Boats cruising the Intracoastal Wateiway 



22 SPRING 1998 



"Those people have time to travel and money," Little 

 says. "If they didn't, they wouldn't be cruising the Intra- 

 coastal Waterway on a 65-foot boat. So how can we slow 

 them down, extend the time they stay in our state and expand 

 the opportunity to spread their money throughout coastal 

 North Carolina?" 



As a start, the council is identifying water trails and 

 linking existing routes, forging separate paths with hubs for 

 three groups: paddlers, motorboaters and cruisers. The water 

 trails are a way to divert traffic off the main highway of the 

 Intracoastal Waterway to explore waters less traveled. The 

 plan is for boaters to be able to use guided maps full of 

 information on destinations and travel times to visit North 

 Carolina's historic, natural and cultural sites. 



One five-day route already drawn is the Albemarle 

 cruising trail that passes through Elizabeth City, Hertford, 

 Edenton, Plymouth and Columbia. Another route being 

 considered would revisit a town's past as a 1758 customs center. 



"In the future, look to Murfreesboro being a destination 

 for boaters," says Peter Thomson, a council member from 

 Elizabeth City. "Do you know that Murfreesboro used to 

 have some sailing ships to Barbados and Boston? ... So all 

 these towns are rediscovering the water. And all we're trying 

 to do is mark a trail from the main highway to them so that 

 boaters can really discover them." 



A self-described film director, businessman and 

 marketing guru, Thomson has cruised worldwide and 

 believes North Carolina's treasures are unparalleled. 



"Somebody who comes here with a touring boat is just 

 astonished at what North Carolina has in terms of touring 

 waters because it is unique really within the world," he says. 

 "What we really have is a lot of small historic towns on 

 waterways that are navigable and much more navigable than 

 anybody knows ... unspoiled, unindustrialized, stop your 

 boat where you want, swim when you want, just absolutely 

 gorgeous (waters)." 



These possibilities are sure to tempt eco-adventurers. 

 Teeming with wildlife like eagles, herons, ospreys and even 

 a few alligators, the North Carolina coast rivals the Ever- 

 glades, Thomson says. 



"You can stay at a bed-and-breakfast in Plymouth, and 

 you can take a different paddle trip every day for a month in 

 a kayak or a canoe and just not cross the same piece of 

 water," he says. "These are the biggest sounds in North 

 America. ... There's just nothing like it. You go across a 20- 

 mile body of water, and you maybe see two boats." 



To lure boaters, the council plans to distribute a 

 brochure on North Carolina boating destinations at major 

 U.S. boat shows, says council member Mike Bradley, 

 director of the Wilmington-based Marine Trade Services 

 program, which provides advice to small businesses. He sees 

 the targets as not merely boaters but also those who enjoy 

 watching the sport from the docks. 



"If you ever go to Beaufort and find a way to get into a 



