Heading South thoughts

[cguthrie]

Thanks for all the good advice. I've made it to Duck Island Roads, CT. I've had crew so far and hope we can get through NYC before he has to disembark. Then I'm on my own. I've been able to afford jacklines and a tether but not the ST2000 as I had hoped. The good news is that I've had more luck tying off the rudder, but that only seems to work when I'm close hauled. Have to say that I'm nervous and excited about the East River -- I haven't been able to think beyond that. Thanks for all the good advice. Buzzards Bay and the CC Canal was amazing.I waved mentally at all the good CDers there. I liked Block Island, too, as a change. It was like being in a trailer park.

Duncan, I still have my two Guthrie rollers -- glad to use one every night when anchoring and nice to have it in spare.

[Steve Laume]

Don't worry about the East River just make sure you get the tide right and it will be a blast, Steve.

[hilbert]

NYC is a great ride, 10 kt speed over ground through Hell Gate!
Followed instructions in Dozier's Waterway Guide on how to use Eldridge Tide & Pilot Book to time the passage.

[evan]

I'm based in NYC and have done the East River a bunch of times, like the others said - don't worry about it. If you time it right it will be light through hell gate but ripping behind you at the 59th St bridge. It's good fun.

Couple of other suggestions on the ICW....

Pick up a copy of Skipper Bob's guide to anchorages (in any marine store once you're within shooting distance of ICW) Active Captain is great for research, but skipper bob's guide is just a plain paper no-nonsense guide to anchorages (and marina's) it never steered me wrong and make's planning your next stop a breeze.

I would recommend taking the Dismal Swamp route south from Norfolk rather than the 'main' route. There'll be no problem with depth (been through 3 times on my 33') and it's an interesting trip, with the reward of a free dock at Elizabeth City when you get there. There's a free bus to the supermarket and several retiree's hang out and help you out with chores/rides. I met a really nice WWII Navy vet there who drove me to get a propane refill.

One other tip .... completely ignore your charts/GPS with regard to markers on the ICW, or at most use them as a rough guide. There are several spots where they move the buoys all the time due to ever-changing shoals. The mouth of the Alligator River is a good example of a spot where the charts/chartplotters are completely wrong.... follow the marks, use your eyes.

Oh, one last tip... There are lots of inlets with a strong cross-current as you pass north/south - in SC in particular. These inlets are _crawling_ with local boaters on weekend days. For a more hassle-free passage past these places go on a weekday or very early. Crabbing your way across an inlet filled with 14 year-olds on dinks and center consoles can be 'entertaining'.

Good luck, I'm jealous. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip down the ICW, we went the whole way inside apart from skipping Georgia and going straight from Charleston to Fernandina Beach, FL.

[Andy Denmark]

With due respect to Evan and also Skipper Bob (I used his anchoring guides for years), the newest cruising guide from Mark and Diana Doyle is the best I've ever seen. It's called Anchor Guide for the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and it's 2 books. (1) Norfolk to Beaufort, SC, and (2) Hilton Head to Miami. They are available separately, too.

Just got mine.

I have no interest whatsoever in commercial promotion, simply a personal recommendation, FWIW.

No autopilot?

[Russell]

With due respect to Evan and also Skipper Bob (I used his anchoring guides for years), the newest cruising guide from Mark and Diana Doyle is the best I've ever seen. It's called Anchor Guide for the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and it's 2 books. (1) Norfolk to Beaufort, SC, and (2) Hilton Head to Miami. They are available separately, too.

I like their book Managing the ICW, from about 7 or 8 years ago. I still use it today, though there are some annoying things about it. I tend to have 3 or 4 cruising guides on hand in the cockpit when on the ICW, never having found one specifically that has it all.

[Andy Denmark]

Sorry for the typo -- these new (Aug 2012, 1st Edition) publications are specifically Anchorage Guides. Since I'm typically on the hook 3 out of every 4 nights on the ICW the anchorage info tends to be more pertinent for me.

I also have the Doyle's Cruising Guides and agree with you about them for the most part.

You can look at the Anchorage Guides next time you're down and see what you think. One thing I like is the omission of some pretty sorry anchorages that other guides still include. Dutchmans Creek just south of Southport, NC, and Oysterhouse Creek at Yonges Island, SC, are two of these plus a handful of others. Also, they recommend some places that I would never anchor -- like the outside of turns where a wayward tug and barge could nudge you awake. This simple thought is enough to keep me from sleeping!

FWIW

[Duncan Maio]

Cliff:

Hope the voyage is going well.

I have had several inquiries about the Guthrie Roller, and (since I have yet to install mine) wondered if you could share with a bit of detail how you use it to deploy/raise/store your anchor?

[Andy Denmark]

Just received an email. The Doyle's Anchoring Guides mentioned in my posting above are still on sale for a 33-1/3% discount. I consider this a bargain if you're contemplating an ICW cruise. I didn't mention that there will be email updates to these twice a year.

http://www.onthewaterchartguides.com/gu ... chorguides

Check it out.

[Russell]

Its worth noting, if you plan on being hitting the Annapolis boat show, as many southbound people do (you should do it at least once), great deals can be had on anything and everything.

[Steve Laume]

Just the seminars are worth the price of admission, Steve.