Current ICW depths Beaufort SC to Norfolk, VA

[SVTwilight]

Would like to avoid Hatteras in March, so looking for current (2017/18) data on depths for our trip north next month. We draw 6.5 feet.

Air draft is 64, so that looks ok.

This September 2017 article from Cruising World paints a pretty positive picture:
https://www.cruisingworld.com/highs-and-lows-icw#page-2.

The article mentions an 8' draft cruise ship that does the entire length from MD to Jacksonville FL.

However, there seem to be lots of anecdotal stories, not necessarily current, of shallow spots and soft groundings. I am ok to work around those sorts of things as long as there are not totally impassable areas for my draft.

I am looking for info from someone who has done that stretch recently with a similar draft.

Some of the traditional sources like Cruisersnet.net seem to be dated or limited.

Thanks for sharing any relevant knowledge/experience....

[Stu Jackson]

That's a pretty long stretch from anyone to share details that it would seem to me that you would need.

Have you considered the crowd-sourced resources, like Active Captain?

[SVTwilight]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

That's a pretty long stretch from anyone to share details that it would seem to me that you would need.

Have you considered the crowd-sourced resources, like Active Captain?

Thanks Stu, I guess I think of CF as crowd sourced. :-). It is only 177 miles amd I am not looking for every little obstacle.

Garmin has ruined Acitve Captain like everything else they buy (InReach). They have abandoned the App which doesn't work on ios 11 and I am not interested in purchasing their software to get access to it.

While it WAS good for specific point information, I am more looking for someone who made the trip south with a similar draft. I have to believe a few lurkers here must have done that over the past 6 months....

[ranger58sb]

We came to Charleston via the ICW in Dec/Jan. Mostly short legs so we could travel at high-ish tides. We don't draw as much as you, but I don't remember seeing any significant readings below about 7' (two sounders, both corrected to true depth). Depths in many places where we saw "shoaling" warnings in AC were actually more like 9-10'.

Just south of Jeremy Creek (entering McClellanville) was one of the shallower areas, IIRC. Still didn't have any issues... and there's a big shrimp boat fleet there that probably uses Five Fathoms Creek to get in an out... so there's a workaround if you can't make that stretch at high tide.

An area with lots of warning was from the Isle of Palms Bridge to the Ben Sawyer Bridge... but we didn't see any shallow readings. Ditto the Shallotte Inlet and Lockwood Follies areas.

-Chris

[SVTwilight]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

We came to Charleston via the ICW in Dec/Jan. Mostly short legs so we could travel at high-ish tides. We don't draw as much as you, but I don't remember seeing any significant readings below about 7' (two sounders, both corrected to true depth). Depths in many places where we saw "shoaling" warnings in AC were actually more like 9-10'.

Just south of Jeremy Creek (entering McClellanville) was one of the shallower areas, IIRC. Still didn't have any issues... and there's a big shrimp boat fleet there that probably uses Five Fathoms Creek to get in an out... so there's a workaround if you can't make that stretch at high tide.

An area with lots of warning was from the Isle of Palms Bridge to the Ben Sawyer Bridge... but we didn't see any shallow readings. Ditto the Shallotte Inlet and Lockwood Follies areas.

-Chris

Thank you Chris, very helpful, so you went from Norfolk to Charleston? I hope you are enjoying mild wx!

Todd

[Caliber40]

In high tide I’d watch that air draft at high tide or flood tides. Also if ICW is flooded due to unusual rains etc. You will see bridge boards < 64 feet!

[AJ_n_Audrey]

I draw 5.5 feet. My experience is from last June, but from Cape Fear to Georgetown, no problems. Heading south, when you turn out of the Pee Dee River after Georgetown into the ditch, there is some initial shallow stuff - I touched once. McClellanville area requires hitting it at high tide for me - so I never touched there. Coming the other direction (Charleston to Georgetown) I touched bottom twice between Ben Sawyer Bridge & Isle of Palms, but I was about 90 minutes before low tide - I was forced to go that way by a very late arrival coming in from offshore. I had no problems from Charleston to Beaufort or on to Hilton Head.

[vlathom]

We came down in November/December. We draw 5 feet in an Albin trawler. Found we had to schedule everything around high tide, so the trip took longer than we expected. The hardest stretch was McClellanville where we couldn't do high tide for some reason and it read "minus .5 feet" at one point. Gauge was inaccurate or we dredged the area for the government.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by SVTwilight

Thank you Chris, very helpful, so you went from Norfolk to Charleston? I hope you are enjoying mild wx!

Yep. Certainly warmer here than Annapolis.

The gnats have been a bit problematic over this last week or so, though...

-Chris

[LongGone]

Herb & Maddie on Wisdom went southbound and seemed to ground several times a day. See their YouTube channel or http://www.riggingdoctor.com

[rs111]

I follow this blog Cruising Down the ICW 2017 excellent info and he has traveled from NY to Key West for the last 8 Yrs, giving updates along the way. He post all his findings on active captain

[Hownottosail]

How did you go?
We draw 6’5” too and would love recent feedback!