Mast Clearance = 69' and The Ditch

[psychfeld]

Hi All,

I am purchasing a Lagoon 420 with a reported bridge clearance of 69'. I will take possession of it in Florida in June and would like to sail up the east coast of USA.

I am wondering if their is any slick way to identify only those ports that I could enter given my mast height just as a way to begin my route planning.

I am from the Pacific Northwest and have sailed here quite a bit and am fairly attuned to options and alternatives depending on mast height. The east coast of US, not so much!

Does anyone know how I might filter the ports along the ICW for just those bridges that open or I can pass under without turning my cat on a side?

Thanks in advance!

Rob

[DDabs]

Get charts of the east coast and check out all the inlets. The charts should show any bridges. Most of the inlets on the east coast are wide open and don't require passage under bridges, but there are definitely a few in FL that would be a problem.

[Cheechako]

Get the waterway guide, it will tell you each bridge height along the way. It was nip and tuck in my mono with 65 ft clearance.
But... You're going the wrong way! Go to the Bahamas!!!

[paulajayne]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiv0fxFcV3I

Trick to know.

[psychfeld]

I wanna see that done with a cat!

[evbeck]

No bridges to clear coming in to Norfolk, Beaufort/Morehead City, Wrightsville Beach, and Southport (although a long way in thru channel). 69' not close for ICW in Va, NC and SC; will not work.

[akprb]

http://www.offshoreblue.com/cruising/aicw-bridges-va.php

I used this on the way down this year. We have a 63'5" stick and did fine until the Hutchinson Island bridge where we tapped it and lost the anemometer.

Have a great trip!

[Cheechako]

Watch out leaving Wrightsville beach going south on the ICW, the bridge at Crab Cut is going to be a problem.

[rwidman]

Active Captain lists the heights and restriction the bridges. You'll have to do your own filtering.

[david knowles]

Going inland a short ways to the first marina in Florida will not be a problem, but all the permanent bridges are good for 62-64 feet depending on the tide. No way to fit 69. You are an offshore machine

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by evbeck

No bridges to clear coming in to Norfolk, Beaufort/Morehead City, Wrightsville Beach, and Southport (although a long way in thru channel). 69' not close for ICW in Va, NC and SC; will not work.

I beg to disagree... isn't there a 64ft fixed bridge 30minutes south of Norfolk Virginia?

(I maybe wrong... I have been wrong before, my mother recalls...)

[jdazey]

When we bought our boat in Florida last Fall, we briefly considered going up some or all of the ICW. The bent VHF antenna and broken wind vane on top of our mast (previous owner's adventures) along with 6' storm tides from Hurricane Joaquin convinced us otherwise. We sailed out from Stuart and up to the Chesapeake. It turned out to be a nice shakedown/get acquainted with the boat voyage.

Cheers,

[Vasco]

Ft. Pierce fl
St. Johns river fl to Jacksonville.
St Marys river fl to Fernandina beach
Brunswick ga
Savanna ga
Charleston sc
Beaufort nc
Norfolk va
All of Chesapeake bay to C&D canal.
Down Delaware Bay
Cape May nj
New York ny

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[Vasco]

Lo

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[Vasco]

Lots of spots and plenty of places to see.

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