When most people think of recreational boats moving up and down the east coast of the US, they likely imagine travel on the open ocean. But the majority of cruising boats that travel this area never spend any time on the ocean – instead they take the ICW.
The Intracoastal Waterway (or ICW) extends more than 3,000 miles (5,000 km) from just north of Boston, Massachusetts, all the way to the southern tip of Florida, and then up the Gulf Coast to Brownsville, Texas. Although there are some artificial canals, the vast majority of the route is made up of a combination of natural estuaries – rivers, bays, and sounds.
Originally developed in the early 1800s by the US Army Corps of Engineers as a way to allow commercial shipping to avoid the sometimes difficult conditions in the open ocean, the ICW still plays host to barges and small freighters. Most of today’s traffic, though, consists of recreational vessels that are seeking the same refuge from ocean conditions. There’s a steady flow of pleasure boats heading south in late-fall/early winter, and then the reverse in spring/summer.
While Madrone is a great ocean sailing boat, her crew was curious about the ICW. Without a good weather window for an ocean passage south from Norfolk, Virginia, we decided to check out the ICW for a stretch.
So with the engine droning in the background, we pointed the bow south on the Elizabeth River. First passing enormous Naval Station Norfolk, we soon approached Mile 0 and officially entered the ICW itself.
