Spots Along the ICW To Pop Out/Back In

[david knowles]

Jacksonville, St Augustine, Daytona, Cape Canaveral Fort Pierce, Pompano, Ft Lauderdale, Miami are all good but you are looking at several hours out. there are several other inlets in Florida and you should use great care in going in any of them on the ICW between Ft Lauderdale and Miami they have a 50 foot "short bridge" you may have to go out to get further south

[david knowles]

you can and should put up sails in Florida ICW still keep the motor running. Bridge tenders want and expect to be called by their correct name Sometimes that is not easy to know. If you use the wrong name you'll wait forever to get an opening

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by david knowles

----- on the ICW between Ft Lauderdale and Miami they have a 50 foot "short bridge" you may have to go out to get further south

Julia Tuttle Causeway in Miami, 55' actually, 56' one span to the west.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by david knowles

Jacksonville, St Augustine, Daytona, Cape Canaveral Fort Pierce, Pompano, Ft Lauderdale, Miami are all good but you are looking at several hours out. there are several other inlets in Florida and you should use great care in going in any of them on the ICW between Ft Lauderdale and Miami they have a 50 foot "short bridge" you may have to go out to get further south

I would add St. Lucie Inlet and maybe Ponce Inlet to this list, but I would not recommend Pompano. The closest inlet to Pompano is a bit north at Hilsboro Inlet and it's marginal in good weather. There's shoaling and a bridge that requires opening in often a strong current. David Knowles might do this inlet well with local knowledge, but it's not for everyone.

Growing up in Fort Lauderdale, we used to drive up to Hilsboro Inlet for entertainment when there was a NE wind. It was a thrill to watch the Sport Fishing boats surf in or try to stay on the back side of the wave and turn in the trough for the bridge.

I'll also add a minor adjustment to FSMike's good observation in correcting the Julia Tuttle Bridge clearance. The actual MHW clearance at the center is 56'. Old rumor has it as a "dyslexic" error from the 65' standard with the mistake discovered after the accessing ramps were completed. The center span is blue-painted steel I-beams and the openings east or west of the center allow a little more than an added foot