ICW in summer 2007 - What is best?

Icw 2007

The Sunseeker may be a better boat for the ICW as the 6' draft will be a big plus. Also the 80 LOA will allow you to get into more marinas without too much advance planning, and one of the great things about the ICW is that you can stop for a few days to sightsee or move on as you like with out sticking to a plan. There may be a few spots where even six feet of draft will need to done at high tide, but it is easy to find out where they are.

There are no actual fees to use the waterway, dockage rates vary with less expensive dockage away from the cities, maybe around $2 per foot, some city docks will be more, higher if you get to the North East up to $4 or $5. If I knew what fuel costs will be next summer I would I would be cruising on my own yacht rather than selling them!

In six weeks you can go from Florida to Maine via the Atlantic ICW on the Sunseeker, with the speed to move when you want to. The Gulf ICW is shallow in Florida, and a lot of the northern Gulf ICW is through marshlands and bays, not as much to see or do as the East Coast ICW. To get a better idea of time needed, many yachts do the trip from Florida to New York, stopping each night, in 6 to 9 days, longer if done on the inside the whole way. That is a quick trip to get from from one place to the next.

Sounds like a great plan, there are lots of places to see along the way.
Tucker Fallon

Leveller,
You are correct to plan early and ask from the folks that should know the best. I agree with Tucker on the Sunseeker, good for the ICW but also good in the ocean and they are fast ( I ran a 61 Predator and that thing could move when you needed it to). Do the Atlantic ICW, 6 weeks shold be fine. Start in Ft Lauderdale and go north. Plenty of places to stop for a day or more, like St Augustine, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Beaufort, Norfolk, Atlantic City, New York City and head up to Rhode Island. Dockwise does do service to Newport, so check their schedule. Like Tucker said, you will have to watch the tides in some area so you don't risk grounding, but most of the ICW is good. Once you get to the Chesapeake, you have to go in the ocean to get to NJ and NY. Stay a few days at Chelsea Piers in NY then run east in Long Island Sound and stop in Montauk or head to Block Island. There are some legs where there is nothing to see or do and you'll cruise the whole day (some of the marsh like areas in Georgia). Fuel costs, who knows by then. But do be aware of the posted speed zones in the ICW, especially in Florida. And if you are a little rusty in reading a chart, you do need to freshen up. There are many range markers in the ICW and you need to spot them ona chart and learn how to use them when navigating. Not difficult, but they will keep you in the preferred part of the channel. Marinas will usually charge by the foot plus electric. And you should make reservations, especially if you will be in towns where there are events (like fishing tournaments).
Good luck

PS If you are really adventurous, take the yacht from FL to Rhode Island, then run back down to FL in the ocean. This way the yacht can be picked up by Dockwise in the same place.

Yes, Myrtle Beach has a few famous and many not so famous golf courses in the area. And the ICW runs right through town. Neat to cruise or play golf around the old mossy trees and somewhat exotic wildlife. Montauk as in Billy's song. It's at the eastern end of Long Island, New York, close to Sag Harbor and the famous Hamptons (you can spend a week there and never see everything).You can detour towards Wash DC and Baltimore, but it's off the ICW a ways. You will have time but the Great Lakes may be too much, where you will be on a tight schedule and miss the other areas. Save that for a second trip. But if you want to go, from the ICW in Virginia, head up the ocean to the Hudson River in NY and go north. Long trip. I've only been up to Albany, so others can chime in and give more details for that route.

You do not need any special license to operate a private yacht in the US. But if you are bringing your yacht from Europe, make sure you have all papers up to date and organized, including ownership, registration or documentation, etc. I would carry at least a copy of all licenses or certifications you have, in case stopped and boarded by the Coast Guard. Want to make sure you can prove who you are.

The range markers I referred to are the one you typically see in ports for freighters, where you line up the top light or line with the bottom light or line to see that you are in the middle of the channel. They also have them at many points in the ICW and are different from the buoys. Oh yeah, the buoys. First, I thought that the buoyage system in Europe is opposite than that here in the states (one of our other captains can confirm that). But in the ICW, each buoy, red or green, floating or daymarker, has a special marking on it. When traveling south or west and no matter what the color buoy, the buoys with a yellow triangle you keep to starboard and the ones with a yellow square you keep to port. A general rule is that you keep the red to starboard when traveling south, but that will vary in different areas so you need to stay alert, especially when crossing inlets or meeting other channels. The yellow markings are not large. Get yourself a chartkit for the eastern US and study your course and you'll see.

And in the ICW you do have commercial traffic so know the rules of the road and signals (light, sound and day), especially if you plan to cruise at dark. You should have no problem getting fuel and finding a marina to pull into each evening. When you get to that point, we all can recommend some of our favorite (either for the nice marinas, provisioning, food, etc).
Hope that helps.
Capt Tom

ICW Cruise

Tom and Tucker have given you some great information. Especially in regards to navigational aides in the ICW (pay particularly close attention around inlets)
Another thing to consider is cruising the ICW on a US flagged vs non US flagged boat. When you arrive on dockwise, you have to apply for a cruising permit. It's a simple and inexpensive process. The more important thing to remember when cruising US waters on a foreign flagged boat is that you need to check in whenever you dock in a new jurisdiction (check in is with Coast Guard/Homeland Security at 1-800-827-2851 or visit CBP.gov. ( Pleasure Boats & Private Flyers )

http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/toolbox/publications/travel/pleasureboats.ctt/pleasureboats.doc

Fines for not doing so can be stiff ($30,000+), and they're really paying attention around Charelston, Savannah, Norfolk, NY.
Your charter option may work out to be about the same price as shipping a yacht over, but with less hassle.
Hope that helps a bit.
Regards,
James
p.s. Hilton Head would be a must stop if you're an avid golfer.

Do all foreign flagged boats need to check in to different CG sections whenever moving around??? even if based in the US?

Yes. You have to give the National Vessel Movement Center advance notice of arrival (ANOA) and then you have to call US Customs to report your movement if you are using a cruising permit.

Don't forget to order the ICW cruising guides for the areas you intend to travel. They give distances inside and outside, Marinas on the way and good descriptions of the towns, ports, marina services/shipyards, waterway info, restaurants, bridge heights and schedule, shoal areas, important phone numbers, waterway navigational markers.... just too much info. Also Google ICW or intracoastal waterway. Forums discuss trips they have recently done, shallow areas of concern, fav spots just about everything is available.

Type of boat? No more than 6 foot draft. You will spend more time on board if you intend to have more inside time. And in some areas you are restricted in speed. I did it twice a year in an 86' Burger. 7-10 knots generally, Watch your wake on all the new docks. Most sounds you can run it up and get the engines happy. Long days followed by short days. Some planning was necessary for marinas and size of the boat. Some of the marinas were and still are not top resorts but you can find good ones and many have improved the property by now. Too many friendly helpful people.

Boats are available for hire with crew. Can't name any one but they are available. Talk with a charter agent/ broker in Ft. Lauderdale

The stretch of the coast to stop at Myrtle Beach is done on the inside But I suppose you could use the marina ocean side as the sport fishers use that but I don't think it is a big boat marina. Never been there.


I have done the trip many times on the inside and sometimes wish I could have saved a day or two by going outside but the boss is always right! So now I have had the pleasure of shortening the travel time and churning up a few more daily miles but it is on the outside/open sea. 84 hours NY to Ft. Lauderdale with a fuel stop. It all depends on your interests and what is available on the inside route. What is the name of the island just north of Fernandina where the Kennedy boy got married? That is a great spot to anchor and dinghy ashore to the park and great beach! I liked the Low Country of Georgia and the Carolinas, Lots of birds to see, maybe different from Euro sea birds. Hard to go fast and fish too. The Chesapeake is great. Do go to Williamsburg. Do go up the Potomac and stay at the Capital Marina. It is a looong way but you can spend some time in Washington. Maybe stay in Annapolis and rent a car?? Many smaller towns there but faster times between them and as they are small you can visit for the night (eat crabs) and maybe move on the next day. Long Island sound has many interesting spots. Dockage there can get interesting and dear. Mystic Seaport, Montauke, Sag Harbor, Nantuket are all interesting for the first time visitor. Many places you will move on the next day.

Best guess with time to enjoy where you are is (and walk the dog every night)10 days Ft.Lauderdale to Hilton Head, 2 1/2 weeks Hilton Head to Boston and add time for Chesapeake area, NY and Newport. Maine is close and depending on your style and interests you might have time to do that as well. 6 week should be sufficient. Bar Harbor anyone? Just don't rush, enjoy. Hope I was helpful, ask if you have any other questions.

Definitely go with the sunseeker. It will give you the ability to get outside and go so that you spend more time enjoying your ports of call and less time idling through no-wake zones.

And, when the cruise is over, you can beat feet back down south if that is what you want to do to get back on a dockship. Or, keep the boat in New England until November and then put it on a dockship in Newport to St. Thomas.

Here are my favorite ports of call:

St. Augustine, Florida
Savannah, Georgia
Charleston, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach, North Carolina
Beaufort, North Carolina
Norfolk, Virginia.

From Norfolkk you can either go out in the ocean, or go up the Chesapeake.
If you go out in the ocean, stop at Ocean City, Maryland.

If you go up the Chesapeake, there are tons of places to check out. Go up the Potomac River to visit Washington, D.C. and Alexandria, Virginia.
I like Oxford and St. Michaels on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Then, there is Annapolis and Baltimore. Go through the C&D Canall and down the Delaware Bay, and stop in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Next stop, NYC

Then, through Long Island Sound, all kinds of interesting places to see there.
Next is Newport, Rhode Island, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard.

I am beginning to think 6 weeks is not enough time!!

Best of luck with it, have a great cruise.

The name of the island north of Fernandina FL is Cumberland. A national park with good trails to the beach, park rangers and a handful of residents.

I agree with CaptPKilbride. Those are the good places to stop. Sounds like we all need to go with the gentleman from Europe and enjoy the trip again. Especially the part about Dockwiseing the vessel to the VI for the winter. I will meet you there!

Don't forget to stop in Coinjock, NC, another neat port. Small town but the folks are great and the prime rib at the Coinjock Marina is to die for.

All good advice.

Do not buy anything other than Dozier's The Waterway Guide. All of the other guides are worthless.

I have delivered yachts between Florida and the Northeast over 160 times! I would be very happy to advise you on your trip.