ICW Conditions in the Carolinas, October 2015

[Travis McGee]

I recently returned to home base after transiting the ICW from the Chesapeake Bay to Beaufort, NC, then going offshore to Jax FL. A friend that I buddy-boated with across North Carolina left his Gulfstar 53 at a marina just inland from Beaufort, due to job requirements elsewhere. Now he's trying to work it south down the ICW. He just bought the boat, and the sails are not bent on. As they say, "It needs some work" in the sailing department, but the diesel is strong and reliable. IOW, it's got to be an inside of the ICW job, not offshore. The boat has a 5.5' draft and a 62' air draft.

No doubt a lot of cruisers are in a similar fix, trying to get back down the ICW while the flood waters are creating problematic conditions, especially regarding the normally 65' ICW fixed bridges. FWIW, down here in Florida, the St. Johns is still a few feet above normal levels from rain which fell downstate a few weeks ago. So I'm very curious about ICW water levels in the Carolinas, and how they will affect boats with tall masts.

I would like to keep this up as a running thread, with folks located along the ICW reporting their local water level conditions. This thread can be a valuable source of information for cruisers trying to work south down the ICW while the flood waters crest and recede. I have no doubt that a lot of cruisers are currently stuck between nominal 65 foot bridges which currently have very high water levels. Forewarned is forearmed, so any information on water levels and bridge clearances ahead of them will be valuable, even critical to their making safe, successful and timely transits. Thanks.

[Yukon Cornelius]

I'm also very interested in this -anyone have any reports?

[JonathonClague]

I'm wondering how long it will take for all that rain water to flood the ICW and then how long it will take to recede to normal levels. Does anybody know if the public has access to AtoNs data which sometimes record river flood stages?

[Hudson Force]

We're presently in Oriental, NC waiting for the weather to settle before moving on south Tuesday or maybe Wednesday.



The water is now about a foot above this photo taken yesterday at Oriental Marina.



With the finger piers more than a foot under water, I'd estimate the level to be about 4.5' to 5' above normal.

[Zach]

I would lay low for a couple of days after this system blows through, as it's floating the beer cans out of the woods... and along with it a load of dead heads. Core Creek has been having coast guard calls about the submerged logs for the last few weeks, before the storm rolled in.

TownDock.net | Oriental NC News, Weather, Photos gives river reports for the Neuse.

They are calling out + 4 feet on the Neuse.

I'm in Beaufort and we have a 4 foot tide swing going on, and are sitting about a foot and a half above a normal high tide.

I use this website locally:
Tide predictions map — sailwx.info

Specifically:

This is the Core Creek bridge half way between Beaufort and Oriental Core Creek Bridge, North Carolina Tide Chart

This is the Duke Marine station just across Taylors Creek from Beaufort.
Beaufort, Duke Marine Lab, North Carolina Tide Chart It normally lags the inlet by about 20 minutes, if you use the channel buoy as reference.

[Travis McGee]

Originally Posted by Zach

I would lay low for a couple of days after this system blows through, as it's floating the beer cans out of the woods... and along with it a load of dead heads. Core Creek has been having coast guard calls about the submerged logs for the last few weeks, before the storm rolled in.

TownDock.net | Oriental NC News, Weather, Photos gives river reports for the Neuse.

They are calling out + 4 feet on the Neuse.

I'm in Beaufort and we have a 4 foot tide swing going on, and are sitting about a foot and a half above a normal high tide.

I use this website locally:
Tide predictions map — sailwx.info

Specifically:

This is the Core Creek bridge half way between Beaufort and Oriental Core Creek Bridge, North Carolina Tide Chart

This is the Duke Marine station just across Taylors Creek from Beaufort.
Beaufort, Duke Marine Lab, North Carolina Tide Chart It normally lags the inlet by about 20 minutes, if you use the channel buoy as reference.

Zack, you exceed every expectation as an intel reporter!

[Hudson Force]

'up another foot since I posted last here in Oriental, NC.

[Travis McGee]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

'up another foot since I posted last here in Oriental, NC.

"Where did the dock go????"

[Vasco]

I went down after hurricane Floyd in September 1999. We were in NY when Floyd came. When we got to SC a couple of weeks later, the water level was still high and covered the lawns of the folks in Myrtle Beach. We had to go real slow so our wakes didn't go into the houses.

[DDabs]

Ay Caramba! Poor Oriental!

[Hudson Force]

The water level in Oriental has dropped quickly and is now to a point about 3.5 feet above normal. The docks have reappeared!

[Travis McGee]

I was very lucky that we transited the NC part of the ICW a few weeks ago. As it was, my VHF antenna scraped most of the 65' bridges. No way I'd be able to make it now.

[Travis McGee]

Any news on ICW conditions in the Carolinas? River levels, bridge clearance, wood debris dead-heads?

[Travis McGee]

Any updates on current ICW conditions in NC and SC?

[JonathonClague]

Thanks to all the contributors to this thread, I plan on going south again this coming weekend from Beaufort/Moorehead area and will report bridge clearance issues as/if they occur (I draw 62ft air).