Waterways.

The waterways of the Eastern Seaboard of the USA have special significance for us so we thought that a short description and history might add to our readers understanding of where we are and why. At the moment we are really only concerned with two waterways - the Intra Coastal Waterway and the Chesapeake Bay. Both very different from each other and both with their own very special history.

The Intra Coastal Waterway - ICW

The ICW is basically an inland passage which runs all the way from Florida to Virginia. In reality parts of it go further west as far as the US/Mexico border and parts of it go as far north as New York. The bits going west we have no plans to do. The bit going up to New York we are unable to do as it is too shallow.

Originally designed as a safe way for commercial traffic to move industrial goods about the eastern shores, the ICW, by means of canals, cuts, rivers, bays, dredged channels etc., now allows leisure craft to transit from the Florida Keys right through to Norfolk in Virginia without having to go out into the Atlantic Ocean at all. Parts of the ICW are over 200 years old and are still heavily used in some locations. In Florida it is mostly dredged channels through the shallow waters protected by barrier islands. As you move north the topography changes more to rivers, canals, larger bays (the Albemarle and Pamlico bays) and various cuts to move from one bit to the other. Again most of this is protected by barrier islands to avoid the harsh storms that can be prevalent in the Atlantic. The ICW is managed by the US Corps of Engineers and it is their responsibility to ensure that, as far as possible, the channels retain a minimum depth to allow traffic to move unimpeded. This of course does not always work and the ICW is continually shoaling. In some places the shoals move day to day so it is necessary to transit certain areas with a degree of care - either that or spend all your time going aground.

In the south the banks of the channels are lined with millionaire houses but further north this changes and some areas are exceptional locations for wildlife of all sorts. The scenery changes day to day as you move along and you are never sure what the next day will bring. Canals with seven or eight knots of current, beautiful rivers and oxbows for anchoring in or more "Millionaire Miles".

At the northern end of the ICW boats have a choice of two routes to move to Norfolk and the Chesapeake Bay, The more common and easier route is the Virginia Cut which has one Lock and is very straightforward. The alternative is the Dismal Swamp Canal route. This is more difficult with a narrow and sometimes shallow canal to navigate but also with the most beautiful river to head up to the first of two locks (the Pasquatank River). Both of these routes merge just south of Norfolk where "Mile Zero" for the ICW is located. (Mile markers run for most of the ICW wherever possible).

The ICW makes for safe navigation but also for a slower passage. You cannot travel at night therefore 30 - 40 mile days are the norm. If you want to move quicker then it is easy to move out into the Atlantic and then come back in having done perhaps 120 miles in a day.

The Chesapeake Bay.

The Chesapeake Bay is a long narrow stretch of water with Norfolk, Virginia on the southern extreme and the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal on the northern extreme. From north to south the bay is approximately 160 miles long and at its widest is about 30 miles wide and its narrowest not more than about four miles wide. Many rivers flow into the bay including the Potomac, Rappahannock, Patuxent, Choptank, Chester and Susquehanna as the main ones with many smaller ones too numerous to mention. Out of the main ones the reality is that virtually 95% of the fresh water flowing into the bay comes from just two of these rivers. The Susquehanna in the far north and the Potomac half way down on the western shore. The Susquehanna  however is the major supplier of fresh water and in fact the northern reaches of the bay are actually fresh water.

The bay was formed after the last ice age with glaciers carving out the Susquehanna valley (much larger than seen today) and then the melt water flowing carrying billions of tons of silt which settled and actually made the Eastern Shore. The Eastern Shore has two peculiarities (probably more) which are that the whole peninsula is free of natural rocks and is an alluvial area and secondly that the Eastern Shore has capital letters whereas the western shore does not. I can't explain that bit. The peninsula is also known as the Delmarva Peninsula based on the fact that is encompasses three different US States - Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. There have been attempts for over two hundred years to have this area as one state but none of the three "owners" are prepared to let go.

The bay is also a fairly shallow body of water. Apart from the the central channel which is used by any big ships moving about in the bay the depth ranges from about 30 feet to less than one foot for significant areas.

The bay does host a number of major US cities including Washington DC (on the Potomac River), Baltimore, Annapolis and Norfolk. It also has a significant role in the history of the US including Jamestown which was the first settlement by Europeans, the original capital city - St. Mary's, a temporary capital city - Annapolis, and of course now Washington DC.

As a cruising ground for boats is it truly amazing with so many rivers and creeks offering secluded anchorages or with cities such as Annapolis - the home of yachting in the USA offering the best amenities available to boats of all types.

The major problem of the Chesapeake Bay is the simple fact that when people want to go swimming the most i.e. in the hot summer months, the bay is full of jellyfish. Locally these are called "nettles" and there are millions if not billions in the bay. They can be anywhere from one inch across to one foot across but also with flowing stinging streamers up to six feet in length. Only in the far north of the bay where the water is fresh are there generally no nettles - though on bad years they can even manage to live there.

Next year we will give a potted history of more stretches of water that will become important to Gladlee - The New York Canal System, The Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway.