Southwest Florida

[M-Y SD42]

We are planning to cruise from S. Florida to Gasparella Island across the waterway and were curious how to get planning info regarding shallow areas and/or shoaling that are not marked on the charts. We draw 4.5'. Notice to Mariners seems a little bulky. We went through the Miserable Mile last time but plan to go around this time.

[the_alpine]

Active captain and MKII Eyeball


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[M-Y SD42]

Good idea - thanks

[the_alpine]

Ps, active captain is a website. Www.activecaptain.com


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[brantleychuck]

Not sure what's up with the miserable mile. Been through there at least 10 times. 36 foot sloop, 5-6 draft. I think all you need to do is pay attention. Not a lot of room to get out of the channel. GPS makes it doable even in the dark. Be brave!


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[wayne.b]

Originally Posted by brantleychuck

Not sure what's up with the miserable mile. Been through there at least 10 times. 36 foot sloop, 5-6 draft. I think all you need to do is pay attention. Not a lot of room to get out of the channel. GPS makes it doable even in the dark. Be brave!


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===

The only real issues with the "miserable mile" are the cross currents at various times and places. It's important to maintain good situational awareness with respect to your course over ground and your alignment with the center of the channel. There's at least 8 feet of water the entire distance if you stay centered up between the markers. The direction and strength of the cross currents depends on the state of the tide in San Carlos Bay. OpenCPN can help with understanding the currents.

[David Hughes]

What do you mean by "go around" the miserable mile? There is no going around. Perhaps you're referring to the area of the ICW around Picnic Island which is west of the miserable mile and going around means going outside of Sanibel.

At any rate, if you're in a marked channel you'll be fine, and if you want to be outside a channel, an app like Navionics web, or the Garmin app are great.



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