I've done the entrance at night - singlehanded with a search light in one hand. This was on my last boat - long before I bought a chartplotter.
The entrance to Onset is tricky IF you've never done it before and DOES require concentration and timing BUT after you've done it once
it's not so bad. In that sense, it's like a lot of places. Actually, it's only hairy for a few seconds - when you make the first turn to port
(by G21, if I recall correctly) until you make the next hard turn to starboard. In between, there can be a lot of pressure on the helm.

The Canal itself should be easy - although if that RR was down at the wrong time - things could get tricky. Big commercial traffic and
powerboats can be annoying, but shouldn't be a problem. With all due respect to Dave, if you lose power (especially if you're off to one side near a bank) things could go bad quickly. You won't drown, because the ACOE will be on the scene quickly, but your boat could take a beating. DON'T EVEN THINK of going
through the CCC with a auxilliary sailboat (a pure sailboat can't go thru alone, i.e. power is required by the CCC regulations) the wrong way, i.e. against the current.

Going W after the CCC Hogs Neck Channel can be NASTY - especially if a strong SW is blowing. Best to wait till conditions improve - although you can
get out of Dodge via the old, unused Canal channel.

Jerry