Bridge Clearance Atlantic ICW

[Manateeman]

We have never had a spar in the boat. I like Ted, but I think I do not require his imput for this question. We have no sails in hand. I usually like to do the spars first. Again, we will have TWO rigs.
I have not the least desire to do high latitudes with a tall rig.
We have not decided anything yet on a wishbone ketch.
When I’m dead the owners can put in anything they want but I’m happy at manatee speed. Perfectly fine diesel and huge tankage. We converted the belly tank from water to diesel when building.
Johnny Carson used to ask Ed McMahon what he did on weekends. He’d reply that he simply sat on his boat. Carson would tease him about not going anywhere to which Ed would just smile and repeat he had a good time relaxing.
I think I know how to build a fast boat or a high latitude boat. Heck, I’ve even built catamarans.
Some days I feel like Ed. Some days I could see us in a Chris White foil mast.
I find it interesting that a number of great designers drew very nice motor sailors.
Most days, I just continue to build something that keeps me happy.
Mark

[hpeer]

Oky doky, just thought I would ask.

We have a Brewer Murray 33 along with our Pape.

Lovely design.

[Bill Creadon]

If you intend to cruise the AICW having a mast no more than 60' make transiting no problem. Our boat was speced at 63 and the boat was commissioned at 59. I go past a lot of boats sitting at bridges waiting for the water to drop. Tha ICW is a great cruising experience. Being able to transit it on bad weather times beats sitting on anchor or in a marina for days.

[tedowens]

The Wilkerson bridge in North Carolina is only 64'. Active Captain is a good resource on individual bridge heights.

[Kolchac]

Important for those who love ICW. I don't.

Two years ago in June, I sailed from Norfolk to the South and stuck between N.C. and S.C., grounded in the middle of the channel. Locals told me the channal depth further is 4'. I chose ICW only because of no weather window around Hatteras.



Some fixed bridges had clearance marks, and I saw water mold on 58', most 62.
You must know the names of all opening bridges to be able to communicate with the operator. Once my mast was almost crashed. Bridges:

https://www.waterwayguide.com/explor...68&mode=marina


The ISW is very narrow and shallow. You will meet stupid guys on motorboats driving ~30 kn 3 yards from you, smiling and waving very friendly. Barges, I would say ~55' wide, will push you from the channel to the ground. Those barges might draw ~ 100 yards of pipes or something, one barge in front, another at the end, and 2 or 3 small boats in the middle.

The channel sometimes looks like a slalom course. Also the navigation buoys color several times was changed to the opposite - always check the map.,



It was so hot! You feel the water is hotter than air. The color of the water looks like bad coffee.

It was very few places to drop anchor.

[mindsofman]

You can travel inside all the way from the
C&D canal to Lauderdale with a mast height
Up to 64ft BUT don't make the mistake of
Continuing on to Miami from there,,the 195
Bridge just north of Miami will stop you dead
At 56ft max.if it's late in the day,,drop the pick
Behind one of the little spoil islands ,sit
Back with a DOC and watch the sun sink
Behind Miami..pull the pick in the morn after
Coffee and head back to Pt. Everglades.

[BBill]

The bridge markers show height at the fenders, so most of the bridges have a little more center clearance. We have wind and seasonal water levels that have no bearing on tides...central east coast of Fl from around Jax to Ft Pierce. With all the construction and inland draining out to the ICW we see it higher and lasting longer. Been in a house on the water 47 yrs and the levels are staying at least a foot (some yrs 2 ft) higher for months at a time. So if you are doing a 65' mast the winter season is best for max clearance.

[merrydolphin]

Love my Cal 2-46. Ketch. We had a 49 foot air Draft. Everything is a trade off. And I could easily single hand it. Could sail near 200 mile days and motor like a trawler. Walk in engine room with full standing headroom. 270 gal diesel,14 feet of galley counter. Many many have circumnavigated. We cruised tens of thousands of miles including the ICW. Atlantic and Pacific. Great boat. Oh, and did I mention 5+ Foot draft.

[Cgiroir]

I recently discovered this post, and I do have a pretty neat site that can help some people navigate the Atlantic ICW. I originally started the site to help captains on the Mississippi River and it’s tributaries, but always adding rivers and canals. My site does offer a trial period so feel free to register and check it out. . Not sure if it’s allowed to share links, so I have included an image below. This is an image from my phone, but the site has a lot more information if viewed on a PC screen.

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by Emouchet

There is a water level board at every bridge that get you a clear reading of the clearance.
So, you will be warn !

lol since another poster mentioned the bridges could actually be sinking (subsidence issues etc) and the board is attached to the bridge, do you believe it?

Enquiring minds want to know

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by Russ

Having a 63’6” mast I would point out that the Wabbasso bridge varies significantly with both tides and time of year. The rainfall in summer can make the Wabbasso bridge a good 6-8” higher than in late December.

Higher? or Lower? Sounds like there would be LESS clearance with the rain, e.g. lower. Did I misread?

[Sandy Frank]

Originally Posted by flightlead404

lol since another poster mentioned the bridges could actually be sinking (subsidence issues etc) and the board is attached to the bridge, do you believe it?

Enquiring minds want to know

The board attached to the bridge, dining with the bridge, would still provide accurate clearance info.

[Sandy Frank]

Originally Posted by Sandy Frank

The board attached to the bridge, dining with the bridge, would still provide accurate clearance info.

Sinking, not dining. Oops

[Shanachie]

Just saying ...


I used to sail out of Hillsboro Inlet in Pompano Beach, Fl. In late fall, I would see a steady stream of large cruising boats motoring down the ICW with bikes, generators and all manner of crap on deck.


Occasionally, I would get on the radio and say, "Hey, the forecast is great. Follow me out the inlet and you'll avoid all of those bridges and be in Miami much faster."


Only a few ever took my advice. I always assumed they had been motoring from where, the Chesapeake, the Great Lakes, New York? They were so used to the drum of the diesel that sailing didn't occur to them.


I once shared a coffee in Gilbert's in Key Largo with a cruising family. The wife kept griping at the husband, "Why did we buy a sailboat? We never sail. We motor everywhere."


The ICW is a great last resort. Where I sail now in western Florida, you're sometimes forced there because inlets haven't been dredged. But it shouldn't be the default route for a sailboat.