Size Matters
"How big is yours?" - an often-asked greeting heard on the docks of the Blue Water Marina in Hampton, VA. This afternoon the small gaggle of sailors gathered on the dock are eyeing the top of our mast. You see, we're all taking our boats south, but only those of us with a mast less than 65-feet get under the bridges of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). Everyone else will be making an ocean run south.
The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, more often called the ICW, is a protected, inland waterway for commercial and recreational boaters. Made of a series of rivers, bays and canals, this 1095-mile canal starts at nearby mile marker #1 in Norfolk, VA. and winds its way all the way to Miami, mile marker #1095.
We Have Two Choices
- The "highway" ocean pathway south could get us to Florida in as little as 5 days. We would have to wait in Hampton, VA for the perfect weather window, then head out the Chesapeake, around Cape Hatteras, and then (staying out of the Gulf Stream which would push us north) sail south to Florida. This route can be done in one trip or a several smaller jumps down the coast.
- The "blue highway" option will take several weeks to motor down the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). I call it the blue highway option because the ICW is like traveling the scenic backroads back home. Others refer to this route as "the ditch." Sure, it takes longer to get where you're going…but in the process you experience the flavor of the people who live along the Atlantic coast and their homeland.
This fall we've decided to do the ditch! Some think that we're a bit odd, but we enjoy the slow pace of the ICW - about 50 miles per day. Dean had the mast of our first sailboat trimmed so that we could transit the ICW and our current Snowcat II has a mast height iof 63.5 feet - ICW ready.
Great Memories Along the ICW
Over the years we have traveled the ICW a half dozen times. It's fun to recall some of our experiences and the people that we've met along the way.
One fall, while homeschooling the boy's through 5th-grade, they decided to make an educational video about the Great Bridge Lock. I've dug into the family archives to show the finished video…they're both such hams!
On another ICW trip, the boys playing on the bow of the boat caught the attention of two F-18 pilots out for training. This video is not the best, but the reaction of the family afterwards is priceless.
I'd love to hear about your favorite blue highway trips, whether they are by land or water. Leave a comment and share your favorite.
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Eileen P Grover says
How fun it was to see the boys at such a young and impressionable age~~good videoing Karen~~What a blast!!! 🙂 🙂
Jamey Wening says
Thanks sooo much for sharing the videos.!! Love, love, loved them! Hope your journey down the Waterway is fabulous.
We too enjoy the "roads less traveled". Unless time is an issue, we always enjoy taking the back roads. Also, we have a sort of unwritten rule that the return must be different outbound route.
Enjoy your travels. Be safe.
Karen says
Wow Jamie, you two really take it to the next level. I'll have to remember the no-round-trip rule. Back in Colorado we have discovered some of our favorite places by traveling the scenic byways. The ICW is a continuation of our backroads preference. I hope that all is well in The Boat. Have a fabulous Thanksgiving, we'll return to Colorado in mid-December.
Millie Beall says
Nice mullet!
Karen says
Yeah, our family has sported some very interesting hair cuts over the years. I hope that you're getting excited for your boating trip...sounds like a ball!
Todd Hagenbuch says
Those videos ARE priceless! Your boys were fun and charming even back then! Thanks for sharing, Karen, and thanks for the updates.
Sarah and I are fans of the small, two-lane roads that wind through the countryside and allow you to get a real sense of place. When confronted with the choice of which route to take, the interstate or the highway, I always think of Sally in 'Cars' talking to Lightning McQueen, the both of them sitting on the cliff side overlooking the interstate by-passing Radiator Springs and the implications that had on the town. The kids, however, LOVE the interstate. (I think speed may play a role here!) As an example, we discussed this morning that we were leaving after school today to head to the Farmers Union convention in Cheyenne, and Amelia excitedly said, "YAY!!! We get to go on the interstate!" Sarah had to tell her it wasn't going to be I-70 like usual, but I-80, of which she is rarely on. I told her it was the one with all of the big trucks, which made her even more excited. So Sarah and I will get our quiet time on CO 14 and CO 125, winding through the beauty of North Park and the Woods Landing area while the kids will get their excitement as we are buffeted by high winds and 40' long trailers as we traverse southern Wyoming at 80 MPH. 🙂
Have a great time on the waterway! Will you be home by December 14th to join us for our annual holiday party?
Karen says
Amelia sounds like she likes fast cars...watch out for that one! Safe travels as you drive to your Farmer's Union meeting. I'll let you know when our travel back to Colorado is solid, but thanks for the invite! I'm putting Cars on my list of movies to watch too.