BoatUS.com - Seaworthy Magazine

Wrong Turns and Charts
By Bob Adriance

If you’re interested in becoming a better mariner, the most interesting claims aren’t the ones that involve recklessness, excessive amounts of alcohol, or gross negligence; the lessons from these claims tend to be obvious. The more interesting claims are the ones that happened to otherwise competent skippers who suddenly found themselves in trouble. For example, on the ICW near Norfolk, skippers traveling north will occasionally wind up in St. Juliens Creek thinking they’re still in the ICW. The terrain looks the same and the entrance to the creek is about the same width. There is, however, one notable exception: a short distance into St. Juliens there are overhead power lines with 45’clearance.

In one recent accident, the skipper of a 34’ sailboat failed to notice the abrupt turn in the ICW and motored straight into St. Juliens. After a few minutes he noticed the burned-out hulk of another boat. As he was staring down at the hulk, he heard a loud popping sound overhead; his boat’s 48’ mast had contacted the power lines. He learned later that these very same power lines had destroyed the burned-out hulk less than a month earlier. His was the fourth boat to contact the lines in eight years. The skipper spent several days in the hospital and is lucky to be alive. His boat was a total loss.

Using charts in the narrower confines of the ICW doesn’t seem nearly as critical as it does on open water. There are no rocks or monster tides, and a wrong turn usually means little more than a soft grounding in soupy mud. The dangers, however infrequent, are far more likely to be manmade.

The lesson is simple but important: whenever you’ll be passing through unfamiliar waters like the ICW, no matter how well sheltered, each day’s run must be planned out carefully at the chart table, noting shoals, sharp turns and any areas that are liable to be confusing. The incident on the ICW is a good example of what can happen when you let your guard down; it’s not difficult, amid the scenic twists and turns, to find you’ve lost the channel.

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Bob Adriance is Editor of Seaworthy, the BoatUS Marine Insurance damage—avoidance publication.
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