On the Intracoastal Waterway
We began the intracoastal waterway in Norfolk, Virginia. The harbor in Norfolk is primarily known for its naval base, being the largest in the world. As we entered the channel we saw massive aircraft carriers and other huge ships. Many of these vessels are built in Bath, Maine. We watched the USCG helicopters fly overhead to find a boat hailing for help on channel 16 because they were sinking. This first night we anchored in a small inlet because the bridge ahead didn’t open until the next morning at 8:30AM. We were officially on the intracoastal waterway. The intracoastal waterway is labeled with green and red channel markers. The inland side of the waterway is marked with red triangles, and the Atlantic side is marked with green squares either hosted on pilings or buoys. They look about identical to your typical markers, but they also have little yellow stickers indicating that they are indeed navigational aids for the ICW. The rule “red right return” commonly utili...