N. Carolina waterway
 

Hello paddle family!

I hope this finds you all healthy and enjoying the summer and all it has to offer. Tom and I have not been able to make any paddles with the club so far this year due to various constraints and one leaky kayak (it's fixed and ready to go now) but we hope to join up with everyone soon.

We are planning a vacation to Topsail, NC in September and are thinking of hauling the kayaks down to paddle the intracoastal waterways. I have been searching for different charts/maps and I haven't found exactly what I want. I'm looking to gather as much info as I can as this is uncharted (tee-hee)) territory for us and I'm not sure how tides and currents will affect our paddle plan. Some sort of map I can take along would help allay fears of being lost or stranded in unfamiliar territory.

I'm hoping someone out there may have already done this or have some advice because I'm sure there is a lot I haven't thought about or even taken into consideration.


Thanks for reading. We miss everybody!

Darla

The National Ocean Service (NOS), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), produces nautical charts for commercial shipping and recreational boating and predicts tides and currents in coastal waters nationwide. However, I believe that paper copies of the charts are no longer available for purchase directly from NOS. The charts are available electronically, but I believe you will probably have to print them. On the page where the link above takes you, go to the links for Custom Chart, Booklet Charts, Tide Predictions, and Current Predictions. There will be a learning curve to figure out how to get the chart for the area you are interested in. Contact NOAA/NOS if you need help with the process. Alternatively, it might be easier to contact a place that rents kayaks in the area to find out if they have their own nautical chart(s) or a marine supply store in the area. Hope this helps you get started.

JP

PS: I just found a page on the NOS website that lists agents that will print the digital version of a nautical chart. It may be useful to contact one of them to find out if they can customize a chart for the specific area where you will be kayaking.

JP,

Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is it! What I was looking for. A treasure trove of info here. I can't wait to dig into this site.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I greatly appreciate it!

Darla

Glad to hear that you’ll find the NOS site helpful, Darla.