Hi From Poughkeepsie

[Brian951]

I just joined. I am planning to help my father-in-law take his boat to florida in a couple weeks. Im hopeing you people can give me some info that can help us. We will be coming down the Hudson from haverstraw marina to the city. We plan on taking the inland canal from New Jersey.

Where do we pick it up? is there a chart or map we can get? is there a list of marinas?

Thanks in advance for your help

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Brian,
Welcome aboard!! I'm certain there will be someone here that can answer your questions and I know there are charts. I'm not familiar with your area so will just leave it at welcoming you to the forum.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[Vasco]

Brian,

I think the inland route from NJ (Atlantic Highlands area) is limited to shallow draft vessels. I used to go outside from New York City to Cape May. Then up the Delaware Bay to the C&D Canal, into the Chesapeake, down the Bay to Norfolk where you pick up the ICW at Mile 0 which is at Portsmouth, commonly known as the hospital anchorage. ICW strip charts are available at most marine stores, as is Skipper Bob's book of ICW Marinas. Enjoy your trip.

[Sunspot Baby]

Ditto on Skipper Bob's books. Worth every penny.

Welcome abaord.

George

[Gallivanters]

I have a complete set of Chart Kits (3 or 4 large spiral bound books with plastic cases) of the entire ICW. Not sure which edition they are but they're in as good as new condition. Let me know if you're interested. I'll sell 'em at a bargan price.

Kirk

[KaptainKen]

Brian;

You can enter the Intracoastal Waterway at Mannasquan Inlet, New Jersy about 26 miles south of Sandy Hook ... But, there are fixed bridges with only 25 foot clearance on the New Jersey portion of the ICW. What is the mast height on your father in law's boat?

If you have to go offshore along New Jersey, it is (about) 110 miles from Sandy Hook to Cape May. The best inlet along here (for deep draft sailboats) is at Atlantic City about 74 miles south of Sandy Hook.

As far as charts and guidebooks your best bet is to get both the Southern and Mid-Atlantic editions of the "Waterway Guide". Most marinas are listed in here along with approach depths, water depths at dock, fuel available, etc. And telephone numbers so you can call ahead to check for vacancy at transient slips. If you remain on the ICW you will be in range of a cell phone tower most of the time. There are some gaps in southern Georgia. The Waterway Guides are available in most marine supply stores or on the net at http://www.waterwayguide.com/

"Skipper Bob" publishes a series of booklets that cover marinas and anchorages along your route, all the way from the Hudson River to Florida, including Florida's West Coast. http://www.landfallnavigation.com/skipperbob.html

I think a copy of "Reeds East Coast Almanac" is a must in order to deal with the tides along the route especially the nine footers near Savannah/Thunderbolt, Georgia. Reed's home page is http://www.reedsalmanac.com/index.cfm

Maptech Chart Books cover the entire East Coast of the United States. New ones are kinda "pricy" but way less than individual charts. Buy on line at http://www.maptech.com/water/chartki...cfm?infopg=buy Sometimes they can be purchased used. (see Kirk's posting above).

South of Norfolk, I like John and Leslie Kettlewell's "Intracoastal Waterway Chartbook". It covers the entire ICW from Norfolk, Virginia to south of Miami, Florida (or vise-versa for northbounders) in a handy "strip-map" style. Follow this link: http://www.landfallnavigation.com/bes001.html This chartbook is less detailed, but also less expensive, than the larger chartbooks from "Maptech" (which are also excellent).

Something new is (ahem) "Snowbirders Guide South along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway" DVD video. (Disclosure: This is my video.) This two disk set features the whole 1089 mile route from Norfolk to Miami and is available only at http://www.snowbirders.net
The video is also oriented for southbounders and provides a visual preview of what all portions of the ICW look like and the conditions you are likely to encounter. Many marinas are mentioned but does not have the detail (and is not intended to replace) the Waterway Guides.

Between now and the time you leave visit the following websites. As the season for southbound Snowbirders begins (now) folks will be posting more and more questions, observations and comments.

http://www.atlintracoastal.org/index.htm will take you to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association website which often has current info. Check out postings on the AIWA message board. You don't have to be a member to read them or post a question or comment yourself.

http://my.boatus.com/forum/ will take you to the BoatUS forum. Check out the "General Cruising" and the "East Coast Alerts" categories. As above, you don't have to be a member to read them or post a question or comment yourself.

http://www.aicw.org/channel.htm takes you to the Florida Inland Navigation District site ... specifically the ICW Channel Conditions page. This site is well maintained and usually has up-to-date info.

http://skipperbob.home.att.net/waterway.htm takes you to Skipper Bob's "Waterway Updates" page. This is usually a good source or up-to-date info also.

Good luck with your plans!

[Brian951]

Thanks to all you people. Ive got a bunch of studying to do. Gallliventers -check your PM