sailing the icw

[hd1975]

sailing aboard a 27' cape dory/13hp westerbeke. has anybody sailed the icw in a ship this size, and if so how was the trip? please don't reply in too technical jargon as I'm just getting my feet wet. As I aquire more information about the boat, I'm sure to have many,many,many more questions. Thanks for any input

[jimmcnabb]

icw varies, do you mean to "sail" it all. most time in icw will be motoring due to narrow channel, bridges. there are detailed guides to different sections of waterway that are very helpful. my experience is between mobile,al and keys several times.

[hd1975]

thanks for information--will be entering from n.j.(someday)---a motor in good shape will be very important I take it. this is just the start of many more questions to come.

[speciald]

Where on the ICW? Between Beaufort, NC and Norfolk has a copple of sounds that can be very rough. At 5 knots you will make less tah 60 miles/day. Night travel will be impossible. I've done the ICW from Fort Lauderdale to Norfolk and won't do it again! You will feal like your eyes are going to fall out of your head after a few days. Beaufort to Norfolk will take 3-4 days by itself.

[Vasco]

Don't let speciald discourage you, hd1975. I've been doing it since 1990 and still like it. Some sections aren't the best but overall it can be a delightful trip with pleasant anchorages every night. Your boat will be fine especially with your relatively shallow draft.

[sgkuhner]

In 2005 we went down the ICW along with another boat. The other boat was 27 foot Pierson Triton. They sailed a lot of the way and some days would leave an anchorage 1/2 hour ahead of us. We would pass them while we were motoring and they would be sailing. In the late afternoon, we would find a nice anchorage and pull in. Always within a half hour later in would sail Rondo and drop his hook. They spent the winter in the Bahamas and had a ball. In the spring they sailed her back to Maine. The bottom line is that yes you can do it with no problems. You might just buy some Tow Boat US or Sea Tow insurance just to make sure you will never need a tow anywhere. It is cheap.

[PBzeer]

You should have no issues with the ICW. How much actual sailing you do will largely be determined by how far you want to go each day. As to motoring, I have a 13hp yanmar in my 32' boat, and while it can be slow going at times due to tide, wind and/or current, it isn't a big problem.

[camaraderie]

HD1975...welcome...you will be fine in a CD27 once you get past New Jersey. Just wait for good weather there!! Lots of GOOD ICW info on this thread....
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/cruisi...tml#post106626

[inshallamiami]

We traveled down the ICW from New Jersey in a 27' Tanzer. There were 3 of us (me, my husband and our 23 year old daughter) and we had a BLAST. We made about 40 miles a day (left NJ around thanksgiving, brr!) and it was one hell of an adventure. We did seem to use our engine a lot and stayed at marinas more than we would now, but it was a great learning experience.
Now we have a bigger boat (34') and have gone further (Guatemala) but that first big trip was tremendous fun. Enjoy!

[hd1975]

will we have to add any new electronics, other than what is onboard? how about solar power etc.? am I making this trip out to be more than I have to? what kind of supplies--food,drink etc.--tools, ship supplies--anything else?