Advice for ICW/Caribbean Trip?

[accomplice]

Great photos on the blog, and it looks like a fun adventure. I agree with the others that you'd be best getting yourself south as soon as you can. Are you equipped for cold-weather sailing?

[Helbent]

Great blog; I will be following along. Given the temps (and cold rain) we are having here in Peoria, IL, I hope you get south fast!

I just made the trip south from Branford, CT to St. Mary's, GA. My wife and I enjoyed the summer in the Chesapeake, and then she got off the boat in Norfolk. I hauled down from there with, first, my cousin and, then, my Dad.

I am slowly putting up some of our experiences navigating the ICW and the conditions we experienced in some of the more shoal areas, along with some other posts about our trip on our blog. You might find some of it useful, especially the navigational notes that I compiled.

[scuba0_1]

Originally Posted by cwyckham

I don't think you can see the signatures from the mobile app. Here it is: http://www.optrop.com

Thanks that worked

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[steamgoat]

Hi Mark, before your mast is pulled for the canal,wrap some sticky tape where the rigging screw threads enter the body of the screw,then ,when you get on the Hudson,at Castleton on Hudson,you can restep it yourselves and get the rigging just as it was. Nice crane, $50. You can probably help somebody else and they will help you. Take digital pics of all your wiring before you disconnect it,may help when reconnecting. Again,Boat US towing insurance makes 100% sense. Good luck,it was cold on the lake this weekend !!!

[tartansail]

Originally Posted by steamgoat

Hi Mark, before your mast is pulled for the canal,wrap some sticky tape where the rigging screw threads enter the body of the screw,then ,when you get on the Hudson,at Castleton on Hudson,you can restep it yourselves and get the rigging just as it was. Nice crane, $50. You can probably help somebody else and they will help you. Take digital pics of all your wiring before you disconnect it,may help when reconnecting. Again,Boat US towing insurance makes 100% sense. Good luck,it was cold on the lake this weekend !!!

If your T-40 is anything like mine, there is a lot of wiring at the base of the mast that connects into a wiring panel at the base of the bulkhead to port of the mast. If you haven't done it already, take off the cover and label all the wires with, at least, numbered labels. Pictures will help but you need specific labels if you don't want to spend a frustrating day when you put the mast back up.