Getting A Boat Through the ICW with a 64+ Foot Mast

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by ArmyDaveNY

Here you go! It looks like he is single handing it too!

Sweet..

[lvictorlucas]

Melbourne FL will be your first problem bridge as it has no tide and is a foot lower due to a contracting mistake. Plam on going outside north of Miami.

[Montanan]

Unless there is some major need to be on the other side of a bridge or many bridges that impose clearance difficulties, e.g., to be taken out for refit / repair, why don't you just sail the large boat in the ocean and skip slow motoring the ditch. A 47 feet long, 40,000 pound vessel is certainly blue water capable, assuming a competent crew. Else if one is resolved to cruising canals, it is simpler to consider utilizing a motor yacht.

Certainly one can lean the mast when in need to, it only takes overcoming the righting moment, or just step the mast for the duration of the canal travel, if one does not desire to sail the canal [that is to say avoiding lots of tacks].

Calculate the angle the boat will need to readily clear the lowest bridge and then fashion the necessary set up with strength enough to bend her over at such angle [weight and lever arm distance].

Or just wait for a weather window to clear the bridge, that being a day when the wind is really strong and coming from the appropriate direction and then sail the vessel under the bridge with a full complement of sails to instill the heel angle required. Now that would be an impressive video, say, 50+ knots, no reef set, large genoa, narrow channel, minimal vertical clearance, and opposing barge traffic. Heck yeah, now that be sailing! HOLD MY BEER.

[mindsofman]

64ft plus,,, Go around the outside,, the boats
big enough.. there are plenty of inlets,, some
about a day apart, down the coast that yo can
pull into for a break, bad weather or to get a
good nights sleep,,,, UNLESS you really dont
mind coming to dead stops or heart pounding
moments being swept under bridges with a
5kt current,,, anchored nth of Albemarle sound
with 40kt nthly screaming across the deck,, OH
did i mention the fog down those narrow canals
so thick at times that those knarly old tree
stumps appear out of nowhere...
But then again,, Coinjock Restaurant, Oriental
and numerous other little towns give welcoming
respite from the bitterly cold snow that piles up
on deck,,,
Your choice....

[lvictorlucas]

I would not recommend going in or out Sebastian Inlet unless you feel comfortable and always go with the current.

[laika]

Personally, if you're just talking about a quiet stretch from Norfolk to Beaufort during the weekdays.. that seems pretty doable, especially given you don't have to heel the boat over very much at all to make it work for your height. Afterwards, you shouldn't have any issues jumping outside to do stretches as wx dictates, no?

Just my two cents. It seems less practical to do the entire ICW that way, especially as you approach So FL.

[3Days_at_a_time]

Originally Posted by lvictorlucas

I would not recommend going in or out Sebastian Inlet unless you feel comfortable and always go with the current.

I would not recommend going in or out of Sebastian Inlet unless you are comfortable losing the top 27' of your mast...lol

[doublewide]

We have seen big boats heeled to go under bridges. It shouldn't bother your insurance company. Your boat is designed to cruise in the heeled configuration. You have almost the right idea.
Instead of applying the weight to the end of the boom extended, or flooding your dinghy, put the weight, say a big bag of water, on a halyard. The amount of weight depends on the boat. When the water bag is hanging essentially straight down, outside the lifelines, right at the toe-rail, the boat will be almost upright. When you get to the bridge, use your dinghy to pull the water bag laterally AWAY from the boat, increasing the moment arm so the boat heels. Then when you have passed under the bridge, return the water bag to the toe rail, bringing the boat back upright, and continue to the next bridge where you go through the heeling process again.

[Scrimshaw4]

Cheechako ... When did you last transit the ICW with your boat? I haven't been down the ditch in a few years but I always read the air draft boards at the fixed bridges, I'm 64' ft and never had a problem. I'm head for the ditch now. Any real issues anyone is aware of???

[rramsden]

When in doubt, go for the weighted dinghy.
I have a cat, with a 66.5' mast. The ICW is a no go for me.
From blogs, some of the bridges are short, 64, even 63. Most are inland, so not much tide. Do your research, find out which ones are short.
Good luck.

[AiniA]

I would start with a really careful measurement of the height so you know exactly where you stand.

[CarlF]

This is a lot simpler than you're imagining. Many people do it. My old boat was 64' 3" to the mast top (not including vhf whip etc.) and I transited the ICW four times without incident.

1) Go up the mast and take down the wind vane, tricolor, anchor light and other removable things. The VHF whip will bend fine.

2) While you're up the mast, take a tape and measure your height accurately. Measure down to a mark on the mast that's about at lifeline height. Lay a pole across the lifelines. Measure from each lifeline to the water and average the measurement. Measure from the pole middle to your mark on the mast.

3) In tidal areas (e.g. south of Beaufort NC) the tide will get get you under bridges. The trick is to never go under a 64' or 65' bridge within two hours of high tide (three hours if an unusually high tide). This just takes a little planning each day to not get to a bridge at the wrong time. You may have to anchor for lunch a few times to wait for the tide to fall. Much simpler than rigging gear to heal the boat.

4) Between Norfolk and Beaufort there's no lunar tide. Go around by Manteo to avoid the 64' Wilkerson Bridge. It's a shorter trip and you can sail some too. The bridge by Manteo is over 65'

5) That leaves you only ONE bridge to really sweat - Pungo Ferry. You may have to wait a while at Pungo Ferry. In my experience, the height board there is about 6" low. So you will fit with a little room if it reads at least 64'. Just be patient. It's only one bridge. I once had to anchor for 48 hours there because an offshore storm had raised water levels three feet. But it went down and I got under fine.

Just take it slow and be patient.

[sasirles]

How well did you do in high school trigonometry?

[Suijin]

You can get down the coast with short weather windows. Just take short hops. It will get you there faster than dealing with the ICW.

That said you should not need to heel the boat just pay attention to water levels, air draft boards, and Active Captain.

I could see finding ways to heel the boat over if it were my only choice but it’s a recipe for breaking stuff and not something I’d do if I could just sail lol.

[Snore]

Originally Posted by lifeofreilly57

Also, I'm not a thin skinned, wilting flower, if you think I've got a screw loose, feel free to let me know that, it wouldn't be the first time to be told that.

While I will not say this is crazy- I will ask why?

To tip a boat for one bridge is understandable. To plan an ICW passage around tipping seems odd and courts disaster. Assuming the boat is seaworthy take her outside.

If this is a new-to-you boat and you are unsure, it would be more prudent to hire competent help to teach you along the way.