How messed up will the AICW be after Matthews

[puffcard]

I like many getting ready for the annual migration down the AICW. Starting thinking about our area (Norfolk) after Isabel. We had big stuff like pilings and piers floating around the harbor for weeks. Many of the channels changed and sand bars formed. This storm is impacting such a large swatch of the East Coast, I was wondering how bad it will be. Shoaled inlets, floating debris, no power at marinas, or damaged docks. There will certainly be water in their fuel tanks. I truly hope all are safe and things get back to normal for everyone.

[rwidman]

Nobody knows what effect the hurricane will have on the AICW. We will just have to wait and see.

[Delancey]

I was interested to see this guy in the ketch anchor smack dab in the middle of the ICW at Isle Of Hope in Georgia yesterday. He put down four anchors.

At present it looks like wind and surge in that spot shouldn't be too bad. I imagine it will take him a while to untangle all those anchors after half a dozen tide changes.

Have seen two and three anchor schemes, never four. Seems potentially counter-productive.

[rwidman]

When is it OK to anchor a boat in the middle of a channel? What if commercial boats or rescue boats need to get by?

[Delancey]

As far as I know it's not okay.

The ketch normally lives at a private dock to the left just off-frame. He moved from the dock around the time the first round of surge predictions were anounced. Watched a number of vessels including the shrimper-turned-cruiser in the background have to go waaayyy out of their way to avoid him.

Total selfish dick move. Think the ketch is called "Kachina". Why anyone would name a sailboat after an indigenous desert culture fetish doll I couldn't say. Arizona is about as far from the ocean as you can get.

Glad that at the moment it looks like they won't drag down on the marina. I hope.

[Dave22q]

I would be surprised if water got into most marina fuel tanks but your other concerns are spot on. Jacksonville to Cape Hatteras got hit pretty hard. I would postpone my trip for at least a couple of weeks and call your intended stopping points before leaving.

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by Delancey

As far as I know it's not okay.

The ketch normally lives at a private dock to the left just off-frame. He moved from the dock around the time the first round of surge predictions were anounced. Watched a number of vessels including the shrimper-turned-cruiser in the background have to go waaayyy out of their way to avoid him.

Total selfish dick move. Think the ketch is called "Kachina". Why anyone would name a sailboat after an indigenous desert culture fetish doll I couldn't say. Arizona is about as far from the ocean as you can get.

Glad that at the moment it looks like they won't drag down on the marina. I hope.

You need to update your geography. You also are, at best, being sophomoric by jabbing at the vessel's name. A Kachina is a lot more than a "desert culture fetish doll." After all of that, your descriptions applicable to the owner may not be far off base, although I harbor some doubts because of your other statements, and I do not know what should be done and is acceptable at that location to avoid a predicted disaster maker.

[pdenton]

it is also impossible that that will not be a number of places which are newly impassable. Some of the barrier islands in Georgia were hit very hard. The very southernmost border North Carolina from Wilmington to South Carolina has always been iffy in certain places where rivers cross the ICW will have shoaled. The ICW is very low priority for the Corps of Engineers.
I wouldn't try it at all until you can accumulate some local knowledge. There is a guy whose name I do not know who publishes surveys of the ICW. You can probably find him by asking on the T & T list.
pdenton

[Time2Go]

5 years ago, after Hurricane Irene, we had to wait 2 weeks for all the debris
to clear out. This includes trees, telephone poles, refrigerators
and just about anything else that can float.
One thing we did that worked out great was to form informal
convoys, keeping a half mile or so of separation. We then radioed
alerts up and down the chain. Only two leed boats ran aground
and where pulled off by the boats behind me them.
Also the few boats heading north relayed lots of info.
This didn't help so much with debris but was fantastic for
warnings of shoaling and dragged markers
Lowlands of NC are beautiful
Cheers
Neil

[thruska]

Dont keep your fingers crossed thinking COE will be iut there dredging the ditch . Unless its heavily commercially used portion it will not happen quick if at all .
Two years after Sandy , the ditch still had Seatow honey holes, iirc marker 116 around beach haven ? Fellow salor grounded with 3.5 draft, no tidal help . Seatow camed 20 mins away lol.
Radio ahead, most marinas will give reliable info...
Oh snd dont discount the fact that bouys relocate in hurricanes, they go rogue , lol

[rwidman]

I was thinking that the hurricane might impact a cruise I was planning on the AICW. Then I realized that I was being pretty selfish worrying about my trip when many marinas and other businesses might have been destroyed and many people might have lost their boats entirely or suffered major damage.

The advice to postpone the trip and call ahead to marinas is good advice.

[Delancey]

Originally Posted by buzzstar

You need to update your geography. You also are, at best, being sophomoric by jabbing at the vessel's name. A Kachina is a lot more than a "desert culture fetish doll." After all of that, your descriptions applicable to the owner may not be far off base, although I harbor some doubts because of your other statements, and I do not know what should be done and is acceptable at that location to avoid a predicted disaster maker.

Dick move was the consensus opinion of the half dozen people on the dock who watched him anchor and I presume the opinion of those who had to navigate around him.

The location he anchored was smack dab on the pink dotted line. I wasn't there to see it but he apparently dragged into the mud but fortunately was able to get off yesterday and no longer presents a hazard to navigation.

Regarding what you call a sophomoric jab at the vessel's name, the full definition of fetish from Merriam Webster is as follows-

Fetish a : an object (as a small stone carving of an animal) believed to have magical power to protect or aid its owner; broadly : a material object regarded with superstitious or extravagant trust or reverence.

[MarkJ]

Yes, good advice to put off the trip to wait for dredging...

But

What about the businesses that rely on cruisers?

They suffer damage in the hurricane and now they can't recover because everyone stay a home.

Now is the time they need you most.

So, yeah, maybe wait a day or two till some deep draft barge goes through, but then its up to everyone to spread the $$ to the hard hit areas in the best way possible: buy stuff from them.


Mark

[sailorboy1]

Keep me posted Mark so I can spend my money at business instead of with the towing guys

[zeehag]

folks will know what is changed when they are stuffed on new shoals and able to pass where once was one. or more..
just sail out in ocean if you have issues with paying a tow boat.