AICW - Florida

[willpower719]

This is my first post on this forum so bear with me, please. I have some experience with the Gulf area ICW but zero with east coast Florida. I want to explore this area closer to Stuart. I have a 22' deck boat used mainly in freshwater lakes. The AICW that far south is pretty smooth, correct? Also, did I read correctly that there are no locks in Fla along the AICW?

I appreciate the guidance in advance!

Joey

[PJHoffnet]

You are correct about the locks. The only locks in Florida are associated with the Lake O route and Port Canaveral. Every year the Army Corp of Engineers puts out guidance on lock usage ... you can find that guidance in the Notices to Navigation page (this year's is 2019-001).
https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/NTN/

There are very few 'trouble' spots on the Florida AICW. All of them are clearly marked by Nav Hazard warnings in the Waterway Guide Explorer.
https://www.waterwayguide.com/explorer

If you're a FaceBook kinda person, there is a great FB group called ICW Cruising Guide by Bob423 (Robert Sherer). Great place to simply sit back and read - while not unique to Florida, there are plenty of great posts about our section of the ICW and the folks are friendly and have a wealth of knowledge.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ICWCruisingGuide/

Bob also keeps a pretty detailed blog of his travels that also has great info - again, not just Florida, but almost the entire AICW.
http://fleetwing.blogspot.com/

If you're 'handy' with your chart plotter/MFD and can load .gpx routes, you'll find Bob's Tracks and Routes to be invaluable. Again, not Florida AICW specific, but plenty of Florida (Fernandina Beach to Key West) covered.
https://bobicw.blogspot.com/

From my personal experience, there are only a few worrisome places (all because of shoaling) ... The Pablo Creek area in Jacksonville, the bend near Fort Mantanzas and the AICW stretch at the St. Lucie Crossroads and Jupiter Inlet.

Have fun on 'my side' of the state. Some day I'll be crossing Lake O and visiting your side.

[willpower719]

PJ,

Thank you for the informative and detailed response. I will look at all your suggestions over for consideration and planning!

Any more Q's arise I will reach out!

Be safe out there!

Joey