subject: Traveling The Amazing Intracoastal Waterway [print this page] America has a treasure that many of her citizens never even hear of, much less experience. The Intracoastal Waterway provides a safe passage from the northeastern state of Massachusetts to the Texas city of Brownsville. Commercial cargo ships and private boaters don't have to brave the dangers of ocean travel because of this partly natural and partly man-made inland passage. The official beginning is in New Jersey, in the Manasquan River, although connected waters can take boaters as far as Boston. The route is like a geography lesson about the Eastern Seaboard, as the engineered route links one body of water to another. There are many exits and entrances to the Atlantic as the passage heads south to Florida and the Gulf states.
The Intracoastal Waterway runs 1095 miles from Norfolk, VA to Miami, FL. The passage from the Virginia state line to the Florida state line is about 715 miles. The trip along the entire coastline of Florida is 380 miles. Boaters taking the trip will go through many boating conditions, a vast array of history, hundreds of marinas, incredible waterfront homes, and wonderful scenery. Created by an act of Congress in 1919, the inland chain of sounds, bays, rivers, lagoons, harbors, and canals is maintained by the US Corps of Engineers. Commercial fuel taxes provide the funds, which are adequate to keep the passage open. However, the mandated depth of twelve feet is not found everywhere, as some sections are as shallow as seven feet. Private boats can travel with out special taxes, and there are no tolls. Information on-line varies, with the length of the water highway being cited as three thousand miles and other sources giving it at a little over a thousand. The latter assumes that the northern end is at Hampton Roads, the Norfolk, Virginia harbor that opens into the Chesapeake Bay. Commercial barges carry many kinds of cargo up and down, while many private boats head north in the summer and return to Florida and other southern states in the winter. Not all Americans know that it is possible to circumnavigate the eastern portion of the United States. A lot of commercial traffic carries manufactured goods, foodstuffs, and petroleum products over the water to many states. The passage connects to eight major rivers and many of the nation's principal harbors.
It's a real geography lesson to learn about the Intracoastal Waterway, a really alternate route. Check on-line and perhaps ask for a free navigational guide to this amazing inland passage.
by: John Kavaliauskas
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