Our first stop of the day had us getting some diesel, filling up with water and pump out "just in case". Rod at the Ocean Marine had us laughing with his many jokes and that was a definite great way to start the day, not to mention a double flush of the holding tank !
We were entering the ICW. Everyone was going under the same first bridge and then the decisive cut was made... you either veered right for the "Dismal Swamp"
(And yes that boat has turned right by the red marker and is heading into that very narrow channel of water known as the Dismal Swamp), or head for the "Virginia Cut".
Banyan draws 6'4" so our choice was definitive in its clarity - Virginia Cut here we come !
And I guess we weren't the only ones, look.. a Traffic Jam.
This is a another milestone of sorts. The ICW is something everyone tells you about, like a bad nightmare, building out to be "this", "that" and "those things". Everyone has an opinion and an experience. And pretty soon all the "this's" and "that's" and "those things" grew into a mountain of information that was really starting to sound overwhelmingly "scary".
And yes, by the time we will be done and through and on the other side, we will have an opinion and an experience, I am sure !!
You have to watch your currents. You have to watch the tides. You have to watch for other boaters, in front of you and in back of you, trying to pass you and coming at you. You have to watch for bridges. If you can't clear them you have to know when they open and ask for permission to pass through. And remember to thank them when you're through. You have to time your bridge openings with your passage or else you wait and wait and wait for the next opening which could mean over an hour at idle.
You have to "think" like a tug, and drive like a "tug" (which means stay in the centre of the channel, don't favour the markers, and big wide sweeping turns around marks!) as these channels were initially dredged for the use of tugs.
You have to watch for fishermen that anchor right where the channel is and you definitely can't plow over them, so running aground as you go around them is a definite possibility. And run aground you will, says everyone. You have to watch for "deadheads". You might have to watch for branches hitting the side of your boat. You have to keep notes to know where you're at at all times so if someone hails you, you know you're the boat just passing MMXX.
There's the one whistle pass and two whistle pass. And forget about red right returning ! There's squares and triangles and the rules change constantly depending on where you're at. Then of course is the whole statute miles vs nautical miles (never mind plain old miles ?) but we're Canadian so we're always thinking in kilometres. How confusing !
Then of course you want to take pictures and look at the wildlife, but, no seriously, who has time for that ?
Today's plan of attack was to tackle it as a "one bridge at a time" mentality... and we made it through, one bridge at a time and on time, for the next bridge, and onto the next one, and so on...
and right into the Great Bridge Lock (it's helpful if you place your fenders on the starboard side before your approach so you don't keep the lock-guys, and other boaters, waiting).
And then, before we knew it, we were at MM12 (mile marker 12) and we decided to stop for the day to recoup, recover, and figure out the ins and outs of Day number two, on the I.C.W.
So far, it's very scenic and pretty. We weren't early enough to dock up at the free pier, however the Atlantic Yacht Basin here is fantastic with full services ! And the walk into a very busy town only minutes away.