ICW from NY to Galveston

[ekelly36]

Has anyone made the journey from New York to Galveston via the ICW. I’m buying a new to me hunter 33 Cherubini in immaculate condition but the problem is it’s located in NY. I’m sure there will be some flaming here but I have experience in fresh water but have been doing a lot of research and want the live aboard lifestyle. I’m a travel nurse and time really isn’t a factor as I can take jobs on the way if I have to. I don’t know my way around a sailboat very well but I’m excited to learn, prior to being a nurse I was a mechanic so I know my way around diesels pretty well. The boat I’m buying had a good survey and everything is sound structurally and mechanically. I will be motoring because the boat does not have a main. I plan on buying a new mainsail but right now my plan is to just motor. Flame on or any constructive info is welcomed. Thanks

[Montanan]

That is about 2,400 miles of continuous watchful navigating, unfortunately boats are not yet autonomous in their driving in narrow channels and contending with close boat traffic. You will be an expert in motoring a canal by the time you get to Galveston and likely wishing to be able to turn off the iron jib, raise your new mainsail and do some real sailing in open water.

Your traveling nurse career provides for a lot of freedom as to moseying along, stopping where the opportunity for contract work is desirable, or just wanting to tour the local area.

Wishing you all the best.

Enjoy.

[flyingfin]

ICW is a wonderful trip, just make sure you have two good anchors on the bow, a lunch hook on the stern, a zodiac w/ kicker, small bicycle for trips to grocery and hardware stores, a decent stereo system, large bimini w sunshade side panels to shade the cockpit, extra fuel tanks and Boat US towing.

[GreenWave]

Or you could have it trucked to TX

[C420sailor]

What a sick adventure! Have fun!

[ekelly36]

Originally Posted by flyingfin

ICW is a wonderful trip, just make sure you have two good anchors on the bow, a lunch hook on the stern, a zodiac w/ kicker, small bicycle for trips to grocery and hardware stores, a decent stereo system, large bimini w sunshade side panels to shade the cockpit, extra fuel tanks and Boat US towing.

Lol not to get Into an anchor debate but what would be the best 2 anchors for the iCW? The boat has 2 anchors, I’m unsure of what types but I will definitely be doing some more reading on that as the time approaches. The boat does have a full enclosure so hopefully the sun doesn’t beat me down too bad. I need to buy a dinghy and davits but maybe the davits can come a little later and I can just tow the dinghy for now. I had the same thought on extra fuel cans in case 44 gal isn’t enough to get me through to the next fuel stop. I’m thinking I will travel a week at a time, the calculators I’ve seen estimate 100 miles a day doing 4.5-5 knots, I’m not sure about the boats efficiency at this point but I’m hoping for 5, the owner said on motor 6-7 was average depending on conditions. As far as efficiency of fuel burn I didn’t ask but I have read that it can be anywhere from half a gal to 1 gal an hour, big difference when talking about going 2000 miles. It has a 3gm diesel, I don’t know if that was original or an upgrade, I read somewhere that a lot of the hunters have a 2gm and it’s underpowered. I’m sure I can find it easy but what does the boat tow cost generally? Anyways I am fluid with the situation, I figure I will go for 5 days to a week and see how far I can get before having to find a place to dock and head home ish for a week or 2 then come back and do it again. If things go well and weather permits if I can make Florida in a week then I may just push through into the Gulf, maybe New Orleans, i think dockage there is cheap.

[C420sailor]

You’re not going to make Florida in a week.

Assuming 5kts, 100nm a day is 20 hours a day. Exceptionally bold, especially since in the ICW you’re going to be waiting for bridges and traffic and all sorts of stuff. Stopping for fuel, etc etc. It isn’t full grunt in open water. Not to mention, you need to sleep!

Also, helming a boat takes a surprising amount out of you.

Assuming 5kts, I would plan for closer to 50nm a day. Anything else is gravy.

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by Grim36

Lol not to get Into an anchor debate but what would be the best 2 anchors for the iCW? The boat has 2 anchors, I’m unsure of what types but I will definitely be doing some more reading on that as the time approaches. The boat does have a full enclosure so hopefully the sun doesn’t beat me down too bad. I need to buy a dinghy and davits but maybe the davits can come a little later and I can just tow the dinghy for now. I had the same thought on extra fuel cans in case 44 gal isn’t enough to get me through to the next fuel stop. I’m thinking I will travel a week at a time, the calculators I’ve seen estimate 100 miles a day doing 4.5-5 knots, I’m not sure about the boats efficiency at this point but I’m hoping for 5, the owner said on motor 6-7 was average depending on conditions. As far as efficiency of fuel burn I didn’t ask but I have read that it can be anywhere from half a gal to 1 gal an hour, big difference when talking about going 2000 miles. It has a 3gm diesel, I don’t know if that was original or an upgrade, I read somewhere that a lot of the hunters have a 2gm and it’s underpowered. I’m sure I can find it easy but what does the boat tow cost generally? Anyways I am fluid with the situation, I figure I will go for 5 days to a week and see how far I can get before having to find a place to dock and head home ish for a week or 2 then come back and do it again. If things go well and weather permits if I can make Florida in a week then I may just push through into the Gulf, maybe New Orleans, i think dockage there is cheap.

Why do you want to go 100 miles per day? The ICW is a wonderful experience, the wildlife you'll see is off the charts and you will be sailing through small town America. Small Town America is more than well worth visiting and appreciating.

Go the other way - say you only will try for 25 miles per day you sail (some places are so fine you'll want to stay a week or more) If you are a history buff, you'll be sailing through a roll call of Revolutionary and Civil War places.

Heck - Annapolis and the Chesapeake is worth a six weeks sail (we did). Make sure you sail up the Potomac. You can get a mooring ball in front of the Capitol Yacht Club for only $35 per day - right in the middle of Washington, only 2 blocks from the National Mall

Sailing is about enjoying the trip - not only the destination

[s/v Moondancer]

Order a main from Dirk. https://www.rollytasker.com/en/portf...sails-florida/ And when you pass by my home on the ICW, overlooking Biscayne Bay, in Miami I will teach you to sail.

I live across the street from https://www.cgsc.org/

A week sailing the Bay and the Keys will cure you of any desire to motor the ICW.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by C420sailor

You’re not going to make Florida in a week.

I’ll second this.

Pushing hard in the ICW, you might......maybe....make it halfway to Florida in a week.

[skipmac]

I just made my fourth trip up the east coast, FL to MA and have a few comments and suggestions.

First, you should be aware that the ICW stops in Norfolk VA. From NY headed south there are no options but to go in the ocean down the Jersey shore until you reach Delaware Bay, at least 100 nm depending on where you start and end. From Delaware Bay you can motor all the way up the bay, cross the canal to the Chesapeake Bay then motor all the way back down to Norfolk to start the ICW but that does add quite a few miles to the trip.

Regarding the ocean passage from NY to DE, even in relatively calm weather motoring that distance in the ocean could get pretty uncomfortable as the boat without any sails up will roll, a lot.

Also, as others mentions, 100 miles per day on the ICW is very unrealistic and 7 kts in that boat a bit optimistic. Even running from dawn to dusk in summer you might have at most 16 hours to motor. At 6 kts that theoretically gives you 96 nm but in practice, especially by yourself, you will be doing good to get 75-80 nm in a day and often less when you account for weather, tidal currents, fuel stops, eating, using the head and all the other necessities of life and traveling the ICW. By the way, I would highly recommend against trying to run the ICW at night. I've done it a few times and it is not for the inexperienced nor faint of heart.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by C420sailor

You’re not going to make Florida in a week.

Assuming 5kts, 100nm a day is 20 hours a day. Exceptionally bold, especially since in the ICW you’re going to be waiting for bridges and traffic and all sorts of stuff. Stopping for fuel, etc etc. It isn’t full grunt in open water. Not to mention, you need to sleep!

Also, helming a boat takes a surprising amount out of you.

Assuming 5kts, I would plan for closer to 50nm a day. Anything else is gravy.

Even 50nm/day is pushing hard.

OP: Do you have a partner or are you planning to single hand? Solo makes even 30-40nm/day pretty demanding. On the ICW, you have to be at the helm pretty much constantly.

If you plan to stop and pick up work along the way, more likely, you will be stopping in marinas for practicality. It could be done from anchor but adds significant additional effort.

Plan on losing 3-4 days per week for various reasons. A lot of people think offshore sailing is challenging. While it has it's concerns, once you get clear of land, there isn't much to hit. Along the ICW, you have tides, shifting channels, idiots who will fly by 50ft away, locks, lift bridges, docking, anchoring, etc...it's far more technically challenging.

I know you said it was immaculate but then you said it didn't have a full set of sails...while possible, that's not consistent with typical boat condition. Did your survey include an in depth check of the engine? You are going to be heavily reliant on it with no backup from the sails.

[LittleWing77]

Seems to be in the air this week!

Here's a post with some south-to-north resouces that I posted yesterday. Your trip will be in reverse and significantly longer. But hey, if you have the time, it would be a great trip, as Carsten says (Post #8), as long as you don't feel as if you're pushing it:

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

Generally, you would go up the ICW to Southern New Jersey (to the termination point of the ICW near Cape May).

Official termination point of ICW is at Norfolk, VA, as SkipMac says (Post #11), but you can get to Southern New Jersey using the canal, etc., as he describes.

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

The best two places for sailing being Pamlico Sound and the Chesapeake. Then short outside hop to New York Harbour, then Hudson River to Troy, NY, then Erie Canal (if you haven't pulled your mast before Troy, NY, you absolutely must do it at Troy for transit of the Erie Canal). Please note: This is a VERY general overview! Do your homework.

Here's a blog that has some helpful diagrams so you can see an illustration of the route:

captainjohn.org
https://www.captainjohn.org/GL-ICW2.html

Here's a recent thread with many helpful suggestions:

ICW in a Time Crunch
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ch-248770.html

In this case, it was a 30' steel folkboat not restricted by either drafts (neither keel nor mast)...

Please remember if you're starting this trip now (after June 1st), you are sailing into hurricane season. Please check your insurance coverage.

What would also be helpful to you is a MAINSAIL. Here are a bunch of used sail purveyors:

Bacon Sails: https://baconsails.com/
*They have a main for a Hunter 33' for $795
The Sailing Warehouse
https://thesailwarehouse.com/cgi-bin....html&cart_id=
Masthead Sailing Gear
https://mastheadsailinggear.com/
Second Wind Sails
https://www.secondwindsails.com

Fair winds,
LittleWing77

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Even 50nm/day is pushing hard.

Yes! For me that is a long ICW day that wears you out. But overall ICW travel days are based on stop locations, bridge schedule, and tides.

There some sections of the ICW that are definitely better to go outside. Using the excuse of not having a mainsail suggests the boat isn't up to the trip. Plus if you want to get to Texas you have to go outside in west Florida, twice.

[ekelly36]

Originally Posted by s/v Moondancer

Order a main from Dirk. https://www.rollytasker.com/en/portf...sails-florida/ And when you pass by my home on the ICW, overlooking Biscayne Bay, in Miami I will teach you to sail.

I live across the street from https://www.cgsc.org/

A week sailing the Bay and the Keys will cure you of any desire to motor the ICW.

Deal!!!! I will bring the beer haha....