Our final leg along the ICW brought us to Beaufort, NC. South of here, the ICW is shallower than the section we just ran from Portsmouth, Virginia and has more bridges, current and shoaling issues. So we’ll be making a direct run offshore to our next stop in Charleston, South Carolina. A major weather system…
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ICW Miles 84 through 161
South of Albermarle Sound, the ICW continues south through the Alligator River. The swing bridge there, at mile 84, is the last of four bridges that we needed to have opened on our run between Portsmouth, Virginia and Beaufort, NC. The bridge won’t open in high winds of 35kts or more, which can be a…
Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
The Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge includes 111,106 acres of wetlands south of Albermarle Sound. The refuge is home to over 300 different wildlife species including otters, muskrat, turtles, and the endangered red wolf, plus tens of thousands of migratory birds in the winter. Sponge-like peat soil in the wetlands retain water and hold it…
Pasquotank River
TCOM manufacturing has a major airship manufacturing facility in North Carolina up the Pasquotank River, with a 1,000ft-long hangar that can accomodate airships up to 150ft tall. We were lucky to arrive in the area during a test flight of a smaller model, and got a glimpse of a much larger ship when the massive…
ICW Mile 12 to 50: Great Bridge, VA to Coinjock, NC
In our second day along the ICW we travelled 38 miles from Great Bridge, Virgina to Coinjock in North Carolina. We passed five bridges, but only needed to have two opened for us. Depths generally were at least 10ft, with a few brief drops to about 8.5ft. A video of our transit between Great Bridge…
ICW Mile 0 to Mile 12: Portsmouth to Great Bridge
Except for a brief transit around the Palm Beach area, we’ve not traveled the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) in Dirona. In our first leg along the ICW, we headed 12 miles south from Portsmouth, Virginia to the town of Great Bridge. Depths were at least 10 feet all the way, except for about 8.5ft at Great…
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is home to the world’s largest naval base with ships ranging from aircraft carriers to destroyers to nuclear submarines. Navy ships are moored on both sides of the the channel into Norfolk, with security patrol craft in the air. The city also has a large and busy shipping port. As a fitting envoy, we…
Winter Cruising in Chesapeake Bay
We found winter boating in Chesapeake Bay to be surprisingly similar to the Pacific Northwest, with the same advantages and disadvantages. The main disadvantage of course is the weather. Storms are more frequent and fierce, so we need to watch the forecasts more carefully, the days are shorter, and the temperature is colder. The temperature…
On Board the CS Responder
In this 21st edition of the Dirona Technology Series, we get an opportunity to explore the CS Responder, a trans-ocean cable-laying ship operated by TE SubCom. TE Connectivity is $13.3B global technology company that specializes in communication cable, connectors, sensors, and electronic components. Their subsidiary TE SubCom manufactures, lays and maintains undersea cable. TE SubCom has a base in Baltimore…
Annapolis
Annapolis is the capital of Maryland and has more 18th-century buildings than any American city, including the homes of the four Maryland residents who signed the Declaration of Independence. It also is home to the US Naval Academy, a four-thousand strong four-year officer training program. The campus, open for tours, is a National Historic Landmark…
