Adrenalin

Surf City, USA

NoLL

The intersection of the ICW with Brown's Inlet is one of the scariest parts of the passage. It constantly shoals and the shoals move around. It is also the site of a mass of conflicting information.

One has the normal red/green markers showing where the channel is. But on my chart I have a penciled note that says, "60A is off station. Go east of the ICW channel between markers 60A and 63." Leave the marked channel!!! It goes against all instinct. Another note says, "Shoaling near marker 63." Wonderful, now the notes are contradictory. Both these notes are more than a year old. Could the channel have shifted again? Could 60A be back where it should be? Which set of advice should I follow?

The most recent note I have says, "Don't go anywhere near this area at low tide. Half tide or more only."

A good way to relieve anxiety is to follow a bigger boat with a deeper draft. If he passes OK, then you will. If he runs aground, you can stop and back up. This morning, we were the only boat in sight. Nobody else to follow.

Yesterday, we quit early to avoid passing this spot too close to low tide. This morning, I got here almost exactly at high tide. The water would be four feet deeper than otherwise. That way, even if I chose my strategy wrong, we would hopefully not run aground anyhow.

Well, just as I passed 60A at the point of maximum anxiety, the water depth seemed fine; 11 feet. Just then I heard a tremendously loud WHUMP WHUMP. WTH did we hit? My heart rate soared for about 10 seconds, then my brain analyzed the sound. They were explosions. We were in the middle of Camp LeJune and those marines were out on exercises. Jeez what timing. For the next half hour we were treated to the sound of a hundred or so other explosions. It was like being in a combat zone. I didn't care though; we were past the shoals with no further danger of running aground until tomorrow morning. Besides, now it has become entertainment. The marines are cris-crossing the ICW in amphibious vehicles. It's fun to see those big armored vehicles plunge into the water, don't sink, and to effortlessly scoot back up on land on the other side.

One of Libby's favorite stories concerns the night when I was supposed to drive home from Connecticut to Burlington Vermont. I missed my turn and soon found myself facing signs that said Duane/Customs. Uh oh. She tells that story at every opportunity. Today, I got even. Libby took a wrong turn and wandered several miles up the New River before noticing that she wasn't on the ICW any more. Now we have to go back and we lost an hour. Tsk tsk. Revenge is sweet.