Yacht Zen Again: ICW from Morehead City to Norfolk

Hi everyone,

We spent the last week motoring north along the Intra-Coastal Waterway from Morehead City NC to Norfolk VA. Almost exactly 200nm. It was fun with varied landscapes along the way and nice towns and anchorages each night. We stopped at Oriental, Belhaven, Long Shoal Point, Coinjock and Great Bridge.

Alongside at Great Bridge free dock

The track and graphs below show the overall journey. Parts were in open waterways. Most was in narrower channels or man-made canals. We used Bob423's GPS tracks in OpenCPN and the AquaMaps app which includes up to date USACE survey data. These are definitely worth having aboard.

Track

Graphs

Before departing Morehead City we spent a wonderful day with OCC Port Officer Dianne. She drove us around Morehead City and Beaufort. Beaufort is a pretty town with beautifully kept old buildings, many waterside cafes and a very good maritime museum.

Beaufort house

Another Beaufort house

Beaufort Maritime Museum

Fantastic library in the Maritime Museum

Refreshments

Morehead City Yacht Basin

Day one took us from Morehead City to Oriental. Winds were very light. The ICW is very well marked. The motor-boaters are generally very courteous, slowing down before overtaking. We returned the favour by also slowing which got them past us quicker.

Into the ICW

Canal-side marinas and boat yards

In Oriental we anchored off since the harbour is charted as about 6'. We draw 6'6". We dinghied in and were met by OCC members Pat and Joan. We had a nice dinner with them in town. We had to paddle the dinghy back to Zen Again in the dark since the outboard wouldn't co-operate.

Oriental

Oriental Dinghy Dock

Oriental

Nice little bar

On day two we motored onward to Belhaven. Winds remained very light. On arrival we anchored off the town and dinghied in. We checked-out the newly established microbrewery near the waterfront. Then we had a great seafood dinner in town.

Onward!

Lots of interesting cloudscapes

Belhaven dinghy dock

Belhaven microbrewery

Nice beer

Sunset in Belhaven

On day three there was a little wind so we actually managed to sail for a while. By the end of the day the wind was up to 20 knots from the south as a front approached. We tucked behind Great Shoal Point for the night.

Sailing!

Alligator River swing bridge

More clouds

Day four was the hardest work. It started with light winds but a northerly came in and we were punching into it for most of the day. When we arrived at Coinjock Marina we discovered a barge had lost control, hit a waterside tree which fell across power cables. Their power was out all day but happily restored the next morning when we could then get the fuel we needed.

Coinjock Marina

Apart from the Alligator River swing bridge all the bridges were fixed and we easily fitted under them. Beyond Coinjock things get more interesting with swing, bascule and lifting bridges. The channel also gets particularly narrow in places, with tree stumps in the water on each side.

Day five took us to Great Bridge in light winds. We couldn't take the Dismal Swamp canal due to our draft so took the commercial traffic canal. Most of the bridges open on the hour and the half-hour. It was fun playing hare and tortoise with a motor boat. It roared off after each bridge only to caught by us as it waited at the next bridge.

Through another swing bridge

Day six completed our journey to Norfolk. We went through the Great Bridge lock in the early morning since it was closed for maintenance during the day. The lock only drops a foot or two. From there it was a quiet motor in the early morning light to two other bridges where we had to wait for them to open.

Through the Great Bridge bridge

In the Great Bridge lock

Two of several bridges on approach to Norfolk

Some of the bridges are normally open

Once through the bridges we were in Norfolk which is the largest naval base in the world. Lots of warships. Further south we'd been treated to jet fighters and other military aircraft roaring overhead.

USN aircraft carrier

Small aircraft carrier

In Newport we were treated to a free dock for a couple of nights by OCC Port Officers Greta and Gary. Their dock is right in the heart of the city. We visited the Chrysler Art Gallery, the General Macarthur Memorial and the Nauticus centre. The latter houses a set of maritime museums and the battleship USS Wisconsin.