Motoring the ICW with limited experience

[Pegu Club]

Hello,
You will need to be able to read charts and make friends with the currents and tides, as well having an understanding of wind and weather effect on the water, as said above get to know the bridges, and get used to using your vhf radio, do your homework and you will be fine. It is a fun trip.


Fair winds,

[a64pilot]

With a small boat and 4 ft draft I wouldn’t hire anyone.
However I believe that I would buy enough fuel cans to completely refuel the boat, not knowing how easy it will be to get fuel

[Dave22q]

You do not need much experience but a few days of practice is a good idea. Main thing is holding position when waiting at a draw bridge under different current conditions. There are several good ICW guides to help you plan the trip. If you carry an extra anchor you can do an occasional night stop by anchoring fore and aft just outside the channel (behind a marker is good).
It can be a nice trip, lots of good stops. Also make sure you get a dipstick so you can monitor fuel consumption. Food and fuel are key in planning out your stops. Enjoy!!

[Lodesman]

When are you planning to travel? With that draft, you should be able to do the Dismal Swamp no problem, if that's of interest.

[LittleWing77]

Hi Julianna!

You will be fine. Go ahead with your husband and enjoy - great way to get to know your boat, as someone else said.

I remember being in charge of picking out the numbered posts (navigational markers) when we did the ICW on my family's boat when I was 14.

The good advice you've already heard:

Don't push it. 6-hours a day sounds about right. Then get yourselves on a hook or into a harbour and relax.

The suggestion of leaving just after low tide is brilliant. A rising tide is always helpful - unless, I would say, you'd be motoring *against* it. ; )

Watch your mast height going under fixed bridges - know what your mast height actually is before you leave and remember to include your height of tide into your height-of-mast calculations!

Someone said that it will be a great opportunity to practice routine VHF communications and protocol, plus bridge opening requests, etc. - and it will be.

Part of the reason people take the ICW is that it's protected, there are interesting sights and stops along the way and that is true. It's a very low-key trip and will be a great way for you to gain confidence in your new boat, sharpen your basic seamanship skills and begin working well together as a sailing team.

Finally, something you might want to try after a couple of days (once you get a sense of what your tolerances are), sit down over your end-of-day beer/glass of wine and plan your next day's stop. For instance, "we did X miles (or 20 markers) today, so what's the next place that's about [the same distance] tomorrow and if we're going to shoot for that, what time will we need to leave tomorrow (and at what point of tide) to get there by end-of-day?

I'm envious! Have a lovely time and do let us know how you get on!

Warmly,
LittleWing77

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Curtinjulianna

Hi!

My husband and I recently bought a boat. It is located in Norfolk, VA and we are in charleston, SC. My husband has been on sailboats a handful of times and we both took the basic keelboating course. However, I dont feel that confident. My husband seems to think we should be perfectly fine motoring it down the ICW with the limited experience we have. Does this sound reasonable or would hiring a skipper be a better idea? Thanks!

It's a serious learning experience, but it's not completely unreasonable. As others have said, you'll want the Waterway Guide, Active Captain, the Mile-by-Mile guide is useful, and Aquamap USA Master have been very valuable for the shallow spots. Learn about tides and currents -- mid tide or better in the shallow spots, etc. Maybe try short segments at first, then gradually increase your daily range.

Reference tidal directions: Seems to me tide-driven current directions change every twenty minutes or so along the way, throughout much of NC, SC, and GA. Seems to be all about where the tide comes from at any given moment, and that's just not very consistent relative to direction of travel.

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

I don’t when you plan to go, but it’s unlikely you will be able to find a marina that accepts transient boats. An entire county in NC that comprises most of the Outer Banks is closed to non residents. I can’t think of a worse time to do this in the part 75 years.

FWIW, we've not encountered any problems like that yet. This afternoon we called ahead to four likely marinas in our path over the next two travel days. Three said come ahead, they're open. One said they would follow State guidance about closing or not... but they haven't had any State guidance like that.

And for OP: No need to go near Outer Banks to do ICW. That said... leaving now very likely does entail some risk, given the virus response plan is so fluid. Anchoring out all along the way is perhaps possible if you're prepared to switch to that mode... Of course that means maybe needing much more onboard stores than you might have carried, etc. FWIW, we're trying to just get home... so we're watching every day for virus-related mandates that somehow might affect that.

-Chris

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Curtinjulianna

Hi everybody!!! Thank you for all your wonderful advice. We have a 28 foot sailboat with a 4 foot draft. We have navionics, a chart plotter, and are going to download aquamaps per many recommendations. I really appreciate everyone's insights! Super helpful!

So what type boat do you have? And which engine?

Some boats handle grounding better than others and depending on the age of the engine, some are better than others......

[Mystic38]

it is a pretty straightforward affair and you should do fine..

all you need is
1. depth sounder and some sort of chartplotter..even an app
2. an anchor and the ability to use it
3. chartbook for ICW
4. vhf radio to hail bridges
5. the ability to get up in the morning and set off early
6. the decision making skill NOT to sail/motor at night


given your skill level, statements about taking the boat offshore are misguided... enjoy the ride, pull the jib out when the wind favours and take the experience with good humor..

Originally Posted by Curtinjulianna

Hi!

My husband and I recently bought a boat. It is located in Norfolk, VA and we are in charleston, SC. My husband has been on sailboats a handful of times and we both took the basic keelboating course. However, I dont feel that confident. My husband seems to think we should be perfectly fine motoring it down the ICW with the limited experience we have. Does this sound reasonable or would hiring a skipper be a better idea? Thanks!

[Suijin]

A lot of good advice here. A few more bits:

Navionics has the most accurate charts for the ICW if you turn sonar charts on. The crowd sourced data that comprises them leads to extremely detailed bottom contour maps which is extremely helpful through some sections.

Active Captain is almost required at this point given the wealth of knowledge on it, from missing markers to current shoaling areas to details about anchorages. It will.make the trip much easier and less stressful for a first timer.

Make sure you plan your day in advance and have a reachable overnight at the end during daylight. There are limited spots to anchor or dock along many stretches and you really don't want to be left looking for one after dark.

Tides are more important in some areas than others and it can be difficult to know where without the experience of having done. So always know what the tide and currents are doing, which can be complicated along some stretches. As an example, some spots through southern NC at the natural unimproved inlets are basically impassable at low tide if you draw 6 feet or close to it.

[Badsanta]

Bring extra fuel filters!

[Badsanta]

Take your time. Anchor early and often. The only bad experience I've had is the lock. Got cought in the middle of 40 sailboats. The next two days were miserable. The one in front to slow and not using radio. Felt pushed from everyone behind me. Next time out the gate I will use that free dock just out the lock. I'll just tie up and have lunch till the line is gone, then head out. Also that visitors center will backup early and block passage.

[ranger58sb]

More to my earlier comment...

There's a current thread on trawlerforum (sister site) about Florida marinas being closed to transients.

We've not experienced that as we've moved from north FL to NC so far over these last three weeks, but then again we're just trying to get home near Annapolis and as part the COVID-19 response escalation the MD Governor just closed "non-essential" businesses. I think so far that maybe doesn't include gas stations, so maybe doesn't include marinas or at least fuel docks...

But if the bridges/locks close -- I suspect (hope) those are "essential personnel, though -- we're stuck anyway.

In any case, my point is that setting out on voluntary ICW travel just now seems a bit risky.

-Chris

[wildebeest3]

You tube is a good way to see how people have navigated the ICW, every foot has been videoed and published by others. Buy the newest ICW cruising guide with charts, it will guide you mile by mile with all the info you need. Someone earlier in the thread mentioned Towing Coverage... Get Towboat U.S. Unlimited, and maybe the SeaTow unlimited, too. Couple hundred bucks will give lots of peace of mind.

Enjoy the voyage!

[captainmarknc]

Take up Capt. Anthony's advice if you have the room!

I live on the ICW just north of Wrighstville Beach. Used to take my boats from New England to Ft Lauderdale and back for winter every year.

Follow the chart with a peanut shell so you always know where you are. As a beginner, have one person navigate and the other at the helm.

Plan on 70 - 100 miles per day starting at dawn. That way you can plan your anchoring or marina stops ahead of time.

Have a plan for sudden storms or anything else you may encounter. Easy to run aground, but sometimes you can raise a sail and power off.

It's not difficult and actually fun, sightseeing wildlife and dolphin will be enjoyable. You will relax after you have put some miles under your keel.

[rupertfb]

Buy a waterway guide AND get Active Captain
I'm a Charleston resident 'Delivery Skipper' and regularly take boats up and down the pipe - drop me a PM if you'd like to discuss this trip on the phone, or meet up. I'm not angling for work.....but as a fellow Charleston sailor I'm delighted to help get more people into sailing!
R