# ICW/outside, southbound, single handing



## solosaler (Oct 5, 2009)

Lurking a long time, great site. I'm looking for some quidance on making a solo run down the ICW. Been sailing a long time, so thats not an issue. Boat will be 40' drawing less than 5', autopilot and windlass. I'm planning on 30-50 miles a day depending on conditions. What areas to be concerned about?
Other thoughts are to run offshore from Cape May to NC, 240+/- miles being aware of shipping lanes on both the bays. Thanks.


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

Were it me (weather permitting of course), I would run outside to the mouth of the Chesapeake, then go inside and down through NC, coming back outside at the Beaufort Inlet. From there, a two night trip to Charleston, or north end of Hilton Head if you're making good time.

Say Charleston though, and a day trip, outside to North end of Hilton Head. From there you can do overnight hops outside to St Augustine, then Fort Pierce, then Miami (I would go past Government Cut and come in at Cape Florida).

That's my usual route, weather permitting. Southport NC to Georgetown SC gives you the most beautiful and ugliest stretches of the ICW (Waccama River and Myrtle Beach).


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## ottos (Aug 12, 2008)

Take what I say with a grain of salt, and check out other threads here on SailNet. It's been discussed often. 

You don't say where you're starting from or how tall your rig is.

I don't have a great deal of specific info on the ICW in New Jersey other than to expect there to be unmarked shoals. Download the Local Notice to Mariners to keep current on conditions. You probably want to run outside as much as possible, weather permitting. Keep in mind that if the weather goes bad, you may be safer staying outside. NJ inlets can be harrowing. Trying to cross one in deteriorating conditions could mean trouble. The two safest inlets in the south are Cape May and Atlantic City. Barnegat is legendarily bad. Most inlets are not charted because they shift often, and the CG has to remark them. Avoid crossing these inlets when tide and wind oppose each other - this can quickly lead to tall breaking waves. 

Ocean City has a 35' bridge, So definitely plan on going outside from the Great Egg inlet on down to Cape May.


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

Just a clarification, the ICW doesn't actually start until Portsmouth, VA. That's Mile 0.


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## justified (Jun 14, 2007)

Not alot to add to what PBzeer had to say, Hes right on the money.

Safe sail and clear nights

Peter
"Justified"


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## ottos (Aug 12, 2008)

There seem to be varying opinions, but the USCG has marked the buoys and daymarks along the coastal waterway with the yellow symbols denoting the ICW. Also check your Coast Pilot3 chapter 3 page 163.

But Wikipedia calls the New Jersey start 'unofficial'.



> The waterway runs for most of the length of the Eastern Seaboard, from its unofficial northern terminus at the Manasquan River in New Jersey, where it connects with the Atlantic Ocean at the Manasquan Inlet, to Brownsville, Texas. The waterway is toll-free, but commercial users pay a fuel tax that is used to maintain and improve it. The ICW is a significant portion of the Great Loop, a circumnavigation route encircling the eastern half of the North American continent.


Encyclopedia Britannica extends it to Boston! 



> The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway serves ports from Boston to Key West, Fla. The route is linked by several essential man-made canals, including the Cape Cod, Chesapeake and Delaware, and Chesapeake-Albemarle. The lowest controlling depth is 6.1 feet (1.9 m) in the Dismal Swamp Canal of Virginia and North Carolina. During World War II, the route became important as a means of avoiding the submarine menace along the coast. Commercial traffic (oceangoing vessels and barges) serves the heavily concentrated industrial areas north of Norfolk, Va; whereas, to the south, the waterway accommodates mainly pleasure craft traveling to the Florida resort areas.


I guess there's a back story here. Anyone care to elaborate?


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## Guest (Oct 6, 2009)

I saw that too Otto
ICW is a generic term for starters as my wise Chinese girlfriend pointed out last night on a related discussion

basically, the Eastern US's ICW is a protectd waterway going south, and north of the Ches it has many areas where you are on open ocean, so how is that an ICW Ency Brit??

I do love Wiki/Ency Brit for my European football bios however 

-Jonathan


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## norsearayder (Dec 19, 2006)

the annisquam river 26 miles north of boston is the start of icw according to national geographic,i have the book in hand to get the river spell correcr...rayder


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## CapnMikel (Oct 6, 2009)

Well the iCW that the Army Core of Engineers maintains does start at Norfolk/Portsmouth at zero.
Every 5 miles thereafter is a white sign which states [SM 5] [SM 10] etc
at least the ones which are still standing. They seem to die off in certain areas & pick back up. You can see those mile markers on your charts too.
I sailed the entire ICW (at least mile zero to mile 1195/ Marathon- Boot Key Harbor) on the INSIDE for my 1st trip last March. Coming back/North I took advantage of the offshore currents & most of Florida & Georgia. My crew got off in Edgewater, FL & I single handed from there North (not that fun).
*Next time I will sail with another boat or 2, a better dinghy, solar and wind power* (experience is the best teacher!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)


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## solosaler (Oct 5, 2009)

pbzeer: good stuff thanks. now looking at outside to oregon inlet.
ottos: taken your post w/grain of salt. not looking to enter any nj inlet. been/done. btw, search system was used a bunch before my post. did you make the run w/boat from avalon/stone harbor last week?
mike: why do you say you'd buddy boat next time?
thanks all.
solo.


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## RichH (Jul 10, 2000)

ottos said:


> I guess there's a back story here. Anyone care to elaborate?


The planning for the final form of the ICW included the deepening/widening of Delaware and Raritan Canal so that vessels could travel ACROSS New Jersey from NYC to Bristol Penna/Trenton NJ on the Delaware River ... and thus avoiding the shifty New Jersey coast.
The final (but never completed) plans for the ICW did indeed include Boston as the northern terminus .... so that there would be maximum travel through 'protected' waters.

Boston ---> Cape Cod Canal ---> Long Island Sound ---> East River (NYC) ---> Hudson ---> Raritan & Del. Canal ----> Delaware River ---> C&D Canal , etc. etc. etc.

The Delaware & Raritan Canal shut down operation during the Great Depression, some sections are still water filled as part of the NJ state park system. 
Delaware and Raritan Canal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## boatpoker (Jul 21, 2008)

My personal "intracoastal waterway" starts in Toronto and runs to the Bahamas and Dry Tortugas although over the last few years its quickly becoming the "Intra Condo Waterway". I put together this article for first timers on the ICW. It might be of interest http://www.pcmarinesurveys.com/Primer For First Timers.pdf


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## CapnMikel (Oct 6, 2009)

> mike: why do you say you'd buddy boat next time?


well....try a thousand miles by yourself LOL
it's safer plus it's really nice just to have someone to chat w/ have supper w/ plan the next day w/ go shopping etc when the weather is bad w/

plus it's always a learning opportunity & you may just make lifelong friends out of long journeys like that


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## CapnMikel (Oct 6, 2009)

boatpoker said:


> My personal "intracoastal waterway" starts in Toronto and runs to the Bahamas and Dry Tortugas although over the last few years its quickly becoming the "Intra Condo Waterway". *I put together this article for first timers on the ICW. It might be of interest* http://www.pcmarinesurveys.com/Primer For First Timers.pdf


wow, nice! I just got back from my 1st trip to the Keys & back (to Norfolk, VA) just looking at the table of contents brought fresh memories back to the surface like power management for instance. I did it without solar, wind nor generator help. That will be the biggest change for my next trip!

My biggest impression was that EVERY day was different on the ICW.


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

Solo - you might want to think twice about Oregon Inlet. It's certainly one I avoid.


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## ottos (Aug 12, 2008)

solosaler said:


> ottos: taken your post w/grain of salt. not looking to enter any nj inlet. been/done. btw, search system was used a bunch before my post. did you make the run w/boat from avalon/stone harbor last week?


It was a few weeks ago- and yes we did, although slightly delayed the start due to the nor'easter that hit. It was a pretty challenging trip - grueling, not skill wise. It was the owner and myself on a 44' Bristol - the other crew had to bail because of the delay.

He had purchased the boat during the summer and all was perfect and was planning on taking it to Solomons Island for some sprucing up before taking it back to California. His original trip to MD was delayed due to a tropical storm off the coast, so he went back to CA. On his return to Avalon, he found that the boat had been struck by lightning. All electronics were fried! Everything on the masthead had been blown clean off. So we took this 7.5' draft boat from Avalon to Solomons steering a compass course with a handheld GPS for backup guidance. Of course we had buoys to work with, except for the ocean leg and the lower end of the Chesapeake. Departed with the high tide from Avalon at around 1500 on Saturday and arrived around 0800 on Monday after dawdling off Solomons waiting for the sunrise. I slept well that night!


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## MoonSailer (Jun 1, 2007)

According to Claiborne Young there are only three inlets in NC that are reliable in all weather. Oregon Inlet is not one of them. There is a web page on NC inlets.
North Carolina Inlets - NC Inlets, United States


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## solosaler (Oct 5, 2009)

*oregon*



PBzeer said:


> Solo - you might want to think twice about Oregon Inlet. It's certainly one I avoid.


loud and clear.
thanks.


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## solosaler (Oct 5, 2009)

*NC inlets*



MoonSailer said:


> According to Claiborne Young there are only three inlets in NC that are reliable in all weather. Oregon Inlet is not one of them. There is a web page on NC inlets.
> North Carolina Inlets - NC Inlets, United States


curious as to the 3 passable inlets.
thanks for the link.


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## solosaler (Oct 5, 2009)

*solomons*



ottos said:


> It was a few weeks ago- and yes we did, although slightly delayed the start due to the nor'easter that hit. It was a pretty challenging trip - grueling, not skill wise. It was the owner and myself on a 44' Bristol - the other crew had to bail because of the delay.
> 
> He had purchased the boat during the summer and all was perfect and was planning on taking it to Solomons Island for some sprucing up before taking it back to California. His original trip to MD was delayed due to a tropical storm off the coast, so he went back to CA. On his return to Avalon, he found that the boat had been struck by lightning. All electronics were fried! Everything on the masthead had been blown clean off. So we took this 7.5' draft boat from Avalon to Solomons steering a compass course with a handheld GPS for backup guidance. Of course we had buoys to work with, except for the ocean leg and the lower end of the Chesapeake. Departed with the high tide from Avalon at around 1500 on Saturday and arrived around 0800 on Monday after dawdling off Solomons waiting for the sunrise. I slept well that night!


spent a great weekend in Solomons for PRAD, local celebration of the river appreciation days. great food, good fun.
did you sail up the de bay and down or down the coast and up the chessie?


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## ottos (Aug 12, 2008)

solosaler said:


> spent a great weekend in Solomons for PRAD, local celebration of the river appreciation days. great food, good fun.
> did you sail up the de bay and down or down the coast and up the chessie?


Up the Delaware, then down.

I missed it if you told us - where are you starting from?


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## chuck5499 (Aug 31, 2003)

i did the trip single handed last year from woods hole mass to miami in oct and nov - the weather fronts start coming through on a regular basis so you need to watch closely and sit when necessary 
my trip went down buzzards bay to long island sound to east river to cape may up the delware bay thru the c&d canal down the cheaspeake and thru the dismal swamp to beaufort nc - offshore to wrightsville beach to southport then offshore to (I forget where i came in) - then inside to beaufort sc then offshore to jacksonville and on down to st augustine then inside to fort pierce then off shore to miami - 
i would have done more outside but the weather did not cooperate 
plan on sitting out a few blow - i had to sit in solomons md for 5 days with 2 fronts and 30k winds - then count on things breaking - i lost my windlass control and took 2 days to get a new one 
there will be a lot of people going the same way so you can hook up with them - 
if you have an hf radio there is a morning net on 6.227 for check in and you can get advise and conditions all the way down 
in addition if you have an air card for your computer you can see the weather and plan accordingly 

by the way am doing the same trip this year except with an admiral 
good luck 
chuck patty and svsoulmates 
on the hook deltaville va


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## CaptainForce (Jan 1, 2006)

We enjoy the ICW as well as short hops outside in good weather. As "cockpit potatos" we avoid bad weather on either route. We have been cruising at least some portion of the ICW every year since 1972 and find it very reliable with plenty of good overnight anchorages that would allow days of no more than 50 or 60 miles. Some people don't like the constant attention needed at the helm for ICW travel or they are disturbed by the bridges. I can see the limitation of being single-handed with the former, but not a problem with good palnning for your needs while underway. 'take care and joy, Aythya crew (now southbound on the ICW at mile 295)


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## solosaler (Oct 5, 2009)

*departing*



ottos said:


> Up the Delaware, then down.
> 
> I missed it if you told us - where are you starting from?


Manasquan. Outside run to Cape May. Plan's fading. sigh.


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## ottos (Aug 12, 2008)

My condolences. This has been an ugly fall. I gave up on the season yesterday and brought most of my gear home, and secured the boat for the nor'easter.


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