17 Leg 5 T----T on chart inset to BEA1 (Beaufort Russell Slough)
course = visual, dist = 5.6 nm, time @ 5.5 kt = 1 hr 1 min
17 Leg 6 BEA1 to RS, to BEA2 (approx., near G"5"), to BEA3 (approx., past G"7"), to BEA4 (approx, past R"12") to G1 then marina
course = visual, dist = 2.4 nm, time @ 5.5 kt = 26 min

BEA1 = 34°45'29"N, 76°40'24"W, BEA2 = 34°44'35"N, 76°40'10"W,
BEA3 = 34°44'07"N, 76°40'32"W, BEA4 = 34°43'42"N, 76°40'08"W
Tides for Tue Nov 20, 2001:
Beaufort Gallant Channel, on Cape Hatteras p. T96 H+:49, L+:44, range = 3.5'
Cape Hatteras L0415, H0149, L1729, H2321
Gallant channel L0457, H1138, L1813, H0010 (Wed)
Core Creek Br L0559, H1215, L1915
Leave 7AM arr about 12 noon
See Russel Slew diagram WWG p.259

How I Mark Up My Charts

Most of the time, when I'm on the waterway, I follow the "magenta line" (the ICW course line). After reading the various guidebooks and the Coast Guard Local Notices to Mariners, I write notes on the chart to indicate shoal areas and other potential problems. While traveling, people often announce hazards to navigation on the radio; if applicable, I write notes on the chart in the affected area. I write other notes to indicate locations of marinas or anchorages for planned stopovers. As I mention below, I note my GPS waypoints on the chart, and also circle navaids as I pass them.

For my offshore passages, there's no magenta line, so I draw course lines to connect my plotted GPS waypoints. The waypoints sometimes use navaids, but sometimes are just arbitrary points on the chart. I then make mileage ticks on the course line to show how many miles to the destination waypoint. I usually make a tick every 10 miles, although if the scale is big enough, I make a tick every 5 miles, and write the mileage number next to the tick mark. When I'm traveling on that leg, the GPS shows how many miles to the destination waypoint. I can glance at the chart and use my mileage ticks to see where I am on the course line. This is helpful when there's a navaid coming up somewhere near (but not on) the course line. Due to swell and wind waves, buoys are only visible for a few miles offshore. There's no point in looking for a navaid if it's still many miles away. The mileage ticks are also useful to see where I am with respect to lighthouses or cities on shore. These lights are visible for many miles.

I sometimes use the same course line for northbound and southbound travel, by just reversing the order of the waypoints. In this case, I make two sets of mileage ticks on the course line. For one set, I write the mileage numbers on one side of the line, and draw an arrow next to each mileage number to indicate the direction of travel. For the other set of ticks, I write the mileage number on the other side of the line, and draw an arrow in the other direction.

As I'm traveling, I sometimes determine a position fix, which I then mark on the chart, along with the time.

Navigation Concerns

In general, the ICW has lots of navigational aids: daymarks, buoys, and ranges. Most of the time, the navigation is straightforward, but there are some areas of special concern.

Some portions of the waterway cross wide bodies of water that are very shallow, in fact, too shallow for many boats (Currituck Sound comes to mind). In these areas, the waterway uses a relatively narrow dredged channel that is conspicuously marked by numerous daymarks. It's important when traveling in these areas to stay in the channel, because outside the deep but narrow channel, the water can be very shallow (just a few feet, or less). You should frequently look ahead and behind, and observe your boat's track with respect to the channel markers. If there's a crosswise wind or current, you might be heading directly towards the next marker, but you might be drifting sideways out of the channel. By looking at additional markers ahead and behind, you can mentally construct an imaginary line that defines the center of the channel, as suggested by the markers.

Other portions of the waterway travel along wide rivers, or cross large bays or sounds. Rivers can have "points" along the shore, with shoals extending into the river (the Pungo River comes to mind). There are usually navigational aids present, but they may be hard to see from a distance, especially if it's hazy or foggy. Before setting out on such a passage, I pick off waypoints from the chart and enter them into my GPS. If there's any difficulty seeing navaids during the passage, I can use the GPS to steer towards a waypoint instead. Using GPS waypoints also helps a lot when crossing large bays and sounds (for example, Albemarle Sound). From a long ways off, it's often hard to visually pick out where the waterway will resume on the other side of the bay or sound. I usually steer to a GPS waypoint until I can unambiguously discern the navaid.

Using The Chart

I always have the chart in the cockpit, and I refer to it often. I usually place the chart on the cockpit seat next to me, and orient the chart so the boat's heading on the chart points directly forward (this is called "heading up" as opposed to "north up"). This way, when I look to my right in the "real world", I look to the right of the "magenta line" on the chart (which is the ICW course line). If the chart shows a green daymark coming up to the left of the magenta line with the river turning right, when I glance up and look at the "real world", I should see the daymark on the left and the river turning right. This technique requires that I frequently reorient the chart so my heading is always "up"; also, the writing on the chart is sometimes upside down from my viewing perspective. I consider these to be minor inconveniences.

Using Daymarks

As I travel through an area with a series of daymarks, I always try to have the next daymark in sight, although sometimes it can be out of view around a bend in a river. As I approach the daymark, I use binoculars to verify the color and shape, and when it gets close enough, the number. I verify this information against the chart.

Before I pass the current daymark, I study the chart to see where the next daymark should be located, and note its color and shape. Using binoculars, I look in the proper direction to locate the next daymark, and attempt to verify the color and shape. In most cases, as I approach one daymark, I have to use binoculars to clearly see the next daymark. Even if I can see it without binoculars, I always use binoculars at least once just to "make sure". When an object is at the limit of your unaided sight, you sometimes "see what you want to see", and might mistake some other object for the desired navaid. By using binoculars, you can easily avoid this potentially dangerous problem.

Once I pass the current daymark, I verify the number visually then circle it on the chart using a pencil. Traveling along a series of daymarks, it's easy to forget where I was in the sequence, so I mark up the chart. Before I start a passage, I erase all the old pencil marks using a vinyl drafting eraser, which doesn't damage the chart. If I pass a daymark but don't have the next daymark in sight although I think it should be visible, I slow down right away—something's not right. The problem is usually that I can't pick out the daymark in the haze or against background clutter, or that I'm actually looking in the wrong direction.

Using Ranges

In some locations, the waterway has ranges that you can use to improve your navigation. The ranges are marked by pairs of range markers, however, the waterway usually has ordinary daymarks in the vicinity, too. When studying the chart, it's very important to determine what's an ordinary daymark and what's a range marker. Then when you locate the navaid visually, be sure you're looking at the right navaid—it can be disastrous to confuse a range marker with a daymark. Range markers are frequently well outside the channel, so if you think you're steering towards a daymark but are actually looking at a range marker, you may stray out of the channel. Range markers are frequently taller than daymarks, and if lighted, will have a white light instead of a red or green light.

Using a GPS

I have a Magellan 315 GPS mounted next to the steering pedestal. I use an accessory power cord to power the GPS from the boat's DC power. I keep the GPS on all the time, except when I stay in a marina.

When I do my trip planning, I study the chart and figure out where it might be helpful to have a GPS waypoint:

• For bays, sounds, and big rivers, the route usually consists of long straight sections with course changes inbetween. I set a waypoint every place the course changes. If there are navaids where the course changes (common on the waterway), I might be able to navigate these areas visually, but it's very helpful to have the GPS waypoints just in case. Offshore, there are few navaids, so I use GPS waypoints for all planned course changes.
• I set GPS waypoints where the waterway enters or leaves big bodies of water.
• I set GPS waypoints where I want to leave the "magenta line", for example to head off the waterway to an anchorage.
• I might set some waypoints in an area where the navigation can be confusing. For example, in some major harbors, there can be several channels and numerous navaids, including range markers. To help me steer through this potentially confusing area, I'll set waypoints for the few navaids that I want to use, then steer to the waypoints.
• It's also helpful to set a waypoint at a bridge that opens on a schedule. As I'm approaching, I monitor the "ETA" value on the GPS (Estimated Time of Arrival) to make sure I'll arrive at the bridge in time for the next opening. There's no sense in rushing if I don't have to.

To set a GPS waypoint, I draw a point on the chart and write the six-character waypoint name next to it, and draw a box around it. I take off the latitude and longitude using dividers, and double check the data very carefully. I write all the information in my logbook and program it into both GPS units (main and backup). Recent vintage Maptech Chartkits have many GPS waypoints already noted. I use the same names they use, although I have to convert their numbers from "minutes and decimal minutes" into "minutes and seconds", which is the way my GPS is configured.

Whenever I anchor, I let the boat settle into its final position, then capture a waypoint on the GPS. I can use the latitude and longitude from the GPS to plot my position on the chart. Then I tell the GPS to "Go To" the anchorage waypoint. The GPS shows the distance to the waypoint, which is normally 0.00 nm or maybe 0.01 nm. If the anchor drags, the distance value will increase. The GPS has an anchor alarm feature, but the beeper inside the GPS is so quiet that the feature is not very usable. Instead, I select the GPS screen that has large characters, turn on the backlight, then orient the GPS so I can see the screen when I'm below, looking out the companionway (the GPS is mounted in the cockpit by the pedestal). Although I can't hear the alarm from below, it's easy to see the numbers, even at night.

When I'm traveling on narrow rivers or canals, I don't usually use GPS waypoints. However, it's still useful to look at the GPS, watching the latitude and longitude numbers for my current position. On many waterway charts, there are black grid lines across the chart every two minutes of latitude and longitude. When the GPS shows an even number of minutes for latitude or longitude, with seconds equal to zero, you are right where the latitude or longitude grid line crosses the magenta line. When the GPS shows an odd number of minutes with zero seconds, you are halfway between the grid lines.

My GPS has an odometer screen with two values—the trip odometer and the main odometer. I reset the main odometer only at the beginning of the overall voyage, so it keeps track of the total mileage. I reset the trip odometer after every passage, so it keeps track of my daily run. When planning a passage, I normally use the chart to figure out how far I'm traveling each day. I try to measure the distance carefully, and write it down as a figure including the tenths of miles. When traveling, I can look at the GPS trip odometer compared to the computed amount to see how far I have to go. I also frequently use the GPS ETA value to see when I'll reach the next waypoint.

Traveling By Myself

Frankly, I prefer having crew, since it eases the workload and provides companionship. But crew isn't always available, so I sometimes travel by myself. Here are some tips for solo waterway travel:

• Entering a marina - I always call ahead (by telephone) to reserve a slip. When I'm within sight of the marina, I pull over to the side and stop the boat to prepare for arrival. I deploy all my docklines as follows: one bow line on each side, one long midship spring line on each side, one stern line on each side. After cleating the end, I run each line under the lifelines, then flake out the line by draping it back and forth over the lifelines. I place the tail end of the line slightly away from the main bundle, to make it very obvious, and I make sure that the tail end is outboard of the lifelines. I attach two fenders on each side of the boat, but leave them on the side decks ready to deploy. Now I call the marina on my handheld VHF and request a slip assignment. I also make a point to tell them I'm solo and would like docking assistance, which has always been provided. I wait until the dockhand is standing by my slip, then motor into the slip. The dockhand sees the docklines on the lifelines and grabs an end to secure one line. If somebody else is around, they'll grab another line and I'll tend the stern lines. Once the boat is secured, I deploy the fenders as required, and move the unused spring line over so I have two spring lines on one side. You only need one at first, because if there's some wind or current, it's only going to push you one way at the moment. If the dockhands have been very helpful, I tip them $2 to $5, since when I'm solo, I really appreciate (and want to reward) good service.
• Leaving a marina - I take winds and currents into account when planning my departure. If conditions are not favorable, I'll stay another day rather than risk dinging my boat (or somebody else's boat). If it looks like a very easy departure (no wind or current, plenty of maneuvering room), I can do it solo. From the dock, I cast off all lines, toss them on the boat, and hop aboard. I'll tidy up the lines once I'm away from the marina. If I think that I could use some assistance, I stop by the office and talk to the dockmaster, or call them on the radio, and request assistance. Sometimes, fellow boaters are available and if so, are always willing to help. I take off most of the lines, and hop aboard; the dockhand casts off the last one or two and helps guide the boat out of the slip.
• Anchorages - These are fairly straightforward, provided the anchorage is not crowded (which I try to avoid). I have an electric windlass and a washdown pump—they are very handy. Arrival is quite straightforward. I just need to make sure the windlass hand controllers are installed (one at the helm, one at the bow) and the windlass circuit breaker is on. To depart, I first put all the items I'll need in the cockpit, then start the engine. I stand at the bow with the windlass hand controller in one hand and the washdown hose in the other hand. I crank up the anchor a little at a time, washing off the chain as required. Once the anchor breaks free, the boat is adrift, so I look around to make sure I'm not drifting into trouble. Then I finish raising and washing the anchor, and washing all the mud down the side decks to the drains. Then I walk back to the cockpit and start motoring.
• Traveling - It can be very tiring standing at the helm for hours, handling all aspects of boat operation. I try not to overdo things, and take plenty of layover days, so I don't get burned out with cruising. While standing at the helm, I try to attend to basic creature comforts, like wearing a hat and sunglasses, using sunscreen, having water and snacks readily available, and having a sweat towel available. It's tiring enough manning the helm all day; I don't want to compound the problem by getting dehydrated or sunburned.
  
  When I went on the overnight offshore hops by myself, I took some special precautions. In winter, I wore my harness and stayed clipped-in to padeyes in the cockpit or to jacklines along the side decks. In summer, I didn't always use my harness, but instead wore my vest-type PFD. For better comfort, I clipped it together at the bottom but didn't zip it up. In one pocket, I had a small strobe light with built-in flashlight. In the other pocket, I carried my submersible handheld VHF. Since the radio was a little big for the pocket, I tied the radio to the PFD with a lanyard so it couldn't drop out. I also operated the boat very conservatively, to try as much as possible to stay out of trouble. During the dead of the night, I kept a kitchen timer in the cockpit with me. It's the type that produces a several-second ring instead of a single "ding". I would repeatedly set it for 15 to 20 minutes, over and over. When it rang, I would do a thorough 360-degree scan around the boat, and restart the timer. I figured it would be loud enough to wake me if I accidentally fell asleep, but this problem didn't occur.
• Sailing - I'm not a very ambitious sailor if I'm by myself. My boat is rigged as a cutter, so it has two headsails, plus the main, plus a vang, reefing lines, etc. It's a handful to sail full-blown all by myself. If it's not windy, I frequently wind up motorsailing with the headsails. Since they are on roller furlers, they are easy to operate from the cockpit. I am very cautious about putting up the main when I'm by myself. If the wind pipes up, it could be a difficult and hazardous task to reef or furl the main, solo, since I have to do this standing on the coachroof by the mast. If it looks risky, I wear a harness and attach a special tether to the mast. The tether is long enough that I can reach all the mast winches, including the reefing winch on the boom. However the tether is short enough that I can brace myself against the taut tether and use both hands for sailhandling. Meanwhile, the boat is motoring into the wind using the autopilot. The autopilot has a hard time holding the bow directly into the wind, more so when it's windier. Frankly, if it's going to be windy, I don't think it's worth the effort and risk to use the main when I'm by myself. With two headsails and a favorable wind, I can get plenty of drive without the main.
• Deploying/recovering dinghy - This is very difficult solo, unless I use a considerable "mechanical advantage". I have a five-part tackle that is part of the Lifesling gear, designed to hoist people out of the water. I attach one end of the tackle to the main halliard, then raise the halliard about 10' while extending the tackle. Then I cleat-off the main halliard and use the tackle to hoist the dinghy. I find it difficult hoisting the dinghy with the halliard alone, since I have to stand by the mast. By using the separate tackle, I not only get a higher mechanical advantage, I can also walk around while holding the free end of the tackle line.

How To Let Someone Pass You In A Narrow Waterway

Since I travel in a sailboat, I'm not the fastest boat around. Plus I'm not exactly in a rush, anyway. When traveling the waterway, I am frequently passed by all kinds of boats, both sail and power. There is a protocol to follow to facilitate passing in a narrow waterway, but unfortunately, I don't always see it followed (especially when sailboats pass sailboats).

• Keep a lookout behind you to see if a boat is gaining on you. If so, plan to be passed soon, and look ahead to find a convenient location. If the boat comes up on your stern but makes no effort to pass, assume that he wants to pass and is just being polite, waiting for you to make the first move. This is one point that is sometimes overlooked.
• Reduce power to idle and shift to neutral, letting the boat slow down. If necessary, let the boat coast to a stop. This is another point that isn't always followed to best advantage. There's no real point in slowing down a little—you have to slow down a lot. Some boats reduce power but keep traveling at a pretty good clip. This just prolongs the passing event without any benefit.
• Pull over to the side of the channel, making the move obvious so the boat behind you can clearly see that you're pulling over to let him pass.
• Wait for the other boat to pass you completely, then steer back into the center of the channel and resume speed.
• Voilà, no problems and everybody's happy.

What I Keep In The Cockpit While Traveling

I have a list of items that I put in the cockpit prior to each passage:

• Big chartkit, in a plastic protector if it might get wet from rain or spray
• Little chartkit, protected as above
• Logbook, protected as above
• Dividers and pencil
• GPS
• Handheld VHF
• Hand-bearing compass
• Waterproof binoculars
• Freon horn
• Sunglasses
• Sweat towel
• Water bottle
• Sunscreen
• Camera, in a ziplock bag
• Headlamp, flashlight, spotlight - if traveling at night
• PFD, up under the dodger, so I have it "readily available" but out of the way
• Boathook, within reach

Weather

I listen to the NOAA weather first thing in the morning, and last thing at night (and sometimes during the day if there are some weather concerns). I jot down the information in my log using a personalized shorthand. For example, if the forecaster says "increasing to", I just draw an upward arrow. I also have a tiny microcassette tape recorder on board that I sometimes use to record the forecast, then play it back multiple times as desired. This is especially useful for the SSB offshore and high seas weather forecasts, which aren't broadcast continuously like the VHF forecasts. Look in Reed's Almanac for a listing of VHF weather channels in your area, and for SSB frequencies and schedules.

The weather broadcasts usually report current conditions at various locations in the region. This is very useful to see what the wind and waves are doing; the reports seem to be quite reliable. The forecast for the next 12 to 24 hours is usually fairly reliable. Any further than that, it becomes somewhat of a guessing game. I might pay attention to the advanced forecast just to get a rough idea of the possibilities. But there have been enough times when the advanced forecasts were way off, so I don't take it as gospel.

When traveling the ICW, there are several different boating situations that affect how you interpret the weather forecast. If you're traveling down narrow rivers and canals (where the waterway gets its "ditch" name), you can remain relatively protected from big winds and waves. If you're traveling on some of the big bodies of water (Chesapeake Bay, Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, the Neuse River, etc.), you have much less protection and should be more conservative in your planning. If you go out on the ocean, especially heading south in the winter, you have essentially no protection and should be quite conservative in your planning.

I confess to being somewhat of a wimp when it comes to the weather—if the forecast calls for stormy or rainy weather, I might just stay put an extra day if I'm at a marina. Heading south in late fall, though, it's pretty hard to avoid windy cold weather. In some situations, I have stayed at a marina an extra day to wait for the winds to die down, to avoid the risk of the boat being blown into a predicament where it would be impossible to recover without damage. The basic problem is that my boat maneuvers poorly at slow speed, especially when backing. I have a very difficult time turning the bow through the wind if it's breezy and I'm motoring slowly. Sometimes my turning circle can increase to more room than I actually have, which makes for a predicament.

I carry on the boat a few hurricane plotting charts; you can download a PDF version from this NOAA site. During hurricane season, I'm usually somewhere on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay. Most of the time, thankfully, hurricanes don't threaten my immediate vicinity. But occasionally, a hurricane will cause some concern. It's very handy to have a plotting chart, so you can plot the track of the hurricane. Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and the plotting chart is very helpful in establishing any general trend in the hurricane's path. Instead of a plotting chart, you can use NOAA chart #108, which shows the entire East Coast and the western Atlantic from Canada to the upper Caribbean. This chart is also useful for interpreting the high-seas weather forecast, and for large-scale routing and trip planning.

If you have internet access, you can access marine weather information from the top-level NOAA forecast site, and you can download maps from this NOAA site giving current conditions and forecasts up to several days out. They have ordinary surface weather maps, plus winds and sea state (significant wave height with swell direction). The maps are very handy; but like any forecast, they need to be interpreted with caution.

Tides and Currents

As part of my detailed trip planning, I always figure out the tides and currents along my daily route (note that slack current is not necessarily the same time as high or low tide). Tides can be very important, starting around Beaufort, NC and heading further south. The tides can be several feet (up to nine feet in Georgia), which can have a significant effect on water depths. Although the "project depth" of the ICW is 12 feet, this is not guaranteed. I found many places where depths were a lot less, including one land-cut canal in South Carolina that had only 3.5 feet at the entrance at low tide (I had to make a big detour that day). I had a couple of stressful days when my traveling time happened to straddle the time of low tide. If you have internet access, you can use this online tide calculator.

This is how I handle shoal areas: During normal waterway cruising, I make an effort to stay in the center of the channel (using the chart, observing my track with respect to daymarks, watching for changes in water color/texture, paying attention to the inside/outside of curves, etc.). Normally, I glance at the depth sounder several times a minute. If the water depth is less than 13 feet and continuously decreases, I start to watch the depth sounder more frequently (every few seconds). If the depth keeps decreasing to below 10 feet (the display now shows "feet and tenths"), I slow down and put the transmission in neutral. Meanwhile, I start turning the boat slowly 45 degrees to the right and left while closely watching the depth sounder. If the depth increases while I'm heading in a certain direction, I keep going that way until the depth starts to decrease, then turn the other direction. The purpose of turning right and left is to locate the deepest part of the channel. Sometimes I haven't actually encountered a shoal across the channel, but instead have slowly strayed out of the center of an otherwise deep channel. If I can't find deeper water any which way, I idle ahead slowly. Once the depth goes below 7 feet, the depth sounder starts beeping (I have the "shallow water" alarm programmed and enabled). If the depth keeps decreasing, I prepare to turn around (my draft is 5.5 feet). It helps to figure out well in advance which way you should turn if you have to turn around. In some situations, one direction might be a big mistake, the other direction might be fine. Finally, I have encountered some situations where the water was just plain shallow, over long distances. There weren't any shoals and the bottom was level, so although the depth was less than 10 feet, I could continue to motor ahead at full speed (although this does cause me some anxiety).

Big tides can also cause significant tidal currents to flow. This can slow you down or speed you up, or can push you sideways in certain areas. Currents are of special concern if I'm planning to stay at a marina. The easiest type of marina facility is where the marina has a long face dock that's parallel to the current. No matter which way the current is running, you can motor into the current, turning the boat towards the dock to travel towards your tie-up location while motoring ahead slowly to maintain your fore-aft location along the dock. It's more difficult if you have to motor across the current between piers, then turn 90 degrees into a slip. I try very hard to avoid having a strong current pushing me into a slip, since it's very hard to recover from docking boo-boos. It's even more difficult to handle arriving or departing with a strong crosswise current in the slip. To tell the truth, I make a point to avoid this situation—it's just not worth the stress and risk to my (or someone else's) boat.

A few times, I have had to decline a particular slip assignment (and ask for a different slip) when upon arriving at a marina, it became apparent I would have significant trouble getting in or out of the slip. This can be due to too much current or just the lack of sufficient maneuvering room. In my opinion, getting in and out of marinas when there's significant wind or current is definitely the most stressful part of cruising.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Hazards to navigation - When traveling on the narrow canals, keep a sharp lookout for deadheads (floating logs or branches). They are surprisingly common, although large deadheads are rare. But any kind of solid object could damage your prop if you run it over.
  
  The waterway channel should be clear of crab pots, but some anchorages will be infested with them, to the extent that it's hard to find a clear area with enough swinging room. Large bays and sounds can, and do, have crab pots anywhere, so you have to keep a sharp lookout. Chesapeake Bay not only has crab pots, but also has fish traps—long nets strung along a series of poles. They are easy to avoid in the daytime, but can be hard to see at night.
• Anchor - When traveling, make sure you can drop your anchor at a moment's notice. Many places on the waterway have significant currents, and if your engine fails or you have some other type of problem, you need to be able to anchor quickly. This is especially important if you are waiting for a bridge to open, and the current is carrying you towards the bridge.
  
  I have a washdown hose on the foredeck, and it is extemely handy on the waterway. I actually like the anchor to come up all covered with mud, because it means there was good holding. However, the mud is very tenacious, and I have to blast it off with the washdown hose.
• Anchor light - I always use an anchor light, however, I don't think the very bright masthead light is very desirable. It consumes lots of battery power and can be surprisingly ineffective (too high up). I have a separate anchor light that consumes less power and has a photocell for automatic operation (Davis Mega-Light). I mount it on an 7' extensible pole that I attach to my boom gallows. The pole is sold in hardware stores as an extension pole for painting ceilings.
• Autopilot - I like to use my autopilot for long straight stretches in wide open places, especially when I'm by myself. However, these areas can still have crab pots and other hazards to navigation, so I still have to keep a lookout and be prepared to dodge the boat around a hazard.
• VHF - I keep the main VHF on channel 16 all the time. This radio has two speakers, one below by the chart table and one in the cockpit. I have a switch to select either or both speakers, and keep the cockpit speaker selected so I can listen to the usual chatter on channel 16. I also have a handheld VHF that I keep in the cockpit. I use the handheld VHF to talk to marinas or passing boats, as required. This way, I don't have to go below to use the main VHF, which would be difficult if I'm by myself. But if I use the handheld VHF on channel 16 while the main VHF is on channel 16, I get horrible audio feedback. I installed a switch in the cockpit, within easy reach of the helm, to disable the cockpit speaker for the main VHF. I activate this switch before using the handheld VHF.
• Dinghy - I keep my dinghy assembled but stow it upside down on the foredeck. I don't like to tow the dinghy, due to difficulties when entering and leaving marinas or fuel docks, and the risk of losing the dinghy offshore.
• Dodger - I frequently take the center window panel out of my dodger. This greatly improves the forward visibility, and lets a nice breeze blow through the cockpit. If it's raining or if there's spray from the bow, I leave the panel in-place to keep the cockpit dry.
• Laptop computer - I have a laptop computer but I never use it while underway. Frankly, I don't want to be that computerized, plus there's too much risk of damage. To protect the laptop when it's not being used, or when I'm taking it in the dinghy or in my bicycle saddle bag, I put it in a hard-sided waterproof Pelican case that's specifically designed for laptop computers. Highly recommended.
• Marina reservations - I like to call the marina ahead of time to reserve a slip. If I know my schedule accurately enough, I call a day or two before; otherwise I call the morning of my arrival day. Marinas are sometimes busy, or might have a fishing tournament using all slips. If I can't get a slip, I'd like to find out ahead of time, so I can make contingency plans without causing too many problems. I have had very good luck with my Verizon cell phone. It has worked nearly everywhere, including a surprising distance offshore.
• Mail drops - Since I live on my boat, I don't have a conventional shoreside address. I have a permanent mailing address at a private mailbox company in Annapolis, and the company forwards my mail upon my request. I can go two weeks without getting mail; beyond that, I start getting antsy. Since a waterway trip can take me about a month, I only get one mail forwarding while traveling. I have used Beaufort, NC as a mail drop, and it has worked well. I call my mail forwarder several days ahead of time, and have him send my mail to General Delivery in Beaufort via Priority Mail. When I get to Beaufort, my mail is waiting for me. I usually have one or more layover days in Beaufort, in case the mail gets delayed.
• Banking - I deposit checks by mail, and have never had a problem with misdirected mail. I transfer money from my savings account to my checking account using my cell phone, calling the automated 800-number that the bank provides. I obtain cash from ATM machines, which means I must unfortunately pay access fees. Since the fee is a fixed amount, I minimize the "percentage" by typically withdrawing $400 or as much as the ATM allows. I was happy to use ATM's at Publix supermarkets (in Florida and other areas) since they didn't charge a separate fee (I just paid my bank's fee).