Middle Danger Zone

I don’t know if I can call it dumb luck or just dumb. The latter is probably closer to the truth. I will explain. On our way to Colonial Beach, VA, Charlotte noted that Carrie Rose was the only boat in the middle of the Potomac River. The Potomac in its mouth is a huge 12 miles wide and about 5 miles wide when she mentioned it.

We had seen boats transiting up and down but all were hugging the shoreline. I usually stay offshore when in large bodies of water if there is a clear and direct route. And thus, we found ourselves smack dab in the middle. Charlotte is often prescient in these matters and so, I was beginning to have doubts.

Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries have an abundance of military, Coast Guard and secret research establishments. Many have sectioned off parts of the bay for their use. Of course, I do not know what these areas are used for except for the ones that have “target practice” or “bombing run” listed on the chart.

There are also fishing, crabbing, and dredging limits portrayed with a variety of dashed lines, buoys and shaded areas. Other places to be wary of are “submerged piles” and “fish trap area”. These tend to be close to the shore but not always.

The above can make for a confusing mix of details on a chart. Many have the notation of “See Note A, B, or C” printed on the chart. My eye begins to search for the reference and once found read it. Please excuse me if I am jaded concerning these notes. They often refer to the Coast Pilot or to the Notice to Mariners, neither of which is close at hand. But here I admit to ignorance verging on recklessness.

Note A was the standard reference to the above sources but Note B was titled UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE, and to make matters worse another note labeled MIDDLE DANGER ZONE explained that the U.S. Navy fired weapons into this area. It spelled out the use of range boats to warn off boaters when live fire was to take place; thus solved the mystery of the empty space that we were travelling in.

The fact that I write this from the Carrie Rose’s saloon is proof that we “lucked out” that Thursday afternoon for the zone was inactive. The next day the marina’s staff confirmed that it is an active testing site with a graphic handout, and later on Friday a loud bang was heard that for once was not heralding an approaching thunderstorm.

Did I mention there is also an upper and lower zone? I have considered these and altered my route to hug the shoreline. I may have had the benefit of dumb luck but I am not about to rest my laurels on it.