Bridge Clearance on the Intracoastal Waterway

[hellosailor]

Ah, 2divers, it sounds like your Dad has been slipping his boat some of those little blue pills.<G>

[2divers]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Ah, 2divers, it sounds like your Dad has been slipping his boat some of those little blue pills.<G>

That or more likely he's had a case of CRS (Can't Remember S^!t) and made something up as he is wont to do occasionally. Oh well, It still doesn't help with the mast needing to be replaced, just means the sails don't have to be (I hope).

[cheryfee]

HI
I have a 45ft jeanneau sun odyssey and I cant get a good answer on my mast either. I bought it locally last year, and the specs online put her at 61'9 from the waterline. My agent claimed it was 63'4 PLUS another 2 feet for antenna/wind instrument, etc. My issue is the Blue Heron bridge in Palm Beach. The height of the bridge at LOW tide is 65 feet and we also saw low hanging lights with electrical cords on either side of the bridge. I had to avoid the lights and go thru at low tide. Apparently there is an issue south of Jupiter with power ines at about 60ft. I will have to measure the mast and instrumentation by going up there myself. We also talked about using some kind of laser device. A friend of mine was onboard a sailboat that hit a bridge, its definitely something to avoid. Good luck!

[hellosailor]

chery, for $10-15 you can buy a 100' tape measure from many sources. Go aloft with the tape measure AND a new bulb for the masthead light, while you are up there put in the new bulb. Then drop the tape to the deck, and note the height. Add the antenna or whatever, then all you need to do is measure from the deck ot the waterline.

Sure, you can use a laser or pay a road survey crew to bring over their theodolite, but a tape measure is the simplest solution. And you'll know that you won't need to go aloft in a hurry to change that bulb for a couple of years to come.

[cheryfee]

thanks great tip
already did the mast light
i just moved to Old Port Cove and love it, but was advised that the Blue Heron would not be a problem by a fellow sailor, but as we approached it was obvious that it was really close, just wishing my mast was shorter so I wouldn't need to move.

Any suggestions for a live aboard?

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by GordMay

I highly recommend Tom Dove’s free on-line ICW Guide, written by contributing cruisers:
Tom Dove Home Page

Gord,

Tried the link but I get "LOCKED"

Locked

 The requested resource is currently locked. The lock must be released or proper identification given before the method can be applied.

[tallsb]

The West Palm Blue Heron bridge is specified to provide 65 ft clearance at MHT. It is published on nautical charts and USCG bridge clearance documents to provide 65 ft clearance. 65 ft bridge clearance is the "standard" for fixed Atlantic intracoastal bridges. The bridge construction from the east side provides the 65 ft. The construction from the west side provides only 63 ft. From mid tide to high tide, sailboats needing the 65 ft must use the east opening.

[AnchorageGuy]

Fixed bridge Heights on the ICW are 65 feet mean high water except two, can't remember where off hand, that are actually 64 feet. With the exception of Miami. It may be possible to squeak under some at low tides but that means sitting and waiting for low tides at a lot of bridges and even then you better be right. Some sailboats just have to go outside to transit the east coast. Chuck

[tallsb]

The West Palm Beach ICW Blue Heron bridge is specified to provide 65 ft clearance at MHT. It is published on nautical charts and USCG bridge clearance documents to provide 65 ft clearance. 65 ft bridge clearance is the "standard" for fixed Atlantic intracoastal bridges. The bridge construction from the east side provides the 65 ft. The construction from the west side, the main channel provides only 63 ft. From mid tide to high tide, sailboats needing the 65 ft need to use the east opening.

[emcmia]

In Miami, I-195 (aka Julia Tuttle) bridge is only 55 ft.

[Tom Hildebrandt]

I just measured my mast height, I ran a line up with the halyard, marked it at the deck step, brought the line down and measured the line. If I had a 100 foot tape, I wuld have run the tape up, it would have been simpler, I then measured from the step to the water, and added the two together. I then added 18 inches for the stuff on top, plus another foot for safety. My 63 feet has worked under all the fixed bridges in NC, but boy does my heart go thump thump! I keep an eye on those clearance guages also, I like when they are reading 64 and better!

[oldman66]

How about the old way with trigonomitry. Wait for the shadow of the mast to reveal itself on the deck. Measure the shadow's lenght, so forth and so on. I will let someone else fill in the so forth and so on. haha

[Stormydog407]

I am just in the planning stage and have done alot of reading. There is bridge in Chicago that is only 19'1" above the water. My mast is higher then that. I am wondering is there a marina before and after the bridge that would be able to take down my mast and then another one to lift it back into place.

thanks in advance.

[hellosailor]

The Chicago River is on the ICW??

And the bridge doesn't open?

[Group9]

Originally Posted by GordMay

AICW Bridge Clearances:
Controlling bridge height from Norfolk to Miami is 56 feet. With a single exception, all the non-opening bridges have a project height of 65 feet. The one exception is a fixed 56-foot bridge at Mile 1087 between Fort Lauderdale and Miami (36th St. Julia Tuttle Causeway).
The fixed Julia Tuttle Causeway Bridge sets the height limit for the ICW between Fort Lauderdale and Miami at 56 feet, crossing the ICW at Statute Mile 1087, south of unlighted daybeacon #39.

Yeah, you have to go out at Port Everglades and come back in at Government Cut to go around Julia Tuttle.

It's much worse on the northern gulf side. And, of course, you can't make it across the Okeechobee waterway, either.