ICW Status Reports After Hurricanes in 2018

[eweb101]

Has anyone been through the Masonboro inlet lately? I'm thinking about ducking in there to get around frying pan shoals, but if it's a mess, I'll stay outside.

[wayne.b]

Originally Posted by eweb101

Has anyone been through the Masonboro inlet lately? I'm thinking about ducking in there to get around frying pan shoals, but if it's a mess, I'll stay outside.

===


We went through about 2 weeks ago with 5 1/2 ft of draft, no problem at all, plenty of water and all markers were where they were supposed to be. In my opinion it's a much better option than going around or through Frying Pan Shoals. Little River Inlet is in good shape also.

[Suijin]

This is good info, particularly the sonar maps, if you’re transiting the ICW in NC:

Problem Areas, NC AICW:
If you are heading down the AICW in NC, check out the most recent surveys from the USACE Wilmington for the usual problem areas. All have been surveyed and updated since Florence:
http://saw-nav.usace.army.mil/AIWW/B...Tangent_F1.pdf (Browns Inlet) Map Update: September 25, 2018
http://saw-nav.usace.army.mil/AIWW/B...Tangent_12.pdf (Mason Inlet Crossing) UPDATE: September 26, 2018
http://saw-nav.usace.army.mil/INLETS...sail_Creek.pdf Map UPDATE: September 26 ,2018
http://saw-nav.usace.army.mil/INLETS...r_Bush_Cut.pdf Map Update: September 25, 2018
http://saw-nav.usace.army.mil/INLETS...each_Inlet.pdf Map Update: October 1, 2018
http://saw-nav.usace.army.mil/INLETS...olly_Inlet.pdf Map Update: October 2, 2018
http://saw-nav.usace.army.mil/AIWW/C...gent_19-20.pdf (Shallotte Inlet Crossing) Map Update: October 3, 201

Waypoints are usually given for the deeper water, but we know from past experience that it is very difficult to follow waypoints through the crossings. The cross currents from the ocean inlet also add to the difficulty of staying in the channel. At lower tides when the anchor lines for the buoys are slacker, they will be pulled in the direction of the current, sometimes considerably out of the channel, adding another dimension of difficulty. Half-tide and rising is a good policy for the constantly shoaling inlet crossings, even if they have been recently dredged. The Coast Guard moves the floaters frequently as conditions change. MN