Traffic on the ICW this Year

[spiritcaptain]

Thanks for all the ICW responses on heading south. We actually left Annapolis on the 20th and are now docked in Portsmouth and will leave there Saturday. We saw at least a dozen sailboats heading south with us that weekend.
Hope to run into a few people next week in the swamp!

[tropicalescape]

Left Topsail island sunday and saw 6 boats going south ..1 catamaran, 2 sport fishing boats and 2 sailboats(42 bene.,44 hunter) that was just one day...DVC

[Auspicious]

I can see four boats from my dock on Back Creek Annapolis I know are going South. I believe they are all timing a 1 Nov insurance limitation on progress South.

[hellosailor]

ICW means motoring means gas means lots more money this year than in the past, so I'd expect traffic to be way down. I think Florida announced a 3? 5? percent drop in boat registrations this year as well, indicating that rising gas costs are really hitting boaters along with everything else.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

ICW means motoring means gas means lots more money this year than in the past.

This year it looks like $800 - $1000 for diesel sailboat to go from Norfolk to Miami.

[Kettlewell]

Sounds like the numbers are way down from all I read. Back in the late '80s and into the '90s there would be 50-60 boats at anchor in the Norfolk/Portsmouth anchorage about now and the line of boats in the morning would be 20-30 long some days. There were times it was hard to find a spot to anchor in most of the major anchorages in popular cities. It was routine to have to wait for lockage on both routes as they couldn't squeeze any more in. I suspect it has a lot to do with the economy in general, and the fact that sailors are ageing out and not as many young folks are coming in at the other end. With power boats the cost of fuel has knocked everything way down.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

This year it looks like $800 - $1000 for diesel sailboat to go from Norfolk to Miami.

When I first read this I found it hard to believe then I did the math. Around $800 seems close for 1 gal per hour and 5-6 knots. I use a bit less but it still is a shock. No more 99 cent diesel in Coinjock! Met a guy while I was lugging 10 gallons of gas back to my dink from the gas station in GT. He says to me, "did you ever think you'd be strong enough to carry $50 worth of gas?" ")

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Vasco

When I first read this I found it hard to believe then I did the math. Around $800 seems close for 1 gal per hour and 5-6 knots. I use a bit less but it still is a shock. No more 99 cent diesel in Coinjock! Met a guy while I was lugging 10 gallons of gas back to my dink from the gas station in GT. He says to me, "did you ever think you'd be strong enough to carry $50 worth of gas?" ")

Dude - I do math. *grin* $800 works if you don't miss ANY bridges and don't divert to see the sites. I will put a beer and a burger on the average fuel bill being closer to $1000.

I take boats offshore.

[sailingmonica]

The closure of Erie and Oswego Canals in NY state due to damage from hurricane Irene has most likely stopped some boaters from heading South this year. The more determined (or wealthy) ones left anyway, some going out St. Lawrence way, some trucking their boats to the Chesapeake. I just heard today that the trucked boats have formed the "CRUISERS OF INTERSTATE 81 CLUB" and they are now in Charleston, SC.

And yes, the economy and the subsequent lack of $$$ is the reason why MONICA did not stick to the plan to go South this year. Sigh...

[AnchorageGuy]

I guess it depends on where you are at any given time. This photo from Cruisersnet taken at Deep Creek Lock on the Dismal Swamp shows a pretty good start of the migration. Most insurance companies will not allow boats south of Hatteras until either November 1 or 15 so lots of boats waiting until then to leave the Chesapeake. Chuck

[Kettlewell]

Nice photo from Cruisers Net--that's what it looked like in the 'old days.' I think in the 'old days' more of us, maybe the majority, long-term cruisers didn't have insurance and didn't worry about it. Of course most of our boats were worth a lot less than most cars today. I personally hate the idea of an insurance company dictating my schedule. Leaving November 15 just about guarantees a cold, wet ride south, with cold fronts every 3-4 days in the northern reaches. Now is about the ideal time to leave the Chesapeake though so I suspect the migration will pick up.

[gettinthere]

I went the 'other way' down the rivers because of the Erie closure. Talking to marinas, they have seen an uptick in traffic this year because of that.

[AnchorageGuy]

I have talked with dozens of marinas from the Chesapeake to the Keys and along the Great Loop route and many are seeing more traffic in the last month with more reservations for the coming months than the last few years. Many of our cruising friends are under way this year, they had been staying in port the last couple of years. Chuck

[Kettlewell]

One thing for sure, all of our anecdotes don't add up to much, including mine! About the only somewhat reliable numbers are from the locks at Great Bridge and Deep Creek, and we won't get those counts for awhile.

[defever]

i ride the eau gallie bridge in melbourne everyday and HERE THEY COME!!! i'm starting to see the masses heading south. yesterday i saw 6 boats all about 50 yds apart heading for the dragon anchorage. a couple power boats anchored on the south side as well. the ssca gam will bring in a bunch too. YIPPEEEE, can't wait till march to fire up the boat and head south, while seeing these folks going the other way.