I agree. It's not the distance that was concerning. I know I read somewhere that one of the first channel markers (red or green?) was missing. Having never been can you blame one for taking extra precautions?[/quote]

I agree with your cautious approach (pun intended). It is an easy approach if all markers are in the correct place and you spot them before heading in. Eyeballs should always be your first navigation tool. Having the waypoints in a chart plotter is a good confirmation and Walker's waypoints show where the markers are supposed to be located.