Early November Passage from Maine to Key West (Marco Island)

[Centurion63]

I'm planning a cruise from Maine to Marco Island FL.

1st if there's a thread on this already just send me a link please

I'm new to this and I know I'll ask a bunch of questions that have been answered ad nauseum here but still, need to know

I'd like feedback on

- resources for off shore weather routing
- provisioning suggestions / requirements (recipes .... 1 crew is a vegetarian)
- bridge passages in the keys, where to head north upon reaching southern Florida, my mast is 62.66 feet tall
- if I go ICW, where to avoid

etc

[sailingharry]

A few things.
First, it would be very helpful to add your boat to your profile. Saves people asking what I'm about to ask! What kind of boat do you have, how old is it, how long is it.
Are you planning on doing offshore or coastal day hops?
Solo or with a companion?
What is your general sailing experience level?
A lot of people here with a lot to share. But we need a better question.

[CarlF]

Starting from Maine in November is very late. Do you have heat on the boat? Inside steering? Many NE marinas will be closed and fresh water on the docks may be shut off and drained.

During November the first of the winter NE gales appear. These are especially dangerous along the NJ coast. Wait at Sandy Hook until you have a perfect weather window.

Once you get to Cape May things get much warmer. Definitely take the ICW to avoid a dangerous winter trip outside Cape Hatteras. Your mast will fit under ICW bridges.

[Kettlewell]

Many questions and many answers possible, but there are a few things to keep in mind. My general recommended route would be to head from Maine to Cape Cod Canal, down LI Sound, NY to Cape May and then probably a straight shot to Norfolk, then inside the ICW to Beaufort, NC, at least. From there you can do some shorter outside hops as the weather permits, like go Cape Fear River to Charleston or Hilton Head, etc. The shallowest portions of the ICW are generally in South Carolina and Georgia. The Florida ICW south of Cape Canaveral gets busier and busier, and if you are making time you can often get some nice off-the-beach northers headed south on the outside. By the time you get to Ft. Lauderdale the Gulf Stream is very close to the coast so you have to hug it to avoid the current against you. Not knowing your draft I can't say whether or not you want to try Channel 5 in the Keys or go all the way to Key West before heading north. Keep in mind most of the Florida West Coast bridges are 55 feet.

[sailorbobdeb]

We draw 6' and have an air draft of 60' and have cut through at Marathon via the Seven Mile bridge (Moser Channel) several times. That's an option if you don't want to go all the way to Key West.

There's a fixed bridge on the east coast near Miami on the ICW that we cannot get under so we go outside, can't remember the bridge name right now. We have done the east coast ICW from N Palm Beach to Ft. Lauderdale a few times and there are A LOT (20 something?) of bridges on the east coast ICW that you will have to get opened and many open on a set schedule. In other words if you miss the opening you 'hover' until the next one. Timing can be crucial. Weather permitting, we prefer outside as much as possible.

You can download the AquaMap Marine app and it will help with lots of questions you may have. A Waterway Guide is also helpful and I tend to err on the side of caution and call/hail bridge tenders ahead of time to verify that the posted times for the bridge openings are up to date. Can't speak to the coast north of there, I'm sure others will have advice once they have more info.

Be aware of crab pots during season. Especially on west coast we find it is nerve wracking if you are sailing within the fishing areas. For us, one person spots and calls out location and distance to float for the helmsperson. There are literally thousands out there.