ICW & Open Water Sailing - Mast Height

[johnnyH]

I have been sailing on the outside from Norfolk to the Southern Caribbean for the past couple of seasons aboard a 420 Lagoon Catamaran. Mast height on this vessel is too tall to use the ICW and the option of replacing the boat so that either taking the ditch or going outside would be great. I would like to find a cat with a short enough mast so that the ICW is an option but not so short that the sail from Freeport to Grenada is compromised from too small a mainsail. In asking the question about maximum mast height for using the ICW, brokers I have spoken with are reluctant to provide an answer and I do not have friends that sail these distances. Please help me in determining the maximum mast height that can be used for sailing the ICW from Norfolk to the southern tip of Florida but not so short as to have a less than optimal mainsail for sailing from the Bahamas to Grenada. Many thanks for your input. John

[billknny]

The standard USCG minimum allowed height for fixed bridges on the ICW is 65 feet at High Water.

I do not know of any that do not meet this requirement, but a careful check of the charts and Coast Pilot will give you an authoritative answer, much more than I would trust information from random strangers here.

[smj]

Originally Posted by billknny

The standard USCG minimum allowed height for fixed bridges on the ICW is 65 feet at High Water.



I do not know of any that do not meet this requirement, but a careful check of the charts and Coast Pilot will give you an authoritative answer, much more than I would trust information from random strangers here.

Plenty of bridges on the Florida panhandle ICW that are as low as 50’. In Texas the majority are 73’ so no 65’ standard. The lowest bridge I know of between Norfolk and southern Florida would be the Julia Tuttle in Miami at 56’. Best to carefully check your charts and future cruising grounds before making a decision.

[Sand crab]

Billknny has it right except for the Julia Tuttle bridge near Miami is 56'. It is a short hop to avoid it though.
If you can step down a size then lots of cats start to fit your specs. The L410 and others. Many of the older cats were lighter mainly because they had less volume and a smaller sail was more than adequate. The old L42 from the 90s would fit under the bridges too.

[Paul L]

The Wilkerson at mile 125.9 is only 64ft on a good day.
https://www.waterwayguide.com/bridge...-us-264-bridge

[smj]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

Billknny has it right except for the Julia Tuttle bridge near Miami is 56'. It is a short hop to avoid it though.
If you can step down a size then lots of cats start to fit your specs. The L410 and others. Many of the older cats were lighter mainly because they had less volume and a smaller sail was more than adequate. The old L42 from the 90s would fit under the bridges too.

No he doesn’t, there is no 65’ standard height for the ICW. As I said before research the area you plan to cruise.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by smj

No he doesn’t, there is no 65’ standard height for the ICW. As I said before research the area you plan to cruise.

Well the OP said he is trying to get south from Norfolk to get to the Carib and back eventually. So that means either to Beaufort,NC and then out or perhaps all the way to Miami or Palm Beach and out. Along these routes 65ft is the standard, with the Wilkerson bridge being an exception, and the easy to go around bridge in Miami. Not aware of any others.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Well the OP said he is trying to get south from Norfolk to get to the Carib and back eventually. So that means either to Beaufort,NC and then out or perhaps all the way to Miami or Palm Beach and out. Along these routes 65ft is the standard, with the Wilkerson bridge being an exception, and the easy to go around bridge in Miami. Not aware of any others.

My point is there is no USCG standard 65’ height for ICW. The ICW spans quite a bit more than Norfolk to Miami. As you stated, even in the area the OP intends to travel 65’ is not a standard height but a common height. I think it’s important that people research their intended cruising grounds and come up with their own decision.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by smj

My point is there is no USCG standard 65’ height for ICW. The ICW spans quite a bit more than Norfolk to Miami. As you stated, even in the area the OP intends to travel 65’ is not a standard height but a common height. I think it’s important that people research their intended cruising grounds and come up with their own decision.

65ft might not be a standard, but on the portion from Norfolk to Miami as the many draw bridges have been removed and replaced by fixed bridges over the last decades 65ft has been the design clearance. The Wilkerson bridge was not built to spec and is closer to 64ft.
The OP is doing some research by posting here on CF. It just means he'll have to sort out the contradicting answers, hopefully with more authoritative info.

[SailFastTri]

There are a few in that stretch from Lake Worth FL to Ponce de Leon Inlet that are 64ft that I passed under. Can’t remember names and don’t have access to the ship logs. But I read the height boards with my own eyes as recently as May 2018

[Ndavies]

We live on the FL/AL border and have 75 ft bridges to the west of us and (generally) 65 ft to the east. However there are some less between Pensacola and the Big Bend. We have had a Hunter 42 Passage for a number of years and love it - in part as its 65 ft ICW friendly, and we have made frequent trips east to the Bahamas etc. We have just purchased a new Lagoon 40 and our selection was in part driven by a similar mast height to our Hunter. We are loving the boat so far, and currently in the process of delivering her ourselves. We just spent Christmas in Porto, Portugal. More details on our blog if anyone is interested.

Neil

[rtoner]

It might be cheaper to cut the mast. I got a quote for my L400 (currently 70 feet) for approx 8k. Does seem like a high number for a few bridges. I have mind set it’s a sailboat and thus should be out in the ocean so haven’t executed.

[Snore]

Logically, when a boat is designed the manufacturer would love it to be ICW- friendly.

The fact that most cats are not ICW-friendly seems to indicate a shorter mast would make the boat sail worse. A shorter mast and longer boom would move the CE way aft. Messing with the rig raises too many issues.

For the cost of refitting, hire crew to help. You can get good crew for $100/day plus a ticket home. Way cheaper than messing with the boat and lowering its resale value. Better yet, you keep the same sailing characteristics.

Or hire a captain and crew...

[malbert73]

Problem is with flybridge setup on most boats it seems the boom starts 20 feet about the water so how much sail can you fit with a 65 foot clearance mast??

[rtoner]

Originally Posted by Snore

Logically, when a boat is designed the manufacturer would love it to be ICW- friendly.

The fact that most cats are not ICW-friendly seems to indicate a shorter mast would make the boat sail worse. A shorter mast and longer boom would move the CE way aft. Messing with the rig raises too many issues.

For the cost of refitting, hire crew to help. You can get good crew for $100/day plus a ticket home. Way cheaper than messing with the boat and lowering its resale value. Better yet, you keep the same sailing characteristics.

Or hire a captain and crew...

True. Many boats are not sold due to mast height. But then many cat manufacturers sell boats world wide and don’t have the limitations that happen with ICW.

Some folks even un-step mast and mount on deck to do the ICW / loop.