Intracoastal Waterway Cruise – Norfolk, VA to Charleston, SC Charter the classic Trumpy yacht Lady Catherine for an unforgettable cruise on the ICW. Chuck Baier has been an active boater and cruiser for 50 years and has been a certified marine service technician for over 30 years. Simply search for a subject or click on one of the categories listed above. For us, even as many times as we have done the ICW, we never leave on a cruise without the most up-to-date set of charts. Well Don, thanks for sharing your post with the community. Because of infrastructure problems, sometimes bridges sag a bit. The Intracoastal Waterway from Fort Myers to Longboat Key is a favorite destination for sailors and fishermen. Trips may be booked for 5 to 14 days. Lift bridges typically are operated on schedules of when they can open to allow boat traffic through. Of course that’s only an average – some days are 70 or 80 miles and others might only be 5 miles. The ICW is best done at a leisurely pace with a general plan that is open to change. The Intracoastal Waterway between Florida and New York offers a great variety of coastal scenery to boaters. What size boat is needed will depend on the comfort level of the crew. We are often asked how difficult it is to travel long distances on the Intracoastal Waterway in a boat. How about the biggest?How long would it take?If anyone has done it … Help support Wicked Salty at https://www.patreon.com/WickedSalty?ty=h Tons of Wicked Salty rewards! Pristine anchorage … Timing an arrival at a bridge just prior to opening times will keep you moving. The radar is used more to track storm cells and do anchor watch when the weather turns bad in the middle of the night than for any other use. Equipping the boat is one of those very personal decisions. The northernmost part of the trip will not technically be on the Intracoastal; its northern terminus is at the Manasquan River Inlet in New Jersey. We have written a previous post on some ideas for a typical 50 day average. Channels often shift or silt in, and the constantly shifting bottom conditions make it important to know how much water is under your keel. Chuck is a freelance writer and has written for every major boating publication over the past 18 years and is currently the publisher and owner of Beach House Publications, which produces ‘The Great Book Of Anchorage’ series. ‘We don't have diesels, it's too small, it's too big, we don't have a generator, we need new electronics’ and on and on. From the practically uninterrupted seascape panoramas of the Florida Keys up through the vast marsh-grass plains of the mid-South to the forests that hug the shores of the Wacamaw River, the outlook constantly is changing. My first boat was a 19 foot bowrider. Bridge tenders understand when a boat is in range to make an opening and when it is not. The outflow of the St. Johns River at Jacksonville, Florida, can be particularly challenging in this regard, as can the outflows of the Susquehanna, Delaware and Hudson rivers. Originally built to ensure a secure means for shipping goods up and down the Atlantic Coast, today the ICW is used not just by commercial vessels, but also by a large number of recreational boaters. Natural inlets, sounds, man-made canals, saltwater rivers and bays. We do use ours extensively and it is a primary piece of equipment on our boat. These boats throwing off large wakes as they pass can cause things in the boat to fly off the counters and can cause damage as well as injury to the crew. We therefore ‘spring’ up the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in Spring. Bridges are one of our least favorite parts of transiting the ICW. Just like intrastate means within a state. It’s not necessary to have all of the latest toys to have a very enjoyable cruise on the ICW. And while in the past bowriders were limited in size and scope, recently we’ve seen a push towards larger and larger models, often with accommodations ranging from enclosed heads to full-blown cabins. If the waterway went coast to coast, it would be the intercoastal waterway…..just like when a highway goes state to state, it is an interstate. Having the most current bridge schedules for the 1,200 miles of waterway is a must. By Jon Eisberg. New Jersey Intracoastal - (NJICW/NJIWW) Cruising the NJICW - Manasquan to Cape May. The Intracoastal Waterway offers more than just beautiful scenery! Avoid the temptation to run from one channel marker to the next. Learn how to navigate the Intracoastal Waterway from Myrtle Beach, SC to Charleston, SC Some may need a large vessel with all of the comforts found in their homes, while others are quite happy by doing little more than camping out on a boat. The Special K crew cruises on the Waccamaw River in South Carolina dodging rainy weather on their ICW journey. The western part of the Hubert Humphrey bridge in Titusville, Florida, passes over the Intracoastal. Stops along the ICW can range from quaint fishing villages to major metropolitan areas and just about everything in between. Nash's work focuses on American life, travel and the music industry. The trip can be done in about 4 weeks if everything is perfect. As a small boater be aware and avoid these vessels. Probably the number one question we get is, how long will it take? Generally the shoaler the draft the better with under 5′ ideal–though up to 6′ or more is possible if you carefully follow the charts and are aware of the tide conditions. But there are still many that may require an opening depending on the air draft of the vessel, both power and sail. It was one of the best cruises in memory. The two vessels should be in communication on the VHF as all of this takes place. The Intracoastal Waterway. There will also be times when it will be best to be in a safe harbor well before the weather arrives. To some boaters, the intracoastal waterway, or ICW as it is often called, may seem like a rather difficult place to cruise. Much other useful information on the internet under Intracoastal Waterway. The other most prevalent delay will be due to weather. Eric Smith. Inclement weather also is an unpredictable factor: Hugging every curve of the coast in inclement weather uses far more time and fuel than does cutting lines across bays and inlets. We have also done a couple of transits of the Gulf Coast Intracoastal Waterway and have a few ideas on what it takes and what works for us. As we cruise pass Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale aboard 48-ft. motor yacht Sea Ray Sedan Bridge, witness immaculate shorelines and century-old architecture, while you feast on a gourmet meal and drink. The entire loop stretches about 6,000 miles (9,700 km). You can follow their two week journey on this blog as Karen will be sharing guest posts detailing each leg of their cruise along the Intracoastal Waterways. Since red and green markers can be on either side, depending on where you travel or whether north or south bound, it’s easier to remember that the triangles will always be on the mainland side and the squares will always be on the ocean side. It is made up of both natural and man-made waterways, including the Atlantic and Gulf Intracoastal Waterways, the Great Lakes, the Rideau Canal, and the Mississippi and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Loopers cruise in a counter-clockwise direction; timing their voyage to be in each geographical area during its preferred most comfortable and safest boating season. Coastal Carolina Charter is a boat services on the Intracoastal Waterway taking passengers on a fun, relaxing, boat tour from Southport, NC to Myrtle Beach, SC. Chuck also provides Navigation Notices for MarinaLife.Â. Finally, the route includes long stretches with no services, so a vessel needs tankage to allow up to 500 miles between fill ups. Perfect boat for cruising the intercoastal, going out to the ocean, snorkeling, diving, fishing etc. © 2020 USATODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Boat Tours on the Chain of Lakes in Florida. One exception is the Broom 430 Aft Cabin. Florida Intracoastal Waterway Cruise – Palm Beach to Sanibel and Captiva Islands via the Okeechobee Waterway Charter the classic Trumpy yacht Lady Catherine for an unforgettable cruise on the ICW. Each itinerary is customized to your interests. Senior Sales Consultant, Partner eric.smith@atlantic-cruising.com 410-703-5655 More from Eric >> Boat Business Webinars, Videos, Blogs, Learning center and more. You are never out of sight of land, which is the point of the ICW. Many open sounds, and especially near inlets, will have a side-setting current that can quickly push the boat out of the channel and into very shallow water. (Photo: Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images ), Deep-Sea Fishing in St. Augustine, Florida, The Highest Bridges in Pensacola, Florida, Freshwater Fishing on the Hudson River in New York, Information About Cruising the Intracoastal by Boat From Florida to New York, Privacy Notice/Your California Privacy Rights. Whether you’re a local or a tourist, you probably know about the Water Taxi, that boat service that has had hop-on/hop-off stops all along the Intracoastal Waterway of Fort Lauderdale for … There are a couple of exceptions for the 65-foot rule, primarily the Julia Tuttle Bridge in Miami, and a couple of others that were supposed to be 65 feet, but in reality are only 64 feet. Just getting there is more than half the fun, when you’re cruising south on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), a 1243-mile waterway that connects rivers, canals, sounds and land cuts on the Atlantic coast. And staying calm is the key, knowing the boat can handle it as long as the skipper can too. When it comes to doing the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway), which is basically a canal most of the way, and also has wide/rough bodies of water. W hile some think the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway is a superhighway for boats, we think it much more like a very slow Route 66. More . Annapolis, MD 21401. Arriving at some bridges even a minute late may mean waiting up to an hour for the next opening. Under these conditions, the helmsperson needs to not only look ahead, but watch behind to see if the boat is being pushed out of the channel. The Outlook for Cruising 2021. (trailerable) I just upgraded to a twin engine cruiser - more gas, same cruising and other capabilities, but now I can spend the night, extend my range, and have a solid boat. and in Spring head north for the summer. Also, it is important to have a VHF to communicate with other vessels. A good vessel, well-equipped, and a prudent crew will make for a lifetime of memories. Numerous inlets connect the Atlantic ocean and the Gulf of Mexico with the Intracoastal Waterway. How many miles can be covered in a day? In 1998 he earned an OxBridge doctorate in philosophy and immediately emigrated to America. The important points to remember are to stay safe and enjoy. In our 20+ years of traveling along the Intracoastal Waterway, we have seen what appears to us to be more and more of this lack of consideration and seamanship and wrote about our observations in a previous post. Maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers, the “intracoastal waterway” and its 3,000 miles in length, it surrounds the entire Florida panhandle. The recognized proper way to pass is to approach the vessel from astern, slow down to match their speed, pass slowly close in on one side or another, and resume speed only after fully passing. Our answer is always the same, that depends. Intracoastal is correctly named because it pertains to a waterway within the same coast. 4 people found this helpful. Here are my suggestions for how to plan your boat trip, navigate the canals on your … This is a perfect boat to travel the Intracoastal or do the big loop. Places to Stay Along the Intracoastal Waterway. It’s all part of the adventure. The Intracoastal Waterway, is a vital asset to Florida’s Culture, and it’s multibillion dollar waterfront industry. Essentially it is just a series of day trips, and … There are no tolls along the way, but improvements to the waterway are made using revenue from a fuel sales tax. The engine is turning over just enough to keep the boat stationary in the wind and seas. The number of side trips off the ICW can provide months of ideal cruising. The best way to find all these secret attractions and incredible views is to simply take out the boat and cruise, and mariners will be treated to incredible wildlife, fantastic waterfront sunsets, and charming coastal small towns as a reward for their Intracoastal Waterway travels. Construction, special events and even emergency vehicles can affect whether or not a bridge opens on time. To often the marker can sit in very shallow water, and by running right up to the marker, the boat may run aground. Each evening we sit down with our preferred guide and charts to decide where we want to be the next day. 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