The unexpected delights along my journey down the ICW were many. Here are ten of my favorites that mostly didn’t cost money.
1) Cruising ambassador in Bellhaven, NC (MM 136). Bellhaven, NC has a cruising ambassador. Stop by the chamber of commerce and welcome center near the town dinghy dock to get her card. She graciously helps cruisers with whatever they need and gave us a ride to the grocery store. It would have been even more delightful to spend more time hearing her sailing stories.
2) Listening to the dolphins breathe at night on anchor in southern Georgia (MM 702). When I was solo in southern Georgia, I anchored alone in a small anchorage in the salt marsh. Finally, it was not freezing, and after dark, I headed forward to my trampoline with a blanket to watch the stars. I was startled by a loud huffing sound very close to my boat. Then it happened again…and again…and again. It was too dark to see, but I soon realized I found enough solitude and quiet that I was listening to the dolphins breathe. There were so many dolphins on the ICW, and they brought me joy each time.
3) Submarine parade in St. Mary’s, Florida (MM 710). While passing through Saint Mary’s, GA I had a front row seat to a submarine parade. This involved several other military escorts including the well-armed boat that asked me to pull to the side of the channel and guarded me while we waited for the sub to pass.
4) Norfolk 8 a.m. Star-Spangled Banner (MM -1). The Norfolk Naval Base just before the ICW starts has many large military ships just east of the channel. I happened to pass by them in the morning when the military base plays the Star Spangled Banner and everyone stops working and salutes the flag. It was a surprisingly patriotic moment for someone on her first international journey by sailboat.
5) Front Porch Music Festival in Oriental, NC in October (MM 181). In October, I happened to arrive in Oriental, NC the weekend of their Front Porch Music festival. The variety and quality of outdoor music was excellent. I was the weird lady carrying a pair of oars on my back because I’d just walked to West Marine to buy them and stumbled on the music festival on my way back to the dinghy with my new oars.
| Unexpected Delights on the ICW |
| Cruising ambassador in Bellhaven, NC (MM 136) |
| Listening to the dolphins breathe at night on anchor in southern Georgia…so many dolphins! (MM 702) |
| Submarine parade in St. Mary’s, Florida (MM 710) |
| Norfolk 8 a.m. Star-Spangled Banner (MM -1) |
| Front Porch Music Festival in Oriental, NC in October (MM 181) |
| Shooting stars at Pungo Canal (MM 104) |
| Rocket launches from the Space Coast in Florida (MM 885) |
| Manatees! |
| The generosity of fellow cruisers (everywhere) |
| Jekyll Island in Georgia (MM 685) |
6) Shooting stars at Pungo Canal (MM 104). The one night I had no cellphone service in the ICW just north of the Alligator Pungo canal, I again bundled up against the chilly fall night and headed to my trampoline to stargaze. The many shooting stars were breathtaking.
7) Rocket launches from the Space Coast in Florida (MM 885). The frequent rocket launches from Cape Canaveral were also a wonder to behold in the sky. When I was little, I aspired to be an astronaut. It turned out I’m more of a coastal sea explorer than a space explorer, but I still got up in the middle of the night to watch the launch and hear the sonic boom of rocket reentry when I was closest to the space center at Cape Canaveral. The rockets are visible from many hundreds of miles away, and I would watch the rocket launches throughout the trip. Some of them were deploying Starlink satellites, perhaps even the one giving me internet access as I type this now.
8) Manatees! Dolphins and manatees never failed to bring me joy. I saw tons of dolphins on the ICW in the winter, but I only saw manatees in my spring northbound trip. I saw the most manatees near Cape Canaveral, but watched a mama and baby nursing for hours in a marina at Daytona Beach, Florida.
9) The generosity of fellow cruisers (everywhere). Cruisers take care of one another in unexpected and generous ways. Fellow cruisers gave me a Rainman Watermaker they were no longer using. I met them on the dock in North Carolina. I was backing my boat into the slip where I would be leaving it for several weeks, and needed to get precariously close to their boat to do it. So, I introduced myself and invited them to get a fender ready, just in case. I didn’t hit their boat, and when we were chatting later I mentioned I was on my way to get a Rainman Watermaker at the Annapolis boat show. They said, “We have one we are not using. Do you want it?” Yes, yes I did. So, if you ever run into me out there and need water, I’m happy to pay it forward and give you some fresh water. Although I did not need this watermaker on the ICW, it made nearly all my fresh water in the Bahamas.
10) Jekyll Island in Georgia (MM 685). My final unexpected delight is Jekyll Island, Georgia. I made an unplanned stop there when some other plans changed, and I loved this place. It is brimming with beauty, history (some problematic), and natural wonders. There is a free anchorage here, but the Jekyll Harbor Marina is my favorite marina of this entire trip. There are free bikes for exploring, many protected bike trails, a pool, hot tub, showers, ethanol free gas, in slip pumpouts and an amazing staff. I recommend stopping for at least a few days.
