ICW question???

J

jdshep

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As I work on my Navigation course and i read about different Navigation Aids questions come to mind. Being a Great Lakes boater with little knowledge outside our area I started thinking about the ICW system which has its own set of aids and a different marking system. How does this system differ from say the Illinois River system? I assume for no good reason they are Lock Free, however not knowing I thought i should ask are there locks on the ICW?
I know if you go up the Hudson to the Erie you will hit them, but what about East coast, Florida, Louisiana, Texas any locks?
John d
 
yes there are locks on the ICW In MD/DE, In VA and in FL. The difference in aids is that the major rivers have navaids based on Red-right-returning FROM sea. The ICW uses the rivers aids when it uses those portions as part of its path. On non-river portions it is red right heading south.
 
The only locks on the ICW system is the Okeechobee Waterway which connects the Atlantic ICW with the East Florida ICW. There are three ICW systems--the Atlantic, the East Coast Florida ICW and the Gulf Coast ICW. On the Atlantic ICW the red lateral marks are on the right going South. This ICU has yellow triangles on the top of the red marker (triangle) or square in the green marker (Square) in the color of lateral marks. Non lateral marks have a yellow strip on the bottom. On the East Coast of Florida, the Red lateral marks are on the right going North, and on the Gulf Coast ICW, the Red lateral marks are on the right going West. These also have a yellow triangle on the red and a yellow square on the green, with a yellow strip on the bottom of the non lateral marks. Thus you are following the same pattern as you go from Manasquan NJ to Brownsville TX . Western River System has Red marks on left descending bank; green marks on right descending bank.

One has to be cautious when there is an intersection of a sea lane into a port and the ICW--look at the numbers and the yellow identifying marks.(not all ATN have the yellow marks)

A review is at: http://www.uspowerboating.com/USCG-ATON/NAVSYS0299-USSAILNG_files/frame.htm
 
"cautious when there is an intersection of a sea lane into a port and the ICW"

Yeah. that's when it can get exciting!

( Note that IMHO, excitement in navigation is not necessarily a good thing )
 
The Dismal Swamp Canal part of the Atlantic ICW has locks it connects Southern Va (Deep Creek lock) with North Carolina (South Mills lock).
 
If you don't take the Dismal Swamp Canal then there is a lock at Great Bridge (about mile 8). It has lots of rubber fenders on the side, is easy to use, and is coordinated with the opening of the bridge at Great Bridge. The ICW marking system is easy to use. There can be some confusion when the ICW coincides with rivers and such and the red-right-returning rules take over. All the waterway guides and chartbooks I've seen warn you about these places. Luck. Dale
 
Plenty of locks in Louisiana and and one plus a flood gate in Texas too. Not big lifters like some in the river system but there none the less and with heavy barge traffic.

The mnemonic device I use on the ICW is Red Dirt (as in the continental US) and Green Water (as in the ocean and gulf.) It can get confusing at intersections with other channels, so watch your chart closely and look out for the yellow squares and triangles.

Happy Motoring!

George
 
quote:
Originally posted by dale

If you don't take the Dismal Swamp Canal then there is a lock at Great Bridge (about mile 8). It has lots of rubber fenders on the side, is easy to use, and is coordinated with the opening of the bridge at Great Bridge. The ICW marking system is easy to use. There can be some confusion when the ICW coincides with rivers and such and the red-right-returning rules take over. All the waterway guides and chartbooks I've seen warn you about these places. Luck. Dale

Click to expand...


If I am not mistaken the Dismal Swamp Canal has locks as well. If you hang a right after the 64 Bridge at mile 7.1

It's called the Deep Creek Lock at mile 10.6.

Then there is another at mile 33.2 - South Mills Lock
 
The intracoastal follows a "Red, Right, Returning to Texas" pattern. You can also think of it as having the red markers on the mainland side of the channel, although that becomes a stretch on the Okeechobee waterway portion.
 
I don't think the Okeechobee waterway is part of the ICW. I'm not sure if Dismal Swamp is either.
 
That's right Les. Technically the Oke is its own thing, connecting the AIWW at St. Lucie to the GIWW at Ft. Myers. Dismal Swamp is it's own thing too.
 
The east coast ICW, which is "red right going clockwise around the states", has its own system of marks on the ATONs. That which is to be interpretted as "red" has a yellow reflective triangle on it. "Green" has a square. When the conventinal ICW ATONs cross inlet ATONs, you have to read the little reflectors to avoid confusion. This is particularly important in the Carolinas such as near Topsail Inlet where a mis-reading WILL put you on the bottom.
 
The Dismal swamp canal is considered ICW route 2. Most mileages are based off the Great Bridge Canal route (#1)
 
The dismal swamp route is one of the most beautiful waterways in the country, I've made that trip a number of times and as Shep stated there are two locks. We should make sure as boaters that it is kept open for the future,to lose it would be a shame. I'd like to see the Raritan Canal in Jersey re-opened, now THAT would be a fine use of tax money and you wouldn't have to go outside to run to NY.
Youse Joisey boys need to look into that.
Dick
 
I stand corrected Paul. The DSC has been funded and maintained seperately from the "main" A&C canal (upon which commercial traffic travels), to the point as noted above, it flirts with discontinuance. But I note that the USACE indeed still considers it part of the AIWW.

Save the DSC!

George
 
I have never run the DSC but my wife and I are planning a trip there this summer. There are numerous websites dedicated to preserving it with loads of pictures. It looks like a beautiful place a bit narrow but recent postings have the MLW at 5 feet which will be fine for us we draw 3-1/2 feet fully loaded. We will run it slow because I understand submerged logs are the biggest problem. Regards Bill
 
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