 Our original plan was to leave Osprey Point at 9:30am, but the fog was very thick as it has been for the past few days. We took a selfie, and sent a text to our captain/trainer to let him know we were started our journey. We are thankful for all the guidance he gave us as we began the boating lifestyle. The fog started to burn off enough for us to leave the dock about 10:20am. We rolled up the shore power cord, untied all the lines and shoved off. Winds were calm, so it was an easy departure.  The Chesapeake was extremely quiet and the fog was lifting outside of Swan Creek. There were only a few boats out on the water, but we took things slow since the fog was still evident. We couldn’t see the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from Kent Island to Annapolis until we were within a half mile, and even then, we only saw the bridge pilings. The roadway was masked in fog. It was weird to see the road disappear into the clouds. A northbound boater hailed on the radio asking about the fog conditions north of the bridge. We told him that the visibility was about a quarter mile just north of the bridge, but was better further north. He let us know that it cleared out nicely south of the bridge. He was right! It was uncanny, that as soon as we passed under the bridge, the fog cleared. Enough so that we had to dodge many sailboats out of Annapolis. It may have been a regatta as it looked organized.  Once through the maze of sailboats we gained speed and made good time until we got to the Patuxent River. We hit a thick fog bank and were very thankful for AIS and radar. Those technical marvels gave us a good idea what was ahead and allowed us to adjust course to avoid any problems. At one point we had a big natural gas tanker ship anchored on the starboard side and a large container ship passing on port. It was eery watching these huge ships appear in silence and then go by in the fog. Once past the Patuxent, things cleared up all the way beyond the entrance to the Potomac. The water was calm and made for an extremely smooth ride. This was the most calm we have seen these waters and we were making great time. We were very thankful that this crossing of the mouth of the Potomac was so calm.  No sooner had we become comfortable with our progress, and we hit another fog bank. This time we had no visibility. Maybe a hundred yards at times and then 20 yards at others. We slowed to 8 knots and kept a close watch on the chartplotter and the surroundings. I felt like my head was on a swivel. I also felt like we joined the trawler world. Not that that is a bad thing, but we paid a lot of money for these engines that are supposed to get you to your destination fast!  The fog bank lasted until we got to the Rappahannock River entrance. At that point, everything cleared up and the sun was shining beautifully. There were a few boats out on the water as we passed the Rappahannock and headed to the Piankatank River to find our anchorage in Fishing Bay. There were only four boats in the anchorage, so we found a spot in 17 feet of water and dropped the hook. The wind is light, so I think we will be ok for the night, and I hope that there is little fog tomorrow.  We just finished a glass of wine to celebrate a successful first day as the neighbor sailboater blew the customary blast on his conch shell to signal the setting sun. We are thankful for a good first day and look forward to the adventures yet to come. If the first day is any indication, this is going to be a trip full of exciting new boating experiences.
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Our first journey down the ICW began with many months of preparation and study. We gathered a number of guides and charts to help determine our stops and anchorages, as well as the lurking problems that we may encounter. Here is a list of what we are using to help plan the trip: Guide to Cruising Chesapeake Bay - chesapeakebaymagazine.com Waterway Guide - Atlantic ICW - waterwayguide.com 2020 ICW Cruising Guide - Bob423 - amazon.com ICW & Atlantic Coast Mile by Mile and Planning Guide - chesapeakebaymagazine.com The Intracoastal Waterway Chartbook - amazon.com Anchorages Along the Intracoastal Waterway - Skipper Bob Publications - waterwayguide.com Waterway Guide - Florida Keys - waterwayguide.com  We also studied our chartplotting apps to familiarize ourselves with the route. Navionics - navionics.com AquaMaps - globalaquamaps.com We will be using Navionics on our Raymarine chartplotter and simultaneously running AquaMaps on the iPad (and iPhone). I plot the routes using Navionics on the iPad and upload them to the chartplotter. I can switch between Navionics and AquaMaps easily on the iPad. AquaMaps provides excellent color-coded maps with updated USACE Hydrographic Surveys to help identify areas of shoaling, so I will be monitoring it carefully as we motor down the ICW. We have travelled in shallow waters before, but I would prefer to avoid as much stress as possible during this trip. It's supposed to be fun! Both apps include Active Captain crowd-sourced information about marinas and anchorages imbedded in the maps. AquaMaps also includes Waterwayguide reviews. I have used both extensively to research good spots to stop for the night. We will also be using the Waterwayguide.com website for information and have subscribed to the Waterwayguide Nav alerts that are delivered by email each week. At this point, we don't plan to do any "outside" passagemaking, and intend to stay on the ICW. A basic itinerary has been developed with contingencies, but we know that weather and other conditions may require us to change plans. Being a flexible traveller and adapting on the fly is not part of my personality makeup, but I hope to get better at it during this trip. I will definitely have to change my "gotta get there at all costs" attitude! We have also been monitoring various facebook pages for up-to-date information as many people have already begun the southerly migration. The following have been particularly useful: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ICWCruisingGuide/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/SailingandCruisingICW In addition to facebook, we have watched many youtube videos. These include general boating videos as well as those that specifically show travel on the ICW. It really helps to get a visual idea of various spots on the ICW as well as marinas, towns and anchorages. Since the spring, we have been gathering up various supplies, tools, spare parts, emergency equipment and the like. Since storage space on the boat is at a premium, we removed some things that we knew were unnecessary for the trip and rearranged the storage areas for maximum efficiency. I sent an inquiry through the Prestige owners facebook page to find out what other owners of Prestige Yachts considered essential spare parts based on their cruising experiences. I received some helpful replies and among other things, that led to ordering a spare set of props. Pricey and hopefully not necessary. If they are needed, I won't have a delay waiting for props to be delivered.  I use Evernote for my ship's log and to record all inventory and important information. I like Evernote since it syncs with all of my computers and devices. I created a table to use for the daily log, maintenance log and to record the pertinent data. The example shown to the left is only a part of the extensive data that we input for each trip. I also keep electronic copies of most owner manuals for the items onboard, as well as Coast Guard and state registration for both the boat and the dinghy. Each day is logged as a separate record and PDFs, pictures and other documents can be included. I take pictures of receipts for fuel and maintenance, and load them right into the Evernote log. At the end of the season, I combine all of the logs into an archive for the year. I find it very helpful when I need to go back and get some information about a particular trip, marina, anchorage or maintenance item. I also have an inventory of all spare parts and where the items are located on the boat. Having never done this trip before, we are not sure what to expect as far as the need for food and clothing. As usual, we have a lot of both, probably overpacked, and don't expect to go hungry or not have the right clothes for the occasion or the weather.
Our plan is to dock in Jacksonville, FL about two weeks after our departure. As this blog continues, we will find out how effective our planning was.......and hope that many of the spare parts and emergency supplies will not be needed. Good weather would also be appreciated! |
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