Joyce,
The only concern for Air draft would be the Wilkerson Bridge that is
just above Belhaven, NC. It is a foot lower than the standard ICW
bridges. That area has no lunar tide, only wind driven tides and that
far up the Pungo River it rarely changes very much. The bigger concern
that I see is your water draft. If you have the standard 7.8' draft you
will have to be very careful in some areas. It can certainly be done,
but it can be pretty unforgiving at that draft. Active Captain has good
data on the problem areas. Coinjock is the toughest part, but getting
out of the channel with that draft will lead to a (soft) grounding.
Also, There is a big Phosphate plant on the Pamlico River that runs
barges to Morehead City on a daily basis. The plus to that is that they
draw 8+ feet so you know that the channel between those places is at
least that deep. The negative is you may meet up with one of them in a
narrow section of a ditch (dug out cut). In past years, I regularly
moved a 7+ foot draft sailboat through that area. My procedure was to
call them on VHF (just call for PCS Barge) and let them know that I was
a deep draft boat and that I would move over as far as possible. I
never had an incident other than a temporary soft grounding. Also, they
don't run those barges as often as they used to, so meeting one in a
narrow area is much less likely. If you would like more info feel free
to email me.
James
Delaney, 1976 C&C 38
Oriental, NC
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