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Old 04-09-2016, 14:08   #1
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ICW Group Cruising

I own a 31 foot Corsair trailerable trimaran sailboat and live in New England. Each year we trailer the boat to Florida and live on it for a month or two. However, I'm thinking that I might just once want to experience the ICW.

My guess is that we would be much happier traveling with a group to enjoy the social interaction along the way, as well as being with some people who have done it before and know the interesting places to go and things to see.

I found one commercial outfit that runs group tours each year, but it seems like they are more for novice sailors who need hand holding. I need no help with sailing or navigating, but we do need social interactions.

I usually motor at about 6.5 knots, and can sail much faster in the right conditions, but I believe that there will be few times that we can be under sail. We don't travel at night.

If there are groups that travel the ICW together, I would like to know how to find them.

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Old 04-09-2016, 16:18   #2
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Re: ICW Group Cruising

If you leave Annapolis right after the fall boat show you will be in the company of dozens of vessels. We actually avoid this because its almost impossible to get good anchorages and the moorings/marinas are full. The powerboat people leave after we leave in the morning, we pass them and the hours later they catch up and leave us in their wake. By the time we get to where we want to anchor... all the good places are taken!

A bad part about traveling in a large group is the pile up, and subsequent line jumping, at bridge openings.

With that said, we (St. Augustine Cruisers Net) sponsored two large Rally's last year in St. Augustine... The Sail Magazine "Secrets of the ICW" rally under the team of Mark & Diana Doyle and Tom Hale (which is not happening again this year) and the Wally Moran/Waterway Guide "Sail to the Sun" rally.

Each rally had a wide variety of skills and experience in their groups. Some had done the ICW many years and enjoyed the company. Others were new. In both cases, I think the rally participants did actually benefit from the skills of the organizers. In most cases, they pre-arranged a litany of events that would otherwise not have been available. Plus give aways and prizes during and after the rally.

Really, the event organizers don't make much at all from the Rally. Almost all of the money goes toward events and give aways. They are able to arrange very much discounted slips for those that need it.

I guess what I am saying is that if you are looking for company the group could benefit from your experience and you would indeed have a lot of fun. Don't shy away from it.

Here are some of the events my wife arranged for Sail magazine last year:

http://icw.sailmagazine.com/blog/12/...-cruisers-net/
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Old 05-09-2016, 06:32   #3
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Re: ICW Group Cruising

You can find details on Wally Moran's Sail To The Sun Rally here, Sail to the Sun Rally! . Chuck
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Old 05-09-2016, 07:04   #4
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Re: ICW Group Cruising

Dump your boat in at Norfolk or close and wait half an hour and you will pick up boat buddies heading south.

Without even trying I found other boats going a similar speed and always had someone to have a beer at night.

Speed is the difficult thing, I like my boat going the speed I like, and its not the same as others. When someone sprints off at 6.5 knots they are gone in the distance in minutes and to keep up with them just adds stress, uses more fuel and I can't watch the scenery.
Similar with slow boats.

In a couple of places I was lucky enough to have a shallower drought boat going ahead of me feeling the channel.
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Old 05-09-2016, 07:31   #5
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Re: ICW Group Cruising

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Originally Posted by zboss View Post
If you leave Annapolis right after the fall boat show you will be in the company of dozens of vessels. We actually avoid this because its almost impossible to get good anchorages and the moorings/marinas are full. By the time we get to where we want to anchor... all the good places are taken!

A bad part about traveling in a large group is the pile up, and subsequent line jumping, at bridge openings.
That would disqualify us from going then. My wife puts up with a lot of stuff onboard, but getting someplace and not having a mooring or good place to anchor is beyond the limit for her. It also seems like a better idea to go when there are not so many poser boats around (if there is such a time).

Thanks for all the good information. Do you know why there is no Sail Magazine sponsored rally this year?

Ken
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Old 05-09-2016, 07:42   #6
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Re: ICW Group Cruising

While we enjoy meeting other boaters along the way, we travel alone. That way, we can go as fast or slow as we want, go as long or far as we want without having to discuss it with others.

Often, we will meet a couple at one destination, and then come across them a few days or more later somewhere else. We met a couple at a marina in MD this year that we had met in GA the year before.

The "social interaction" thing is what you make it. Joining a group and then finding out you don't like some of the people or that the majority wants to hang around bars and drink too much is a risk we don't want to take.

If you meet people along the way and strike up a friendship, you can always travel together for a while.
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Old 05-09-2016, 18:23   #7
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Re: ICW Group Cruising

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Originally Posted by Trimaran Ken View Post
That would disqualify us from going then. My wife puts up with a lot of stuff onboard, but getting someplace and not having a mooring or good place to anchor is beyond the limit for her. It also seems like a better idea to go when there are not so many poser boats around (if there is such a time).

Thanks for all the good information. Do you know why there is no Sail Magazine sponsored rally this year?

Ken
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I have no idea but the advise both rwidman and MarkJ gave is very good.

We leave early. In fact, we leave tomorrow from Annapolis to start heading south. You can leave at peak times but you run the risk of packed anchorages, expensive marinas, and filled moorings. You can leave before the big migration (as we are) and be more leisurely and have none of those problems but miss out on the great fall weather here in the Chesapeake, or you can leave after the migration and freeze your butt off.

I imagine your trimaran is fast so you will have opportunities to make fast day passages in those areas you can, like the Chesapeake, the Pamlico sound, the alligator river area, the Albemarle Sound, and on down the straight wide inside routes on Florida. You may be just fine leaving after everyone else and you will be able to stay just ahead of the coldest of the weather.

With that said, it can be quite cold in Northern Florida at Thanksgiving, which is the end of the fall migration south. The St. Augustine Cruisers Net throws a dinner every year at the city marina.

Personally, we plan to be in Marathon/Key West just about then.
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Old 05-09-2016, 18:47   #8
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Re: ICW Group Cruising

I posted a crew wanted thread on here and happened to find another boat leaving the same area as mine at the same time.

We are leaving before the boat show wraps up, not intentionally (just happens to be how much work schedule worked out), but I'm looking forward to it not being as crowded.
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Old 05-09-2016, 19:53   #9
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Re: ICW Group Cruising

We dont like the group thing, seems counter productive to what we want from cruising. Even so, never short on company when you want it if your on he dtich during fall migration. Easy to meet someone at the common stop places like Elwizabeth, Oriental, southport, Georgetown, Isle of Hope.......
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Old 06-09-2016, 05:52   #10
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Re: ICW Group Cruising

I just joined a sailing Meetup group the other day that seems to be fairly active. The group I joined is for people looking for crew members to help them. There must be meetup groups for people looking for other boat owners to sail with. This would be a good way to find one or two boats as opposed to a large group.

I like Meetup groups, we use several of them.

Good luck.
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Old 06-09-2016, 08:07   #11
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Re: ICW Group Cruising

Wouldn't it be likely that at the start of the ICW that you are going to meet people going the same way at about the same speed? The people/boats probably will change here and there, but overall there is probably lots of buddy boat opportunities?

I don't know, but will find out in the next couple of months.
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Old 07-09-2016, 01:13   #12
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Re: ICW Group Cruising

I am actually anxious to watch the south migration of boats. Will spend so time watching from either of the two bridges at Hammock or Flagler or Bings Landing.

Did you know the BBQ at Bings Landing was rated #1 in Flagler County Florida?

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Old 07-09-2016, 17:02   #13
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Re: ICW Group Cruising

We've never been rally/group sailor types, and have never done the ICW, but we've never lacked for company when desired. It's pretty simple, and IMO, a basic Cruising skill: when you arrive in an anchorage and get settled, get in your dinghy and cruise around the anchorage. If you see someone on deck, go over and say G'Day. In a very short time, you will know if you would enjoy their company. If so, invite them over for a cuppa or a glass of wine. Works for us... but you need to be proactive, for all too many cruisers, especially new ones, are still locked into suburban social practices and don't reach out to "strangers".



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Old 07-09-2016, 19:26   #14
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Re: ICW Group Cruising

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Originally Posted by tuffr2 View Post
I am actually anxious to watch the south migration of boats. Will spend so time watching from either of the two bridges at Hammock or Flagler or Bings Landing.

Did you know the BBQ at Bings Landing was rated #1 in Flagler County Florida?
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Old 07-09-2016, 20:31   #15
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Re: ICW Group Cruising

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Wouldn't it be likely that at the start of the ICW that you are going to meet people going the same way at about the same speed?
Yes.

During the height of the migration there may be thirty boats waiting to get through bridges. On most days you may go through 3 bridges or so. Some days more and some days none. So, you end up recognizing a lot of boats at these bridges. You get to know their voices and their behavior on the radio - you learn a lot about people by how they treat others on the radio. That is where we end up making most new friends on the ICW... an initial radio contact followed by drinks/dinners/sundowners when we stop in the same locations.
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