Newbies sailing south on the ICW

I have done this trip on a Power Boat a few times... The trip is fun and safe... the controlling depth of the ICW stated by the army corp of engineers is 10 feet average... so just watch the tides very carefully ... dont rush.... and remember " you havent be around if you havent been aground " have Fun... Captain Ted Sea Tow Fort Lauderdale

Thanks for the advice. We plan on starting in oct of 2013 and heading south. Gonna plan on hitting a marina/hook every nite and going slow. Much motoring likely. Just wanna be safe and relax.

DW

You're not always going to be able to stop at a marina without pushing hard from dawn to dusk.

True, and here is where my true ignorance comes out, but can't I select places and anchor out? Is that illegal? Is there any guide showing good places to stay or anchor on the ICW?

DW

Check out "Skipper Bob's" - for about $15, it will identify good anchorages, places to land your dinghy; bridge schedules and VHF channels, and lots of other vital info for first timers. As others have said, if you take your time and pay attention to the winds/tides, its a lovely trip.

Skipper Bobs is an excellent resource. If you have an internet connection while traveling, or at least at the dock, Cruisersnet, is a great resource as well.

Thanks for the info. Skipper bob has some great info. I'm gonna buy two of his guides on the next edition so they are current when we go! Hopefully someday I will have the skills or info to give back to the forum. For now I am in consumption mode until I leave the novice phase and grow as a sailor.

Hardly any place to sail on the ICW - motoring all day long, sometimes in circles waiting for bridges to open, sometimes rushing to make an anchorage before nightfall. ICW sucks for sailors. IMHO, of course. : )

pick your weather and you can do the ICW in a canoe.
Actually I saw 2 people diong the ICW from Melbourne yo NYC in kayaks , we would see them as we passed then we'd jump outside to the next stop and hang around a few days and they would come along !
Met another guy in a wooden row boat about 14' rowing from Key west to NYC he was from norway or somewhere, I asked him why he didn't rig a sail for a little easier tima and he told me he has one but wanted to row instead ! at night he had a canvas cover and stayed aboard, hardcore. but low maintenence , I guess.

Cruiser's net Cruiser's Net provides all the information you need for the ICW. Check it out.

Gary

Xx Darkwing xX said:

True, and here is where my true ignorance comes out, but can't I select places and anchor out? Is that illegal? Is there any guide showing good places to stay or anchor on the ICW?

DW

Click to expand...

Anchoring in the ICW is like parking on the freeway, sometimes there is a shoulder you can pull over on, sometimes there isn't. In some places there is a wide area behind a bridge outside the usual channel, sometimes the ICW goes through a lake, or a bay that has enough depth to anchor outside the channel. Sometimes there are side channels that lead to a good anchorage, or a marina,.....And sometimes you just have to rush to get somewhere you can safely stop for the night, or spend the night dodging barges in the dark.