For the southbound traveler, below Morehead City the ICW follows Bogue Sound almost 25 miles to Swansboro (Mile 229), the port for Bogue Inlet. The ICW channel to Swansboro is marked with daybeacons and lights; green and red are staggered with few exceptions.

The Bogue Sound route is by no means monotonous. Covered with tall pines and windswept oaks, the high mainland side is dotted with beautiful homes, many with private docks along the sound. Dolphins often frequent the sound's lower portion and goats sometimes appear on the spoil islands. You can also expect to see people digging for clams (although clamming is banned in some places so check before you join them). 

Opposite the mainland Bogue Banks stands in stark contrast. From the ICW this long barrier island no longer appears as a dense growth of scrub pine and myrtle. More and more, however, vacation homes, condominiums and resorts are covering the sand dunes.

Navigational Challenges and Strategies in Bogue Sound

Farther down Bogue Sound waters alongside the channel turn shoal with the bottom just inches below the surface. Commercial watermen sometimes wade rather than work from their boats and often the workboats are deliberately grounded on tiny islets.

If your vessel draws 4 feet or more and you want to continue southbound down the ICW from Morehead, go back east around Sugar Loaf Island to the Morehead City Harbor's entrance then follow the buoys carefully to rejoin the ICW channel. The western exit of the Morehead basin, which is adequately marked, has been sounded at depths from 12 to 4.5 feet MLW in different portions of the channel and carries a raging current.

Currents and tides are something to contend with here. Be aware of tides and the timing of their occurrences; you can use them to your advantage with proper planning. However, where there are ocean inlets the currents will change at and between each one. Fast boats will see many floods and ebbs on any given day. Slower boats may be able to use a flood to find the turnaround point then take the ebb to the next inlet.

The channel through Bogue Sound is narrow so it is a good idea to set your depth sounder alarm at 8 feet. If it sounds and the depth continues to decrease, slow down. This method helps you stay in the channel and spot shoal areas. With its sometimes scattered shoaling and shallow water outside the channel, Bogue Sound is a good place to use this technique.

The aids to navigation in Bogue Sound on to New River and then to the Cape Fear River are located 30 to 35 feet outside the channel limits. This is yet another good reason never to cut marks too closely. Many areas between Morehead City and Swansboro are subject to shoaling, despite frequent dredging. 

Encroaching shoals are frequently marked with temporary floating aids to navigation until dredging can correct problems. If you see a stationary beacon and a temporary floating marker of the same identification (sometimes the temporary marker will be designated with an "A" or a "B"), honor the temporary marker. Additionally, if the original marker was lighted, it will be extinguished and the light on the temporary marker should be honored. Of course, it is always advised to travel in the safety of daylight whenever possible and use the most recent (print-on-demand) NOAA charts.

Another hazard of Bogue Sound is that a strong wind on your beam can set you on the often-hard edge of the dredged channel. Watch behind you and be sure to steer toward the windward side of the channel so if you go aground the wind will help push you off. Keep current with the Local Notice to Mariners regarding shoaling in this stretch.

For more information on Bogue Sound and navigating this area of the Atlantic ICW, view Chapter 6: Beaufort to Southport, NC in the Waterway Guide Mid-Atlantic Edition.