"Rosalie B." wrote in message
news
"KLC Lewis" wrote:

"Rosalie B." wrote in message
. ..
One of the reasons that we aren't really cruising much anymore is
because we went aground the last time we came up the ICW in the middle
of the channel south of Wrightsville Beach (opposite Masonboro Inlet),
and Bob said it was too stressful to do the trip anymore.

Also of course we are getting older.


You know what they say, Rosalie, "if you haven't gone aground it's because
you haven't sailed enough." I haven't gone aground yet (knock on wood) but
I've brushed the mud a time or two. Mostly this is because I'm
exceptionally
paranoid about depth. If the chart (and my depth sounder) shows less than
20
feet I don't want to be there unless I'm anchoring.

What got Bob's goat was that it was in the middle of the channel where
there should have been plenty of water and the depth sounder didn't
give us any warning. No one is more paranoid about depth than he is.

We have gone aground several times, and it was never a very happy
experience although not dire in the way Skip's was.

We tried to get into Queenstown once, and got blown out of the channel
by the wind and couldn't raise anyone on the radio or phone.
Eventually we kedged off - we almost lost the dinghy in doing that
because when we got up to the anchor, Bob went to get the dinghy from
where he'd tied it and it had untied itself and was being blown away.
Bob jumped for it, and made it with just one foot getting wet.

I had my daughter and SIL out in the Patuxent, and managed to run
aground under sail while tacking. It apparently gave my SIL great
satisfaction to say that his MIL had run aground.

The first time down the ICW, we tried to go out Brunswick inlet and
when I called to Bob that we were too close to the breakers he mistook
the side that he was too close to and steered us right into the surf
line. Took all the paint off the leading edge of the keel up about a
foot.

But we've actually had more problem with wind and current than with
meeting the bottom.


I haven't been in the ICW since 1979-80, but from what I've seen on the
charts things have only gotten worse. Channels narrowing and shoaling has to
make it quite an ordeal. I'm not sure that it's worth the hassle,
personally. If I were heading south, I would seriously consider doing it
offshore -- though as I remember the Gulf Stream, that raises a whole
'nother can o worms. Is harbor hopping down the coast possible, avoiding the
ICW? Weather and GS position permitting, of course.