Question - ICW South Jersey

[MarcMcCarron]

I'm thinking about taking my CD30 from the Chesapeake to
Ocean City NJ ...... Is the ICW easy to navigate from
Cape May to Atlantic City?

[Russell]

I'm thinking about taking my CD30 from the Chesapeake to
Ocean City NJ ...... Is the ICW easy to navigate from
Cape May to Atlantic City?

From Cape May to AC you will want to go outside, north of the chesapeake the ICW is not viable for boats with any draft. Its not a bad sail, wait for weather in Cape May, then do your sail to AC. Dont worry about it, your Cape Dory was built for the ocean, not the ICW!

[tartansailor]

The attached link is my favorite for planning a trip up the Atlantic to central NJ.
Click on the forecast.
Dick

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44009

[Hud Smith]

We just brought our 30K down the New Jersey coast. We made it from Barnegat to Cape May in 1 day. It's about 35nm from the Cape May inlet to the Absecon inlet. This might allow you to leave Cape May inlet at slack high/low tide and enter Absecon at slack low/high tide. We entered Cape May at max flow of the flood tide and it was a little more exciting than I would have liked. The boats love the coastal ride, and the porpoises were great.
Hud

[Hud Smith]

What I meant to say was go outside, the ride was great.

[warb]

I just brought my Islander 28 up from the Chesapeake.

Day 1 - Chesapeake City - City Docks free over night

Check the tides at Reedy Point, you need to go down the Deleware
on an ebb tide.

Day 2 - Choancy River (bring bug nets)

Day 3 - Cape May Canal (Stay to the center)

Day 4 - To Ocean City (Outside) about 8 hours, winds are normally from the south west... Enter the GE with caution.

1. Find the GE bouy.
2. Head north sighing a green close by...
3. Find the first red, but stay well to port
4 Shoals are to starboard at that red , then to port , don't wander
to port of the greens.
5. Just to be safe round the mid channel marker leaving it to port.

You are in. Head to OC under the bridge.

[warb]

I'm thinking about taking my CD30 from the Chesapeake to
Ocean City NJ ...... Is the ICW easy to navigate from
Cape May to Atlantic City?

From Cape May to AC you will want to go outside, north of the chesapeake the ICW is not viable for boats with any draft. Its not a bad sail, wait for weather in Cape May, then do your sail to AC. Dont worry about it, your Cape Dory was built for the ocean, not the ICW!

I agree. It is an easy day sail, that I have done a number of times. During the summer the prevailing winds are from the south, so down east all the way.

[kerrydeare]

... Is the ICW easy to navigate from Cape May to Atlantic City?

Yes, if your "air draft" doesn't exceed 30 or so feet. There are fixed bridges along the route that limit the transit to smaller power yachts. In addition even most shoal draft power cruisers will hit the mud somewhere. That's just what happens.

The transit from an anchorage in Cape May Harbor (near the USCG base) to another anchorage off the USCG Station Absecon (i.e., Atlantic City) is 38 NM. This is usually an easy ride, and also most often done under power (there definitely are exceptions). If you choose to do this inside you will just have to turn around eventually, and there are no easy or friendly inlets between Cape May and Absecon.

This is my "native" area so if you want more detail, send a PM.

[psjanker]

I have not done it going north but brought my CD 30B down from NYC to the bay a few years ago. We stayed outside the whole way given thin waters and hurricane induced changes to channels. Cape May to Atlantic City section was straight forward but the Delaware Bay was pretty sparce in terms of bail out points and accommodations.

Left NYC at 10 Sat and pulled into the Northern Bay by 10 pm Sunday...sailed thrubthe night.

Pete