For those of you who haven't experienced traveling on the Intracoastal Waterway, water depth is a constant focus. Sometimes it gets very shallow! On our Waterway Guide and our chart plotter there is a line that marks the path a boat should follow on the Waterway. It's called the “magenta line” because of it's color and it's very important. It's not always enough to stay in the middle of the red and green buoys – the magenta line keeps travelers off shoals, lumps, and rocks. In “skinny” water we stay glued to the magenta line. Those who find themselves daydreaming and veering off the magenta line often learn first hand how quickly depths drop. Sometimes towing companies just sit and wait and notorious spots; they can be sure they'll have a customer soon!

As we left Moorhead City, NC a few days ago, we enjoyed watching cormorants sunning themselves on their private beach less than 50 yards from our boat as we left Beaufort, NC – perfect reminder to stay on the magenta line as we traveled. As we travel south we see many birds, especially pelicans enjoying their private beaches that line the shallows of the Waterway. It's one of the fun parts of this trip.