Sailing for the first time from Ft. Lauderdale to Jacksonville.

[carebear1968]

Hi all. My Husband and I are taking our first sail from Ft. Lauderdale to Jacksonville Fl. My Husband has sailed before,but not on the East coast. We are looking for any info, tips, or just anything about sailing up . We haven't made too many boating contacts yet and can use any help possible. Oh . We are planning to sail Christmas weekend. Thanks for any help in advance guys.

[markwesti]

Sounds like fun , what bout 300 mi ? Make some stops along the way . Awesome need crew ?

[carebear1968]

Originally Posted by markwesti

Sounds like fun , what bout 300 mi ? Make some stops along the way . Awesome need crew ?

Thanks markwesti we will make stops, and As as far as crew, we should be good.

[Time2Go]

Check for shoaling reports of any place you plan
to go into. Aparently the recent Huricane, " Mathew"
caused some havoc.
Years ago there was an exclusion zone around
Cape Canaveral which got much larger when a launch was
scheduled. Don't know if its still in effect but
something to check into.
Cheers
Neil

[Hudson Force]

Best inlets en route:
-Lake Worth Inlet (West Palm Beach)
-St. Lucie Inlet
-Ft. Pierce Inlet
-Port Canaveral
-St. Johns River (Jacksonville)

I favor these most anytime. Some others are suitable in good weather and conditions.

[carebear1968]

Originally Posted by Time2Go

Check for shoaling reports of any place you plan
to go into. Aparently the recent Huricane, " Mathew"
caused some havoc.
Years ago there was an exclusion zone around
Cape Canaveral which got much larger when a launch was
scheduled. Don't know if its still in effect but
something to check into.
Cheers
Neil

Thanks so much Neil. We appreciate the info. Cheers

[carebear1968]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

Best inlets en route:
-Lake Worth Inlet (West Palm Beach)
-St. Lucie Inlet
-Ft. Pierce Inlet
-Port Canaveral
-St. Johns River (Jacksonville)

I favor these most anytime. Some others are suitable in good weather and conditions.

Thanks Hudson Force. But we are planning to sail up the coast.

[SailingFan]

For inlets...

Be careful especially for shoaling and current in the St. Augustine area, specifically the Matanzas region, primarily north of St. Augustine. There are some real shoaling issues there, or at least there were when we went earlier this spring. Matthew hit this fall, so I cannot imagine the storm improved anything. Also, watch for wrecks in the ICW because I would bet that some of the derilect and moored vessels we saw are likely on the bottom now, and I do recall one such critter with exposed mast and rigging, but no hull visible. If the rigging is gone now, you won't see the hull until you hit it, and it WAS in the center of the channel north of St. Augustine (barely north). It was NOT on the charts at that time.

The marina we used in the St. Augustine area was what I would call costly, I think we paid something like 50 bucks for a single night at the one we used (near the inlet, at the base of a bridge, "Camachee Island" I think?). The marina had excellent facilities, however, and services that were available that we did not use, so I cannot honestly state that I felt disserved. They did not charge us for pumpout service (we were using a bucket which they accepted, when Daytona's yacht club would not) and they also provided water and power within the fifty bucks, if I recall.

In St. Augustine, the people were nice as could be, but it was tight maneuvering in there, the tide was turning, the wind was strong and counter to our needs, and the vessels we had to navigate through cost far more than our paltry sailboat did, so I was extremely nervous while there. There is a great pizza shop within close walking distance, though. The waitress had some great tattoos that were tasteful and she was an excellent waitress, the cooks were great, and it was a family atmosphere there.

The Jacksonville situation is better in one way, no real shoaling, deep channel, but keep good charts and use a depth finder in case because you may occasionally get chased out of the channel by power boaters, tugs, and very large transport container ships quite often.

The Jacksonville inlet can be dangerous for sailors because of the way power boaters race through it, even the law enforcement boats don't watch their wakes. We took a 6+ foot wave when one of those powered by, and he did not even slow down. Had I not been watching and actively dodging wakes the whole time, the wake would have caught us broadsides, and the result may have been far less enjoyable. The admiral was lifted about two feet off the settee as it was. Barely woke her up. Gotta love the way a H27 Shoal keeler parts and rides an incoming 6 foot wake! The outboard was spinning freely out of the water though, which was definitely not the best way to operate one.

Go to the Landing at Jacksonville and use the public dock there, outside Hooters (who has a great cod sandwich plate and the burgers are out of this world), the Main Street Bridge will open for you, but there is also a rail trestle there, which would have to open as well. The same operator seems to run them both. There was some work going on with those earlier this year, and I seem to recall the openings were going to be restricted, but that may be over with now. I don't know, and have not heard anything updating that since our trip. Regardless, the docking of your vessel at Hooters overnite is free, and you can walk less than 30 feet to lunch or dinner. ATM is around the corner, outside the restaurant street entrance, perhaps 50 feet away on the port side as you leave the restaurant on that side (the part of the structure opposite the dock).

I will also say that if you go then into the Palatka area, on the St. John's (south of the Main Street Bridge), the owner of the Crystal Cove Marina rented us a transient slip for ten bucks a nite, and even with no power or water at the dock for that price, it was a great deal. He may do the same for you or not, I don't know, but they are a great bunch there. Ask for Kelly or his wife (cannot recall her name, but she is also nice).

The area is clean and quiet, and people seem to watch out for each other there.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by carebear1968

Thanks Hudson Force. But we are planning to sail up the coast.

I understand your plan to sail up the coast and I also noticed that you said you would be making some stops along the way.

Inlets are your opportunities to make these stops and an awareness of inlet options is essential to be safe offshore.

The list of good inlets is only useful to those sailing off the coast. If you were to stay in the ICW, the list of inlets would have little use except for knowing the points where currents change and shoaling increases.

Enjoy your trip and be safe. Know your options.

[carebear1968]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

I understand your plan to sail up the coast and I also noticed that you said you would be making some stops along the way.

Inlets are your opportunities to make these stops and an awareness of inlet options is essential to be safe offshore.

The list of good inlets is only useful to those sailing off the coast. If you were to stay in the ICW, the list of inlets would have little use except for knowing the points where currents change and shoaling increases.

Enjoy your trip and be safe. Know your options.

Thanks again . We appreciate all .

[PuttingDoctor]

As your profile has no info I am curious what it is that you are sailing north? An outside run from Lauderdale will allow a good kick in the tail from the Gulf Stream. Just look for the wind profile prior to biting off too much.

If the weather sends you in and up the ICW make a stop in Daytona Beach at Halifax Harbor Marina. Nice spot with floating docks and great services.

[Cheechako]

You should make great time with the Gulf Stream pushing you. Beware that on a beautiful day in FL, the sky can cloud up and have thundersqualls very quickly in the afternoon. Keep a good watch out, reef early if you see things developing. Anywhere you stop is going to take quite a bit of time. Many of the inlets described can be confusing and a bit rough at times, with varying depths. It takes hours to get in and hours to get out. Not just a "let's go in here before dark" decision. Have fun!

[kmcshane]

Hurricane Matthew apparently scoured the St Augustine inlet to about 40 feet according to friends who sailed their 60' ketch back here end of October. One of the outside markers was gone, but very navigable if needed.
As Pam Wall (West Marine) always cautions: "never sail the Stream if there is any 'North' in the wind forecast." North wind against the Gulf Stream heaps the waves into elephant shapes. Of course there is plenty of room inside the stream after you get up the coast a bit.
Also, timing your approach to the inlets with incoming or slack tides goes without saying.
And reinforcing previous post regarding T-storms, a friend's Vancouver 32 got spun 360 off course near the coast of Cape Canaveral...they have the track recording on their Ipad. Sails were reefed, and no harm done. Looked like a child's doodle, then back on course.
I used the website: windytv.com
You might try it, as I notice the Vendee Globe updates are using it too.
Fair winds and following seas.

[carebear1968]

Originally Posted by kmcshane

Hurricane Matthew apparently scoured the St Augustine inlet to about 40 feet according to friends who sailed their 60' ketch back here end of October. One of the outside markers was gone, but very navigable if needed.
As Pam Wall (West Marine) always cautions: "never sail the Stream if there is any 'North' in the wind forecast." North wind against the Gulf Stream heaps the waves into elephant shapes. Of course there is plenty of room inside the stream after you get up the coast a bit.
Also, timing your approach to the inlets with incoming or slack tides goes without saying.
And reinforcing previous post regarding T-storms, a friend's Vancouver 32 got spun 360 off course near the coast of Cape Canaveral...they have the track recording on their Ipad. Sails were reefed, and no harm done. Looked like a child's doodle, then back on course.
I used the website: windytv.com
You might try it, as I notice the Vendee Globe updates are using it too.
Fair winds and following seas.

Thanks So much for the important info Shane. It will come in handy. [emoji1]

[carebear1968]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

You should make great time with the Gulf Stream pushing you. Beware that on a beautiful day in FL, the sky can cloud up and have thundersqualls very quickly in the afternoon. Keep a good watch out, reef early if you see things developing. Anywhere you stop is going to take quite a bit of time. Many of the inlets described can be confusing and a bit rough at times, with varying depths. It takes hours to get in and hours to get out. Not just a "let's go in here before dark" decision. Have fun!

Thanks. [emoji1]