best ICW inlet guide

[svladybug]

have seen references several times for a particular ICW inlet guide (bob's ?) but now i cant find em. Whats the best guide to the Florida inlets and anchorages ?

[Gene :^)]

Skipper Bob

[GordMay]

See the "Aerials Only" Gallery: Aerial Photography of the United States and Caribbean by Aerials Only

[ssullivan]

Actually, Skipper Bob's is lousy for inlets.

It suggests only a few to go in and out, when there are probably 4x as many that are worth doing. I have gone in and out of his "dangerous" inlets more than his "Class A" inlets. It's like the book is written for someone driving on a highway who has no experience on the water and can't read a chart.

I'm not so impressed with the book in general either. It's nice to have, to keep track of your mileage, but it realy doesn't give you any anchorages that are any better than pulling over behind "marker number 120" and dropping the hook. Or... studying the chart and finding a good spot.

Also there are things I need (Yanmar parts, a haulout at a DIY yard, to mail out some things) and nothing like that is shown in Skipper Bob's anchorage guide.

For inlets, even Skipper Bob suggests the following:

Inlet Chartbook: Southeastern United States, by Steve Dodge (ISBN 09-3226567-7)

Also, use the website activecaptain.com

They have aireal shots of every inlet (and every harbor) along with listings of the marinas, local knoledge of the inlets, and tips of navigating the inlet. Activecaptain.com has been more useful than Skipper Bob's in my experience transiting the East Coast this month.

[camaraderie]

The ONLY inlet guide is Steve Dodge's Guide to SouthEast US Inlets. Fantastic Guide and much needed if you like to do jumps outside on the way north or south. All navigable inlets between Norfolk and Miami are covered with individual chartlets based on surveys as well as aerial photography.
Amazon.com: Used and New: Inlet Chartbook to Southeastern United States

[rleslie]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

The ONLY inlet guide is Steve Dodge's Guide to SouthEast US Inlets. Fantastic Guide and much needed if you like to do jumps outside on the way north or south. All navigable inlets between Norfolk and Miami are covered with individual chartlets based on surveys as well as aerial photography.
Amazon.com: Used and New: Inlet Chartbook to Southeastern United States

I agree, Dodge's Guide is by far the best, but some of the info is outdated as soon as the guide comes off of the press. Always call SeaTow or TowBoat US to get current conditions for any inlet. They have always been extremely helpful to us.

Roger

[svladybug]

Thanks will check out steves book and the activecaptain website

SVladybug