NC ICW Status Thread

We like many others here have been planning on a move south late Oct/Nov timeframe. Now having to evaluate the details of what impact Florence will have on our float plans.

I know all of our hearts are with the people of NC and the tragedy of the storm. Didn't want to take away from those discussions. And the challenge for the area is not over with the flood waters still rising.

At some point we have to augment our data for float planning prior to a decision point. I may be rushing things - but is top of mind.

There are the pioneers which will be some of the first through the waterway, we want to capture their experiences.

What would everybody think about having a NC ICW status thread where we post our fact finding, experiences, etc. about status of the waterway?

Specifically waterway conditions/status, bridges open/closed, fuel options, etc.

On the early side I know, but there is a point in the next few weeks where we will have to make a decision on moving south or wintering in the north.

This is starting on other forums, but everyone is not reading every forum. Thinking we could consolidate our knowledge and learnings. Eliminate erroneous information, validate accurate information.

Will start off with what I have found in the last couple of days. Not stating these items as facts - just what I have been told. Looking for verification if the items are accurate and factual.

Marinas are shut down in Moorhead, Wrightsville Beach, Southport, and Bald Head. Non official comments - will be months before they reopen.

One marina in Beaufort, NC rumored to have started pumping fuel today, running off a generator (don't know which one).

Good portion of the ICW in NC is shut down to boat traffic by the Corp of Engineers. Got specific references on Moorehead to Wrightsville beach and Alligator River north of Moorehead.

Local marine industry concerns about significant changes in shoaling at Snows Cut.

Specific to Southport - a resident there that evacuated. As of mid day today they cannot return due to washout of roads and highways. Not sure if this is Southport only or symptomatic of the NC coastal region. No access by roads, no diesel deliveries or work crews to repair.

Anyway - if this is of value chime in... I think we all realize that posting what we are hearing, this is a great forum to either validate or discount.

Thanks

I am interested and this could be a sticky until things are back to normal.

Waiting till after Thursday for operational reports on bridges, especially Socastee.

The bridges and marinas in SC are reported as operational.

My concerns are getting to the ocean from Morehead City, through Snows Cut and through the Socastee bridge. Everything else is reported OK or can be bypassed or leapfrogged to get south.

We will be able to comment on the Neuse River, Adams Creek, and Core Sound area in a couple of weeks. Our marina in the New Bern area has a lot of damage and it may be months before they are operational again. Sooooooo, while we wait for them, we are going to pull out and head to Morehead City once they get power back.

We’ll keep an eye on things for y’all. As we hear news, we will post it here.

Looks like the Waterway Guide is on target calling around and easy to read format.

Onslow Bridge is broken with no repair date (Marines will notify USCG pretty soon I would guess as the USCG will be buggjng them). All others should be fine by Friday.

Socastee will probably know better once the rivers crest and fall.

Should know in about a week on many thing as comnetcial traffic comes back to life in the areas of concern.

FootballFan said:

What would everybody think about having a NC ICW status thread where we post our fact finding, experiences, etc. about status of the waterway?

Click to expand...

One started on cruisersforum.com (sister site) a couple days ago...

-Chris

Waterway Guide generally does a good job of gathering this information.

As to snowbirds, I'd say even worse case, come south. The question becomes how.

We're in SC now (on land, not water) and here's what we know at this point.

Overall, think of Hurricane Matthew two years ago. Lots of debris coming down the various rivers. Ultimately it has to reach the ICW. It will take a short period for it to clear. Charleston really wasn't hit so fine from that point south. Myrtle Beach not directly that much damage but the waters flowing in will create debris. Otherwise I'd expect everything open fairly soon.

Now, the governor is still telling everyone to bypass NC. He's referring to land and I-95, but for the moment, probably good water advice. Even those of you who don't like running outside can generally do so from Beaufort south and have the fuel capacity to avoid needing marinas. However, I see the real questions that impact your travel being the cut from Norfolk to Beaufort. All throughout the state rivers from the Neuse to the Cape Fear and everything in between are still in flood stage and many still rising. I believe within a couple of weeks there will be adequate marinas open, but I don't know how long it will take for the debris to clear. My guess right now would be a month.

I think this thread is an excellent idea as we watch the waterways during this time.

On our local news, they did show some video of the Cape Fear with a BUNCH of debris floating in it. I have not seen video of the Neuse yet, but there has to be debris in it given what all is left behind all over in New Bern.



As Tom said, we'll have first hand knowledge in about a week or so. From New Bern down to Morehead City.

Here is Waterway Guide's initial report. They will update it regularly.

https://www.waterwayguide.com/hurri...n=news_09-19-2018&utm_content=News+09-19-2018

You can go above and click on any state and that will bring up their chart which has information.

I've read through their initial list and it makes me think we'll see much the same as we did from Matthew. There was a lot of debris, a marker here and there moved or missing. Most marinas were back open quickly, although some had more damage. Then you have Fernandina where so far no one is willing to agree on what to do and pay for it. I translate that into, they weren't making money before, so not really committed to it.

Already this time we see a bit of that. Tina from Old Towne Yacht Club in Beaufort said it's in shambles and she's not sure if they'll rebuild it. Because we've talked a lot about New Bern, I also noted that BridgePointe has said they have a lot of damage and it will take at least a year to fix.

NOAA Storm Imagery for Florence:
https://storms.ngs.noaa.gov/storms/florence/index.html#7/35.360/-77.820

Sea Gate Marina is selling gas on the dock side. No word about diesel, but I would think they would be. Same for the Boathouse in Beaufort.

This is from a few days ago but if you follow the links there is more current info. Like with Matthew offshore may also be a problem but for now it sounds like everything should be fine by nov.

Yahoo! Groups Cruisers Network Online Group
1 Message Digest #2904
1 Post Hurricane Florence Report on the ICW by "Glenn Tuttle" parrothedd1
Message
1 Post Hurricane Florence Report on the ICW
Mon Sep 17, 2018 4:22 am (PDT) . Posted by: "Glenn Tuttle" parrothedd1
The following is a report compiled by Tom Hale. Nice job Tom and originally posted on Active Captain Facebook Group and shared by Kathy Barth to the SSCA Facebook Group.

As previously suggested and as hoped, the Northern part of the ICW to Beaufort is operational. Some facilities are damaged. Some facilities are closed however the ICW is passable with dockage, fuel and water available in many places between Norfolk and Beaufort, NC.

The ICW south of Georgetown SC is operational. But that 125 miles between Beaufort, NC and New River (Myrtle Beach) is still flooding and is several days away from being able to report.

1. Great Bridge Bridge and lock are fully operational.
2. All is OK at Coinjock
3. According to USACE Norfolk District Dismal Swamp Canal is open and the locks and bridges are operating on a normal schedule
4. Alligator River Swing Bridge is operational
5. Dowry Creek has power to the office and heads still working on the dock power
6. Jarrett Bay is closed. No Power.
7. Moorhead and Beaufort City Docks are operational No Power as of noon 9/16, but hope to have power shortly.
8. Onslow Beach Bridge phone not working
9. Surf City Bridge 910.328.4291 phone not working
10. Figure 8 bridge phone not working
11. Wrightsville beach bridge not answering
12. Port of Georgetown is open
13. McClellanville, Leland Oil open reports USCG has checked channel. They have not heard of any problems.
14. All Bridges in Horry County NC (Myrtle Beach area) are operational! Socastee Swing Bridge, Barefoot Landing and Little River Swing Bridge.
15. Isle of Palms Marina is open. No word yet on the condition of ICW to Georgetown.
16. Ben Sawyer is now operational it is opening hourly on the top of the hour.
17. Port of Charleston Open. Charleston Marina is taking transients. Isle of Palms is taking transients.
13 Comments <https://www.facebook.com/groups/activecaptain/permalink/2356241054416436/?comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22O%22%7D>23 Shares <https://www.facebook.com/shares/view?id=2356241054416436&av=100006372151496>

Glenn Tuttle - Moderator

Waterway Guide much more up to date....

Not a slamto Tom.....but like all things with a refresh rate...

One of the local NC rivers normally has about 1,000 CFS of water. As the hurricane went south of us, the river had almost 10,000 CFS. When Florence went over us Sunday and Monday morning that same river went to 100,000+ CFS. That is not a type o.

There are two major state highways that are closed due to flooding on another river to the south. I don't know the flow rates but the problem on that river appears to be at least partly/mostly because of log jams against the bridge supports.

These rivers eventually empty into the ICW but I don't think the debris will get that far due to locks and lakes. But if these rivers are any indication, the other rivers are going to have a large debris load that is not going to get filtered before getting to the ICW.

Floyd was a 500 year flood. I heard that Florence was a 1,000 year flood event. Have no idea it that is true but that is what the news reported. Anyway you look at it, Florence dropped a huge amount of rain that is likely going to push a larger than "normal" amount of debris into the ICW.

Later,
Dan

BandB said:

Here is Waterway Guide's initial report. They will update it regularly.

https://www.waterwayguide.com/hurri...n=news_09-19-2018&utm_content=News+09-19-2018

You can go above and click on any state and that will bring up their chart which has information.

Click to expand...

Excellent source. Great information.

psneeld said:

Waterway Guide much more up to date....

Not a slamto Tom.....but like all things with a refresh rate...

Click to expand...

I maintain a website on the ICW for SAIL Magazine. And my stuff gets copied to other sites. My initial 3 days of reporting was only to start the flow of factual information. There was a lot of "sky is falling! We cannot go south!" hysteria. I wanted to just to get the information flow started. Waterway Guide and others cameon line 3-4 days later as did others who picked up my content. I now contribute to Waterway Guide and several FaceBook sites. Those sites are much more well known than my site. I'm just trying to do my part as cruisers helping cruisers.

My personal interest is the ICW channel. I have the ability to take the USACE surveys and drop their content into a NOAA chart and from that build a route with way points. I have sent these routes (GPX files) to many cruisers in the past.

USACE Wilmington district had done a fantastic job of surveying the ICW trouble spots all summer long, including surveys right up through September 8. I have all of them plotted and routes made. This summer I prepared for 5 seminars in Annapolis including 2 on the ICW. But who knows where the water and channels are now? So I'm in contact with USCG and USACE to try and find out what waters are open and what aids have been reestablished. There is still very little information available between Bogue Sound and Winyah Bay.

https://www.sailfeed.com/2018/09/ic...guard-district-local-notice-mariners-38-2018/

tadhana said:

I maintain a website on the ICW for SAIL Magazine. And my stuff gets copied to other sites. My initial 3 days of reporting was only to start the flow of factual information. There was a lot of "sky is falling! We cannot go south!" hysteria. I wanted to just to get the information flow started. Waterway Guide and others cameon line 3-4 days later as did others who picked up my content. I now contribute to Waterway Guide and several FaceBook sites. Those sites are much more well known than my site. I'm just trying to do my part as cruisers helping cruisers.

My personal interest is the ICW channel. I have the ability to take the USACE surveys and drop their content into a NOAA chart and from that build a route with way points. I have sent these routes (GPX files) to many cruisers in the past.

USACE Wilmington district had done a fantastic job of surveying the ICW trouble spots all summer long, including surveys right up through September 8. I have all of them plotted and routes made. This summer I prepared for 5 seminars in Annapolis including 2 on the ICW. But who knows where the water and channels are now? So I'm in contact with USCG and USACE to try and find out what waters are open and what aids have been reestablished. There is still very little information available between Bogue Sound and Winyah Bay.

https://www.sailfeed.com/2018/09/ic...guard-district-local-notice-mariners-38-2018/

Click to expand...

I am truly sorry....didnt know it was going to be updated.....and didn't mean to infer anything....

I know you are out there and care....was anchored in front of you last year in Mile Hammock Bay.

ICW info update

Try "cruisersnet.net" for good updated ICW info.

DougR

ICW Lockwood Folly area

I live on ICW at mile 324. Have seen very little debris in the waterway past 36 hrs. Most seems to have made it"s way to the banks. Saturday 9/22 transited ICW Lockwood Folly intersection several times to check water depth. Least water was 8.2ft at just after mid tide rising next to R48 which is on the West side of the inlet. 60ft off R48 found 9.5ft. R46 is almost on land on the North side of the inlet. Don't know if it is off position but there was 13ft water 60 ft off of it.
Heard Socastee bridge is closed due to high water and local news reports the Waccamaw River will not crest until 9/29.

tadhana said:

I maintain a website on the ICW for SAIL Magazine. And my stuff gets copied to other sites. My initial 3 days of reporting was only to start the flow of factual information. There was a lot of "sky is falling! We cannot go south!" hysteria. I wanted to just to get the information flow started. Waterway Guide and others cameon line 3-4 days later as did others who picked up my content. I now contribute to Waterway Guide and several FaceBook sites. Those sites are much more well known than my site. I'm just trying to do my part as cruisers helping cruisers.

My personal interest is the ICW channel. I have the ability to take the USACE surveys and drop their content into a NOAA chart and from that build a route with way points. I have sent these routes (GPX files) to many cruisers in the past.

USACE Wilmington district had done a fantastic job of surveying the ICW trouble spots all summer long, including surveys right up through September 8. I have all of them plotted and routes made. This summer I prepared for 5 seminars in Annapolis including 2 on the ICW. But who knows where the water and channels are now? So I'm in contact with USCG and USACE to try and find out what waters are open and what aids have been reestablished. There is still very little information available between Bogue Sound and Winyah Bay.

https://www.sailfeed.com/2018/09/ic...guard-district-local-notice-mariners-38-2018/

Click to expand...

Got any information specifically on the Neuse River, Adam's Creek and Newport River? ICW from Oriental to MoreHead City?

Boats have been travelling between Norfolk and Beaufort NC all week. From there it seems most are going outside to Winyah Bay, Charleston or St. Mary's River depending upon their speed and the weather window.

Besslb said:

Got any information specifically on the Neuse River, Adam's Creek and Newport River? ICW from Oriental to MoreHead City?

Click to expand...

Was through there up and down yesterday, everything is A-OK just keep an eye out for dead heads and debris. Not a lot of it but some lurks.

The USCG has designated mile 415 to 345 as a safety zone. This is from Barefoot to the Entrance to Minim Creek. You are required to contact the Captain of the Port of Charleston before entering that zone. They will advise you of speed limits, debris, special routing, bridges, etc.

I realize this is in SC, not NC.

caltexflanc said:

Was through there up and down yesterday, everything is A-OK just keep an eye out for dead heads and debris. Not a lot of it but some lurks.

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Thanks George! Are all of the markers at the base of Adams Creek into Newport river over to the Yacht Basin still in the right place?

Hope all is well at your home front. You may have posted and I missed it in my own chaos......but hope all is well! Thanks for the update!

Besslb said:

Thanks George! Are all of the markers at the base of Adams Creek into Newport river over to the Yacht Basin still in the right place?

Hope all is well at your home front. You may have posted and I missed it in my own chaos......but hope all is well! Thanks for the update!

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Wifey B: Neuse and Cape Fear not expected to go down until October. But in SC, Waccamaw is still rising, projected to still go several feet. Family in Myrtle Beach fine, but people in Conway still flooded out.

Besslb said:

Thanks George! Are all of the markers at the base of Adams Creek into Newport river over to the Yacht Basin still in the right place?

Hope all is well at your home front. You may have posted and I missed it in my own chaos......but hope all is well! Thanks for the update!

Click to expand...

Markers seemed to be from recollection. We were in a boat that drafts about 2 1/2 ft, but large yachts were navigating OK. Today's LNM should make for interesting reading. Some of the private docks along Taylor's Creek in Beaufort got mashed up pretty good and a few of the boats on moorings now reside on Carrot Island.

A few of the markers out in Cape Lookout / Barden inlet were noticeably off station, though the redneck trees-and-traffic cone ones that replaced the ones the USCG pulled several months ago were still intact. We did see a USCG shallow water buoy tender checking the situation out.

In the area Tom and I are talking about, the Neuse is so wide that the upstream flooding does not much water level rise at all. We are on the Trent river a couple miles upriver from New Bern, and it is up maybe a foot from normal... no more than what a wind tide can do on occasion.

Our house was miraculously exempt from getting damaged by trees; we are on a heavily wooded lot where limbs and trees fall over on a regular basis. We were about 2 ft above high water at the peak of the surge, I can tell by the debris line left behind. Some neighbors were not as lucky. We merely have a huge mess of leaves and small branches to clear; it's like autumn happened all at once.

In South Carolina, The ICW is now closed from Little River Swing bridge in North Myrtle Beach to Winyah Bay. The Socastee bridge is not operating. This is because of flooding. The crest has not reached Georgetown yet.
https://cruisersnet.net

Rossland said:

In South Carolina, The ICW is now closed from Little River Swing bridge in North Myrtle Beach to Winyah Bay. The Socastee bridge is not operating. This is because of flooding. The crest has not reached Georgetown yet.
https://cruisersnet.net

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Not really closed from what I read.... a safety zone requiring you contact the USCG.

Yes the Socaste Swing Bridge is temporarily closed, but those wanting to position themselves may get as close as they want if the USCG lets you in.

As of a few days ago the bridge had no damage, so keeping our fingers crossed.... as soon as the waters receed, the area may be passable.

caltexflanc said:

In the area Tom and I are talking about, the Neuse is so wide that the upstream flooding does not much water level rise at all.

Click to expand...

Good to hear about your house!


While I get the general lack of water rise on the Neuse in the wide sections, I am kinda worried about Adams Creek and how much damage they suffered. And therefore, if we should expect debris from wrecked docks and such in there. Jarrett Bay saw enough water to have some damage, but I don't know if that was enough to cause other issues further north.



I opened a thread at The Hull Truth and someone that lives near the 101 bridge did say there has been some debris spotted, but was a little vague in his reply. I guess we will take it easier than normal through there Saturday.



Thanks again George.

Tom.B said:

Good to hear about your house!


While I get the general lack of water rise on the Neuse in the wide sections, I am kinda worried about Adams Creek and how much damage they suffered. And therefore, if we should expect debris from wrecked docks and such in there. Jarrett Bay saw enough water to have some damage, but I don't know if that was enough to cause other issues further north.



I opened a thread at The Hull Truth and someone that lives near the 101 bridge did say there has been some debris spotted, but was a little vague in his reply. I guess we will take it easier than normal through there Saturday.



Thanks again George.

Click to expand...

I put "just keep an eye out for dead heads and debris. Not a lot of it but some lurks" in my original post for a reason....