# Slow Cruising South along the ICW



## cmendoza (Nov 15, 2002)

Evening folks.
My wife and I are about to cast off the dock lines and head off... we''ve got no place to go and a lot of time to get there!

Everything I''ve found so far on the ICW tends to be about getting down to FL relatively quickly in the fall.

Perhaps that is the only way to do it, but we would really like to spend some time along the way to enjoy the various areas.

Ideally, we would like to take from 6 months to a year to make the trip from Maine to the Keys... with about a month or so in a few key areas along the way. From there, we''ll be heading to the Caribbean for a year or so, etc., etc., etc.

The most likely start date would be early July... any thoughts on when to leave the NY/NJ area to best accomplish our goals? (actually, we would be starting out from East Dennis, MA)

Or do the weather patterns not allow for such a trip?

Any thoughts and or comments are greatly appreciated.

Best Regards,
Carlos


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## Fridge (Nov 15, 2005)

There are a couple things that might be helpful. First, Portsmouth/Norfolk, VA is the northernmost area that generally doesn''t freeze in winter so be sure and get south of that zone by winter months. Watch depths as there are MANY uncharted shallow areas - stay center of channel whenever possible. There are several "sounds" that can be extremely rough when the winds change - Albemarle in North Carolina is one such area - learn them and watch your weather. Take care after any rainfall - things you wouldn''t believe wash into the "ditch". Entire trees floating (or, sometimes submerged)are not uncommon. Traffic on the "ditch" can be interesting - some boaters understand courtesy and protocol and others just don''t - be watchful. Be ever watchful for crab pots - there is no rhime or reason to their placement and sometimes they can be found very close to the navigational channel. Other than that - enjoy the trip - but honestly, 6 months on the ICW may come to seem like a lifetime.


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## cmendoza (Nov 15, 2002)

Thanks Fridge... appreciate the feedback.

You''re probably right; 6 months will probably seem like a lifetime ;-)

We''ll be spending the next few months running through several sample itineraries until we hit one that seems to work for us... we''ll see.

Again,
Thank you.


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## DavidCReno (Dec 5, 2005)

A few years ago my wife and I left northern Long Island for the Bahamas. We left Nov 1, which was way to late. We took a month or two go get down to FL and froze! You definitely want to be south of Vero Beach, FL before it starts getting cold. We took our time, but the longest we stayed anywhere was a little over a week. From Anapolis you may want to jump on the express bus to DC and do some sightseeing. Spending a month in one place would probably make you get a little impatient to move on. Keep in mind that you''ll meet amazing people as you travel south and may want to travel at a common pace so that you can see each other a little more on the way. Feel free to email me with any specific questions: dcreno(at)gmail(dot)com


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## Nereus32 (Jun 23, 2002)

I can recommend heat on board! Last year when we came down, our heater allowed us stay in the Chesapeake longer, while everyone else was forced to move south. We left Washington D.C. on November 5th. The fall colors were beautiful and worth it.


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## cmendoza (Nov 15, 2002)

Thanks Nereus32... appreciate the tip!


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## starcresttoo (Aug 30, 2004)

if you leave in july you should be here in south fla just in time for hurricane season.and its been a real active one here.even so those storms make their way up the coast that time of year.do what I did...take up bowling.there are no harbormastor liveaboard harraslements and there are no registration or insurance requirements.or theres also that skydiving thing...


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

I''d check the average temps for the route for the time of year you are planning, then, just work within a comfort range at whateve pace you feel like. Since you''ve obviously left a life of schedules and time clocks, why put yourselves back into them?

Fair winds,
John


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## cmendoza (Nov 15, 2002)

Thanks John... incredibly obvious suggestion, why the heck didn''t I think of that!

Just in case that comes across as sarcastic, it''s not... Seriously, Thank you!


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## Dick Pluta (Feb 25, 2006)

My wife and I did this a couple of years ago. You have to balance your departure between the risk of hurricanes and the risk of winter. We left NJ in early October and the word we got from the locals on the way was that we were just before most of the snowbirds. We did kind of a forced march in in a month at 50 to 80 miles a day. That was way too short. I'd double it if we do it again but six months sems like way too long.


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## cmendoza (Nov 15, 2002)

Wow, early October sounds late to me!
Then again, what the heck do I know... thanks for the info!

We're in the process of taking all of the great advice we've received to-date and building a working itinerary. Once it's done, I'll be sure to post it on this site... more importantly, I'll be sure to let everyone know how it worked out once we reach the keys ;-)

Again thanks,

Carlos


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## Allan C&C Less (Feb 27, 2006)

If you want to take your time then I suggest leaving early summer. Thats what I did. Actually did my trip from Canada so I started sooner but was on the Intercoastal by early summer. But where u headed after getting to Florida???? I did the Trinidad route to avoid the Hurricane zone...then central/south america then over to the islands ending up in Antigua. Thats where i sold my boat. Which I regret deeply. Well I'm saving up for another. With luck maybe get one next year and head south again. Good luck...enjoy fair winds, Allan


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## LaceyKay (Feb 8, 2006)

I would think if you left mid summer and made your way down to north Florida by the end of October, that would be perfect. (gives you 5 months along the way down) This would allow you to steer clear of Florida during hurricane season (June-October), since we seem to be a magnet for them down here, and it only seems to be getting worse each year. But at the same time it has you down here before it begins to get to cold. If you arrived in north florida just as it began cool off in October, you would be in south florida easily by Nov/Dec when there is actually the slight possibility of cold fronts (which weren't very often this year, and when they do come through, its not for long) 

I would say if you followed a plan similiar to this, there would be no reason to need a heater whatesoever, especially if you are heading for Caribbean afterwards. 

we had maybe 4 or 5 nights that reached 40 degrees total all winter, and i was camping on an island for one of them - you shouldn't have any problem on your boat keeping warm. most winter nights will get down to around 60 or 70 normally. 

good luck!!!


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## [email protected] (Mar 27, 2004)

My family and I plan on a similar trip next year - leaving Maine in June to go north to Nova Scotia and then head south the first of Oct. Hopefully making the Annapolis by Nov. 1. Stay a couple of weeks and head south. Where in Maine do you live and what type of boat are you heading out in?


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## cmendoza (Nov 15, 2002)

Actually, we live in Hawthorne NJ, we had our slip in Haverstraw, NY and currently have our boat wintering in East Dennis MA. We left her there after our trip last year that ended in Provincetown. We'll be heading north to Penobscot Bay early July. Our plans are to spend July and August in the general area, and then head south as described... we sail a Catalina 30 TRB... if you would like, check out our website at www.svrocinante.com 
Perhaps we'll run into each other...

Fair Winds,
Carlos


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I sailed from Portland, ME to Beaufort, NC a few years ago, leaving Portland on Sept 1st and arriving Beaufort mid-November. This is a chilly time of the year in these waters - not cold, but I certainly didn't do a lot of sun bathing. This a very nice time of year as there is no crowd to deal with. I stayed in Oak Bluffs, MA harbor on a town mooring for a week free of charge. There were, maybe ten boats in the harbor.

Other places that I found outstanding places to stop on the way were New York City, Annapolis, MD, Elizabeth City, NC, and of course Beaufort. These all had good anchorages, friendly people, and interesting things to do while there. If you enjoy secluded and isolated achorages my favorite areas were Long Island Sound and Chesapeake Bay, particularly the latter, which if you have reasonably shallow draft, offers seemingly endless oportunities.

Enjoy your cruise.

Paul


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## cmendoza (Nov 15, 2002)

Thanks Paul...


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

I'd agree, six months for the ICW seems to be a bit long. I'd delay departure a bit, as you probably don't want to be too far south during the worst parts of hurricane season. I'd recommend leaving in mid-August, and spending about six weeks getting down to Norfolk/Portsmouth, VA at the beginning of November might be about right, to avoid most of the RTS problems. Then spend another six weeks or so getting to Florida, which would put you in Florida after hurricane season.

That makes a trip of about three-months.


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## cmendoza (Nov 15, 2002)

First, My apologies to everyone&#8230; I completely lost track of this post and my promise to come back and let everyone know how it went. Once again, our thanks to everyone for all the great advice.

Let's just hit a couple of the highlights before I get into our trip:
<O*Fridge*

Watch depths as there are MANY uncharted shallow areas - stay center of channel whenever possible&#8230;
I've got to say, we really didn't run into many problems with depth (6'-6" draft) on the entire trip down&#8230; yes it got a little hairy in some areas and yes, I did dredge a couple of new channels going into some marinas and even got hung up a bit in New Smyrna, FL - but all in all no troubles​

There are several "sounds" that can be extremely rough when the winds change - Albemarle in North Carolina is one such area - learn them and watch your weather.
Yep, patience was a virtue on this trip, but we waited patiently for our windows and had a great trip!​

Take care after any rainfall - things you wouldn't believe wash into the "ditch";. Entire trees floating (or, sometimes submerged)are not uncommon.
Yep, entire trees!​

<OTraffic on the "ditch"; can be interesting - some boaters understand courtesy and protocol and others just don't - be watchful.
Dead on - we try to be as courteous as possible ourselves, throttling back as they approached, etc. as with everything else in life, we met and spent some great times with several power boaters and "cursed" a bunch of others.​

<OBe ever watchful for crab pots - there is no rhyme or reason to their placement and sometimes they can be found very close to the navigational channel&#8230; 
We made it all the way to Key West and back north again without incident&#8230;. Until! Snagged a pot entering the Chesapeake&#8230; fortunately, caught it with the keel, saw the float submerge and killed the engine&#8230; managed to back off it without issue!<O​
*DavidCReno*

*<O*Keep in mind that you'll meet amazing people as you travel south and may want to travel at a common pace so that you can see each other a little more on the way.
I know I don't have to say it, but it's absolutely true! By far, the best part of the entire trip was the people we met along the way.​*Nereus32*

*<O*I can recommend heat on board! Last year when we came down, our heater allowed us stay in the Chesapeake longer, while everyone else was forced to move south. We left Washington D.C. on November 5th. The fall colors were beautiful and worth it.
Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you!​
We picked up a "Mr. Heater" and it made all the difference in the world! As you'll find out later in this lengthy reply, we didn't reach Portsmouth until December 22nd! - Yes, even thought it claims to be safe indoors, we always made sure we had plenty of ventilation!<O​*PBzeer*

*<O*I'd check the average temps for the route for the time of year you are planning, then, just work within a comfort range at whatever pace you feel like. Since you've obviously left a life of schedules and time clocks, why put yourselves back into them?
Can't thank you enough - My wife and I kept reminding ourselves of this every time we made a decision, we hung out in Charleston an extra week because it was a bit colder than we wanted and not only got better weather, but met a great couple that told us about a great, free, Blues concert running throughout that entire week!​<O*Dick Pluta<O*

My wife and I did this a couple of years ago&#8230;We left NJ in early October&#8230;
My original response to Dick was "Wow, early October sounds late to me! Then again, what the heck do I know..."​
Sure enough, October 11th found us in Cape May, NJ - It was perfect timing for us, a bit cooler than we would have liked, but also a lot less crowded&#8230; thanks again​*Allan C&C Less<O*
Somehow, I missed your post&#8230;my apologies.[/
Hopefully you've found yourself a new boat and are out there&#8230; In the end, we decided to do a 1 year test run before shoving off for parts unknown, so after Florida, we headed back North.<O

*LaceyKay<O*
Sorry, missed yours as well&#8230;
BTW, as things turned out, we didn't hit Florida until February 28th

*paulthober<O*

Other places that I found outstanding places to stop on the way were New York City, Annapolis, MD, Elizabeth City, NC, and of course Beaufort
Well, we know NYC well, so didn't bother stopping there, but loved Annapolis - enjoyed great fireworks thanks to the Naval Academy and enjoyed the Christmas boat parade! Elizabeth City was definitely worth a stop - great little town, very nice people, free overnight dockage and of course, the "Rose Buddies". We missed Beaufort, but spent some time in New Bern and really loved the general​*Sailingdog*
Sorry, missed yours as well, but thanks for the advise&#8230; as you'll soon read, all sorts of life events conspired to alter our "plans" and substantially shortened the amount of sailing time&#8230; I'm just glad we set aside the year to do it

Anyway, this is quite a bit longer than expected, so I'll stop here and I'll come back with more info in the near future&#8230;<O

Again, our sincerest thanks to everyone,<O
Carlos & Maria<O
SV Rocinante<O


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## fullkeel7 (Apr 16, 2008)

C & M,

Well, at first I was mad at myself for reading an old thread, but was really happy I saw your post. It's nice to read about a successful and safe adventure. Congrats and looking forward to your update....and thanks for the post. 

Bob


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Glad you enjoyed the trip...did you leave the boat south or make the round trip?


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## cmendoza (Nov 15, 2002)

Thanks folks...

<ORound trip - but mostly on the outside Northbound... while we enjoyed the trip south on the inside and highly recommend it to everyone, once was definitely enough!

We simply did not want to deal with all those bridges again, so we did a bunch of day hops and a couple of overnights and then went inside at Beaufort, NC&#8230; I'll be sure to fill in some details soon.

<O</OTill next time,<O
Carlos & Maria
<OSV Rocinante


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Thanks for the update and looking forward to your post.


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## cmendoza (Nov 15, 2002)

Well, the travel logs are not quite up to par and you'll find huge time / distance gaps, 
but it should do for a start ;-)

Links to Travel Log and Photo Book.

BTW, if you're in need of a good chuckle, read through the Maine log, we had so many mishaps it wasn't even funny... or was it!

Thanks again,
Carlos & Maria
SV Rocinante


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## badsanta (Oct 16, 2006)

Check out the AGLCA lots of ICW info. Did you concider going north? take the New York canal system (600 miles of it) threw to the great lakes and then down to Chicargo to the ohio I (think) mississippi to the ten-tom to the gulf. You said you have the time. I am planing on the trip.

America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association


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## chuck5499 (Aug 31, 2003)

i am currently in long island sound- i plan to leave li sound after the newport boat show and go to the cheaspeake and then leave there after the annapolis boat show - 
i can not south of morehead city until nov 1 - per my insurance company - 
you may want to check with your insurance company as to hurricane insurance and limits of travel if any 
i will be in new bern as quickly as i can get there and wait for nov 1 and a good weather window and hustle south before it gets really cold - headed to miami-
by the way you may want to spend some times in the keys as the bahamas can be a bit brutal with constant fronts in dec,jan and feb - and of course you have to get across the gulf stream and that might take some waiting 
enjoy and congradulations in joining us 
chuck and svsoulmates 
ki4sry 
on the hook in noank ct


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Nice write up on Maine Carlos...you had pretty good luck after Northport!


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## cmendoza (Nov 15, 2002)

Thanks camaraderie... it really was a great trip all around.
Had a great time and learned a lot about taking things as they come ;-)

Carlos & Maria
SV Rocinante


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## SVCarolena (Oct 5, 2007)

Yes, thanks for the great write-up and for not forgetting all of us at Sailnet! This is one time I was glad to see an old thread revived.


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