Southbound and Still Shivering: The Real Start of the ICW
The day we pulled away from Newport in late October was one of those brisk New England mornings that snaps you awake. A sharp chill in the air, the kind that reminds you summer wasn’t all that long ago and also makes it abundantly clear that it won’t be returning anytime soon. We layered up in fleece hats and wooly socks, comforted by the assumption that with every mile south and every click of latitude, we’d inch closer to warmer weather.
We could not have been more wrong.
The mornings only got colder, the nights demanded fluffy down blankets, and the boys basically lived in those full-body sleeping bag suits that you see in every picture. It wasn’t until we were closing in on Norfolk that we finally earned a day or two where shedding a layer didn’t feel overly optimistic.
Norfolk is also where our journey into the Intracoastal Waterway officially began. We arrived on November 13th, and because boat life always loves a plot twist, we discovered a leak in the coolant hose on the port engine just before pulling in. We managed a quick jury-rigged solution to get ourselves safely to the dock, prioritizing visual checks every 15 minutes for the four hours to go and watching the gauges like hawks.
We didn’t know exactly which hose we needed (they have prebends in them and are specific), so we called nautical Siri (aka: my dad). He immediately rattled off the part number. Next step: actually finding it. Thankfully, Norfolk is a heavy-machinery haven, and a local Caterpillar dealer was able to order it and have it first thing the next day.
The following morning I grabbed an Uber, hit Cat for the hose and coolant, swung by a grocery store for provisions, and made it back in time for us to fix the issue. The whole thing felt like a miracle of modern convenience. Phone calls via cell phone, satellite internet, rideshares from an app in your pocket. When I think about people cruising pre-internet and pre-Uber…the pace aboard is already slow, but that must’ve been a whole different level!
While in Norfolk we met up with the commanding officer from Adam’s last Navy unit and her family. The boys were thrilled to have kids their age to run around with, and they all clicked instantly. We’re already looking forward to meeting up again on the spring trip north.
On our last night in town, we took the ferry over to visit the Battleship Wisconsin and the maritime museum attached to it. The ship was fully decked out in Christmas lights. Peak festive energy, and the perfect way to ease ourselves into the season. On the ferry over, Theo took a FaceTime from Poppy and Ghee: his miniature Model T is part of the new Retro Ride Wonderland exhibit at the Audrain Museum in Newport, RI. They introduced Theo and his little car to the large crowd over FaceTime during opening night. It was adorable and absolutely on brand for him.
We shoved off early the next morning, November 15th, and officially entered the ICW.
For anyone following along who isn’t familiar: the Intracoastal Waterway is a 3,000-mile protected inland route stretching technically from Massachusetts to Texas. I am unclear on the Northern portion, but thats what google said... For us, we entered in Virginia. It’s maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers and acts as a kind of “blue highway,” giving commercial boats, fisherman, and recreational travelers like us a way to navigate without being at the mercy of the open ocean. It weaves through marshes, rivers, sounds, and estuaries. Bsically a constantly changing backstage tour of the East Coast.
Our first memorable stop on the ICW came just a few miles in. Our first (and only) lock of the entire trip, Great Bridge Lock. I’ll hand things over to Theo for the next post. He’s got a full rundown prepared on how the whole system works.
Until next time,
Lauren
