Every spring I try to make a couple of trips to the IntracoastalWaterway between Morehead City and Wilmington NC. The ICW in this area is a series of linked sounds, creeks, and ocean inlets. The sailing season starts in January but is over by mid-May. Strong currents, limited depths, and narrow passages make this area 99% power boat country, and as the weather gets warmer they are more and more in use. Additionally, early May sees the start the annual migration of large cruising boats intent on getting from South to North ASAP. Separated from the ocean by a narrow barrier island and a mile of marsh & small hammocks of trees you can often hear the surf pounding as you sail. Eleven inlets over a 90 mile route connect the ICW to the ocean. These inlets are what make the sailing interesting. Imagine a big tub with eleven spigots and drains, large and small, and cosmic forces are opening them at different times and degrees. Also imagine some of those spigots fed first into other tubs which then drain into your tub after the spigot is turned off. Finally imagine that NOAA only officially informs you of when two of the major spigots are on or off. The other times are subject to extrapolation, or more importantly*, *that colloquialism referred to as* local knowledge* in some guides and pilots. Well I got some local knowledge on yesterday’s trip. I arrived at the public ramp in Hampstead expecting to catch a slack tide to start my sail south. Ouch, I guessed wrong on slack tide. With the wind at 2-3 knots I could make less than ½ knot in mid-channel. By hugging the shore I found less current and could make ¾ knot against the flow. With the slightest distraction from the helm I could easily make headway backwards which I did once or twice. At one point a paddle-boarder passed me. Time for Plan B which was to motor southwards until the wind came up. Around noon a burgeoning sea breeze started to develop and I started to creep back . By 1 PM it was possible to sail a pleasant 11 mile beam reach at 3 knots back to the ramp. Occasionally it was necessary to harden up to a close reach to get closer to the shore. Had to stay close to the shore again because after crossing the Little Topsail Inlet I picked up a foul current again. It is usually possible to sail within five or six boat-lengths of the seaward side of the ICW in these coastal areas. However, near the inlets it is necessary to avoid bars encroaching onto the ICW waterway . The other areas to watch out are where dredging operations have created new islands. These may have shallow areas around them. Where dredge material has been deposited onto existing islands or marshes the deeper water (3-5’) often comes close to the shore. On the landward side of the waterway the shallow water reaches out several hundred feet in places.