Transcript Cruising the Intracoastal Waterway

Norm & Kathy Blinn
Ebb Tide II - Our Duffy37
Outline
Getting ready to go
Managing the Waterway
Underway on the ICW
Living Aboard – Long Term
 Personal items:
 Not too much clothing
 Laptop computer and cell phone
 Extra boat spares:
 Second anchor and rode
 Impellers + head repair parts
 Wiper blades, bulbs, flashlight batteries
Dry Storage Boxes
Living Away From Home
 Communicating:
 Internet – Wi-Fi card, boosted antenna, shore access
 Incoming E-mail – Downloads are easy
 Sending E-mail – Use provider’s website
 Paying bills:
 Use bank’s electronic bill paying service
 Use biller’s websites - due dates & amounts
 Checkbook/stamps/envelopes - if mailing
 Need cash? - Use Debit Card at ATMs
 Mail:
 Home mailbox monitoring
 Forward to marina or Post Office General Delivery
Navigation Aids
 Essential equipment:
 Electronic chartplotter & depth sounder
 Tide info - embedded or Eldridge Tide & Pilot
 ICW Guides:
 The Intracoastal Waterway (Jan & Bill Moeller)
 Managing the Waterway (Mark & Diana Doyle)
 Paper charts:
 Intracoastal Waterway Chartbook (J. & L. Kettlewell)
 MAPTECH Chartkits:


Norfolk, VA to Florida (Region 6)
Florida East Coast and the Keys (Region 7)
Other Helpful Guides
 Skipper Bob publications (www.skipperbob.net):
 Marinas along the Intracoastal Waterway
 Anchorages along the Intracoastal Waterway
 MAPTECH Cruising Guide - Florida
 Internet sites:
 Salty Southeast Cruisers Net (www.cruisersnet.net)
 Weather/sea states (www.wunderground.com)
Follow the Yellow Marks
 ICW navigation markers have yellow triangles or squares
above daymark/buoy numbers
 ICW may use red or green marks to your starboard
 Here’s the rule:
Always inland (Mountains)
Always offshore (Islands)
ICW Marker
Navigating Underway
ICW Underway Routine
 Plan a daily travel distance (6 hours is good)
 Underway in daylight only!
 Check the tides
 Travel during mid to high tide:
 lower South Carolina & Georgia
 Near ocean inlets
 First-timers – stop in marinas each night
 Be flexible – expect delays
Aground – Five Foot Tide Range
Bridges and Passing
 Bridges:
 Time your arrival - minimize wait times
 Do not crowd the bridge – keep maneuvering room
 Down-current boats have right-of-way
 Passing etiquette:
 VHF 16 call – no answer – use horn signal
 One whistle – right rudder, pass on other boat’s starboard
 Two whistle – left rudder, pass on other boat’s port side
 Tow Boats and Barges:
 Less maneuverable – follow their lead
 Call on VHF 13 first, then VHF 16, then VHF 9
Traffic from Opened Bridge
Passing Other Vessels
 Pleasure Boats:
 VHF 16 call – no answer – use horn signal
 One whistle – right rudder, pass on other boat’s
starboard side
 Two whistle – left rudder, pass on other boat’s port
side
 Tow Boats and Barges:
 Less maneuverable – follow their lead
 Call on VHF 13 first, then VHF 16, then VHF 9
 Never pass without verbal contact
Towboat and Barge in NC
ICW Facts
 Runs from Norfolk, VA to Miami, FL
 1090 statute miles
 Planned minimum depths:
 12 feet to Ft. Pierce, FL
 10 feet to Miami
 Dual responsibility:
 Depth – Army Corps of Engineers
 Nav Aids – US Coast Guard
ICW Map & Distances
Statute miles by state :
Virginia - 34
North Carolina - 307
South Carolina – 235
Georgia – 138
Florida - 541
Norfolk to Key West- 1245
ICW Realities
 Bottom is always changing:
 Natural shoaling by ocean inlets
 Storm and hurricane effects
 Planned depths are not maintained:
 Commercial usage gets priority for dredging
 No depth maintenance from Hilton Head Island to
Georgia/Florida border (161 miles)
 Coast Guard is over-worked:
 Places temporary buoys when ICW bottom shifts
 Neglects faded nav markers and damaged ranges
FY 2008 ICW Dredging Funds
 Congress appropriated - $13.28 million
 North Carolina - $5.5M
 South Carolina - $2.18M
 Georgia - $1.87 M
 Florida - $3.74M
 Time since last dredging:
 Georgia - Six years
 South Carolina – Two years
 Georgia contract slipped to 2009
 Hells Gate Cut will be dredged in springtime
When to Start the Trip
 Leave early & stay late:
 SNOWBIRDS - Southbound in September
- Northbound in May
 November - December departures:
 Shorter daylight hours
 Morning fog
 Low sun angles – reflected glare
 Bahamas visits:
 Best in April or May
Cruising “Outside” to Florida
 Three legs - 2 days each at 6 knots – approx 545 NM
 Hampton Roads, VA to Southport, NC
 Thimble Shoals Channel “CB” to Cape Hatteras – 105 NM
 Cape Hatteras “R12” to Cape Fear River “CP” – 130 NM
 Greatest distance - offshore below Hatteras - 40NM
 Southport, NC to Charleston, SC
 Cape Fear “CP” to Charleston Sea Buoy “C”- 107 NM
 Charleston, SC to Fernandina Beach, FL
 Charleston “C” to Saint Marys River “R2” – 143 NM
ICW - Norfolk to Great Bridge, VA
 Mile Marker Zero:
 Elizabeth River Red 36 in Norfolk
 Norfolk to Great Bridge (MM 12) - 3 hour trip
 Norfolk bridges :
 2 vehicle - hourly openings
 2 railroad – variable openings
 Rush-hour restrictions (7-9 AM, 4-6 PM)
 Great Bridge Lock & Bridge coordinate hourly
openings
Norfolk’s Dominion Boulevard Bridges
Great Bridge, VA to Coinjock, NC
 Free overnight tie-up between lock and bridge
 After leaving Great Bridge :
• 2 vehicle bridges - half hour openings
• 1 railroad bridge - variable openings
• Rush-hour restrictions
 Currituck Sound has no tide:
 Wind - affects depths, current and waves
 Stay in channel - shallow outside
 Coinjock (MM 51) – 2 marinas
Inside Great Bridge Lock
Great Bridge Bridge
Upper North Carolina
 Albemarle Sound crossing - 12 miles:
 Gets nasty if wind is blowing
 Westward-building shoal by Alligator River Bridge
(MM 84)
 Find Green 1 visually - follow marks to bridge
 Alligator River leads to 21 mile-long canal
 Good marina stops:
 Alligator River Marina - MM 84
 Dowry Creek Marina - Belhaven - MM 132
Alligator River-Pungo River Canal
Upper North Carolina (Cont)
 Protected water - before/after Neuse River
 Neuse River crossing - 27 miles
 Actually is southern Pamlico Sound
 Gets rough if wind blows
 Good overnight stops:
 Oriental, NC (MM 181) - 2 marinas + free pier
 Morehead City, NC (MM 205) - several marinas
 Morehead City – 3.5 foot tidal range
Lower North Carolina
 Morehead City (MM 205) – 3.5 foot tide
 Going south - tidal range increases to 5 feet
 ICW runs between barrier islands and coast:
 Many ocean inlets – honor temporary buoys
 Expect a slow trip:
 4 Bridges
 Camp LeJune Firing range (MM 235-240)
 Cape Fear River - strong tidal currents
 Southport, NC (MM 310) – 3 marinas + free dock
Shrimpers aground by New River Inlet
Dolphins near New River Inlet
Upper South Carolina
 Moving south – tidal range increases from 5 to 7 feet
 The “Rockpile” (MM 349–352):
 Securité call on VHF 13 and 16
 No turn-around room
 Passing/meeting is difficult
 Marinas:
 Dock Holiday’s (MM 348)
 Wacca Wache (MM 384)
 Georgetown’s Boat Shed Marina (MM 403)
Red 16 in the Rockpile
Red 16A in the Rockpile
Lower South Carolina
 Multi-night stops:
 Charleston City Marina (MM 469) – 3 nights
 Downtown Marina - Beaufort (MM 536) – 2 nights
 Hilton Head Island:
 Skull Creek No-Wake zone (MM 553-557) – $900 fine
 Marina - Harbour Town Yacht Basin (MM 564)
 Known shallow spots – mid to high tide only:
 Ashepoo-Coosaw Cutoff (MM 517)
 Ramshorn Creek (MM 569)
 Fields Cut (MM 573)
Charleston City Marina’s Mega-Dock
Georgia – an ICW challenge
 138 meandering miles (MM 576-MM 714)
 Tidal range – 8 feet
 No depth maintenance since 2002
 Worst shallow spots:
 Hells Gate Cut (MM 602) - dredging in spring 2009
 North end of Jekyll Creek (MM 683)
 Marinas: Kilkenny Creek (MM 614) – primitive
Jekyll Wharf ( MM 684)
 Best bet – go outside:
 St Catherine Sound (MM 618) to St. Mary's River – 60
miles
 Saves 35 miles and avoids many shallows
Florida – Finally!
 Fernandina Harbor Marina (MM 717)
 Fernandina to Key West - 528 miles
 ICW is well maintained:
 Indian River - 200 miles - 10 feet deep channel
 Lots of “skinny” water outside channel
 Tropical weather starts at Palm Beach
 Delray Beach to Miami:
 Many bridge waits and no-wake zones
 Go “outside” at Boca Raton or Ft. Lauderdale
Fernandina Beach, FL Sunset
Good Florida Overnight Stops
 “Old Florida” Towns:
 Fernandina, Melbourne, Cocoa, New Smyrna
 Historic:
 St. Augustine & Cape Canaveral
 Big Cities:
 Jacksonville, Ft. Lauderdale & Miami
 Florida Keys
 Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Key West
Miami Bayside Marina
Leaving Miami
Prop-Fouling Hawser
Miami to Key West
 Two routes (160 miles):
 Biscayne & Florida Bays – shallow, more protected
 Hawk Channel – deeper, inside outer reef
 Stopovers – make reservations in winter:
 Key Largo (MM 1142) - Marina Del Mar
 Islamorada (MM 1163) - many marinas
 Marathon (MM 1194) - many marinas
Boot Key Harbor - 226 mooring balls
 Key West (MM 1245) - Galleon Marina

Hawk Channel Marker
Key Largo’s Channel
Moored in Key Largo
Boot Key Harbor Mooring Field
Approaching Key West Harbor
Key West Harbor Entrance
Key West Harbor
Inside Key West Harbor
Galleon Marina Approach
Key West – Galleon Marina
Meeting a Manatee
Manatee Drinking Fresh Water
Manatees Move Slowly
Semi-Tame Heron
Dinner Time for Feral Cats
Key West Sunset
Weather in the Keys
 Winter:
 Warm & breezy
 Active water, fast-moving storms
 Summer:
 Hot & humid
 Calm winds & water
 Best weather reporting:
 Weather Underground
 Web address –www.wunderground.com
Storm Arriving in Key West
Sunset after the Storm
Final Thoughts
An ICW trip is a grand adventure
Don’t rush - savor the experience
Make multi-day stops
Bring your bikes