Howdy,
My dad just bought a CD25 in Stuart FL and will take delivery this June after some blister repairs to the hull. My sons (2) and I will help him bring the boat back up to St. Augustine FL (Conch House Marina) the first part of July. I ask advice from the sailing sages here as to special things to checkout before that first voyage, any help in estimating how long this passage will take (I estimate about 187 miles and the boat has an 8hp OB), advice on how long we can expect to travel on the ICW in a day, and any other advice. We have never done an overnight before and I am really excited but somewhat anxious. I have been advised to make mosquito netting for the hatches as "mosquito lagoon' is aptly named (near Meritt Island). I have a spare 5hp OB I may bring just in case as well. Apparently the survey says the boat is in good condition and should be quite seaworthy for this passage. Any advice would be greatly appreciated,. Thanks. Taylor Scott (Jr) in Lansing, Michigan. (scottro5@msu.edu)
scottro5@msu.edu
Advice on ICW in East Fla
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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John
Re: Advice on ICW in East Fla
Taylor,
Do you plan to drop a hook or stay at marinas on the way back? If you're going to anchor, check out the link below (ICW Anchorages).
John
Do you plan to drop a hook or stay at marinas on the way back? If you're going to anchor, check out the link below (ICW Anchorages).
John
Taylor Scott wrote: Howdy,
My dad just bought a CD25 in Stuart FL and will take delivery this June after some blister repairs to the hull. My sons (2) and I will help him bring the boat back up to St. Augustine FL (Conch House Marina) the first part of July. I ask advice from the sailing sages here as to special things to checkout before that first voyage, any help in estimating how long this passage will take (I estimate about 187 miles and the boat has an 8hp OB), advice on how long we can expect to travel on the ICW in a day, and any other advice. We have never done an overnight before and I am really excited but somewhat anxious. I have been advised to make mosquito netting for the hatches as "mosquito lagoon' is aptly named (near Meritt Island). I have a spare 5hp OB I may bring just in case as well. Apparently the survey says the boat is in good condition and should be quite seaworthy for this passage. Any advice would be greatly appreciated,. Thanks. Taylor Scott (Jr) in Lansing, Michigan. (scottro5@msu.edu)
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Armond Perretta
Re: Advice on ICW in East Fla
I am a little puzzled about your plans. In general when transiting this part of the ICW there is little need to do an overnight. In a CD 25 you could probably do well enough if you plan to make 40 or so miles per day. Stretching it to 50 with an outboard will make for very long days. Just get some sort of ICW guide book and do your anchorage planning with this mileage figure in mind. Moeller's book is quite good for this since it uses the ICW mileages for reference.Taylor Scott wrote: Howdy,
My dad just bought a CD25 in Stuart FL and will take delivery this June after some blister repairs to the hull. My sons (2) and I will help him bring the boat back up to St. Augustine FL (Conch House Marina) the first part of July. I ask advice from the sailing sages here as to special things to checkout before that first voyage, any help in estimating how long this passage will take (I estimate about 187 miles and the boat has an 8hp OB), advice on how long we can expect to travel on the ICW in a day, and any other advice. We have never done an overnight before and I am really excited but somewhat anxious. I have been advised to make mosquito netting for the hatches as "mosquito lagoon' is aptly named (near Meritt Island). I have a spare 5hp OB I may bring just in case as well. Apparently the survey says the boat is in good condition and should be quite seaworthy for this passage. Any advice would be greatly appreciated,. Thanks. Taylor Scott (Jr) in Lansing, Michigan. (scottro5@msu.edu)
Of course if you plan to go coastal, then an overnight becomes both possible and practical. I suggest you avoid the Saint Lucy Inlet and take departure at Fort Pierce. Then just scoot up the coast to Saint Augustine, where once again some caution will be required in the inlet.
During July you will have to keep a weather eye out for tropical systems in this region. In addition it gets really hot at this time of year, and being stuck in some muggy anchorage each night can get stale. Otherwise no problems.
If you have specific questions, send e-mail.
kerrydeare@REMOVEbigfoot.com
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Ed Carlson
Re: Advice on ICW in East Fla
Interesting coincidence since I found my CD30, Skywind, at Stuart also. Lots of good options for anchoring or marinas going north. We live in Satellite Beach which is proably at your half way point. We cruise this area alot. My recommendations:
Ft Pierce: City marina, or due east is Faber Cove, very good & protected achorage. Be careful going in as some private markers are missing.
Vero Beach; Municipal marina - pick up a mooring ball for $8 per night. Air conditioned heads, great Cpt's lounge, easy walk to beach & shops.
Marker 21 Island: North of Grant Farm Isl. It's a spoil island due east of marker 21. Go around north side in 6 - 8 ft. Superbly protected mini-harbor on it's west side. If northerly wind go around west side of sand bar in 7' and tuck in close on south side.
Dragon point: S. tip of Merritt island on NE side of Eau Gallee causeway. 2 marinas & 1 yacht club within dinghy ride.
Pineda Causeway: NE & SE side of the next causeway north. Excellent holding on either bank.
Cocoa Village: SW side of Rt 520 causeway. Tuck in between big condo docks and public launch ramp/park. Easy dinghy ride to quaint village with lots of art stores, curio shops, and restaurants. Good holding even against contrary winds (SE).
Titusville: City marina. Anchor out with dinghy privileges ($5?)Or lots of slips.
After that I can't help too much, other than to say that Mosquito Lagoon offers very few anchorages and no marinas until you get N to Ponce Inlet. In Daytona the City marina is big and well appointed. Hope that helps. Pls e-mail me if I can assist further. Good Luck, Ed
Skywindmcm@aol.com
Ft Pierce: City marina, or due east is Faber Cove, very good & protected achorage. Be careful going in as some private markers are missing.
Vero Beach; Municipal marina - pick up a mooring ball for $8 per night. Air conditioned heads, great Cpt's lounge, easy walk to beach & shops.
Marker 21 Island: North of Grant Farm Isl. It's a spoil island due east of marker 21. Go around north side in 6 - 8 ft. Superbly protected mini-harbor on it's west side. If northerly wind go around west side of sand bar in 7' and tuck in close on south side.
Dragon point: S. tip of Merritt island on NE side of Eau Gallee causeway. 2 marinas & 1 yacht club within dinghy ride.
Pineda Causeway: NE & SE side of the next causeway north. Excellent holding on either bank.
Cocoa Village: SW side of Rt 520 causeway. Tuck in between big condo docks and public launch ramp/park. Easy dinghy ride to quaint village with lots of art stores, curio shops, and restaurants. Good holding even against contrary winds (SE).
Titusville: City marina. Anchor out with dinghy privileges ($5?)Or lots of slips.
After that I can't help too much, other than to say that Mosquito Lagoon offers very few anchorages and no marinas until you get N to Ponce Inlet. In Daytona the City marina is big and well appointed. Hope that helps. Pls e-mail me if I can assist further. Good Luck, Ed
Skywindmcm@aol.com
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Taylor Scott
Re: Advice on ICW in East Fla
Thanks to Ed and Armond and Andrew about the advice.
At this time I think we are planning as quick a journey as we can. My dad is a little leery of going on the outside and we want to either drop the hook or belly up to a slip each night. I think we will try to push for maximum distance each day depending on the weather. Saying that... we all love a good seafood meal at a good price and enjoy a lazy sunset and watching birds too. I wish to be somewhat speedy yet don't want to teach my kids that ICW sailing is all about getting there as fast as possible, stopping to smell the roses is important. All of your advice is really helpful in me determining options, Thanks.
scottro5@msu.edu
At this time I think we are planning as quick a journey as we can. My dad is a little leery of going on the outside and we want to either drop the hook or belly up to a slip each night. I think we will try to push for maximum distance each day depending on the weather. Saying that... we all love a good seafood meal at a good price and enjoy a lazy sunset and watching birds too. I wish to be somewhat speedy yet don't want to teach my kids that ICW sailing is all about getting there as fast as possible, stopping to smell the roses is important. All of your advice is really helpful in me determining options, Thanks.
scottro5@msu.edu
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Dale W
Re: Advice on ICW in East Fla
Taylor,
We just brought our boat up from south Florida to NC last August. Here's a quick summary of stuff.
This should be a fun trip. Particularly with 3 generations.
- We agreed that inside was the way to go with an unfamiliar boat (at least until up in GA).
- We did stock up on a variety of guides, and charts (half.com and e-bay were worth it.) A Waterway Guide year or two old is fine and has the list of bridges - you'll hit about 30 of them.
- Of course the nice thing is that with a boat your size (big enough to be safe and small enough to push off a grounding if needed) is that you can basically point north and enjoy.
- You will be rocked by the go-fast and sports fisher guys . . . tie everything down inside each time you take off. I'm glad my kids are old enough have a fairly wide ranging vocabulary . . .
- We found that we always motored and raised a headsail whenever it was favorable. Our boat did not have a bimini and we used a 'hi-tech BBT' (i.e. a basic blue tarp). This was a lifesaver. By stretching it over the boom and manuevering the tiedowns, we kept shaded all day.
- Ice chest with lots of water and some gatorade type drinks. You can go through some water!
- Extension cords and fans for dockside survival.
- Anchored out was never a problem. I set the second anchor whenever we were in an exposed area just in case. (like above Titusville, we wanted exposed for the breeze, but also wanted "safe" in case of too much breeze)
- We used a Kenyon butane stove and got about 4 or 5 days of cooking from a cannister. (stoves are cheaper on e-bay than at West).
- We towed a hard dinghy. No problems. Only really used it at Daytona so far a the segment you are doing.
Points noted in our journal
- left Riviera Beach mile marker 1018
- anchored out 969 'The lighted bridge of Ft Pierce is 1 hour N'
- into Melbourne Harbor MM 918 good, friendly people welcoming liveaboard people took us to church, grocery, West Marine . . .
- left 1:30 pm and got to MM 883.8 anchorage just N of JFK Space Center Twin Highway bridges. Cooling breezes, no bugs, flashing silvery schools of fish around the boat.
- anchored out at MM 829.4 Daytona Beach across from Englishman Jim's. Used their shower and walked a few blocks to Park's Seafood for 'the best seafood yet' (next best was Golden Isles GA).
- Thunder and rain all morning clearing after noon. Underway at 12:45 pm and make it to 802.8 Palm Coast Marina for a great early bird special dinner at the Sheraton.
- 25 miles to St Augustine contrary current in the land cut, but we make it in time for lunch.
- Print up a tide table or two. There is considerable boost at times near inlets. Ideally you pass inlets at slack tide. But in reality, you get going each morning and see what comes.
In spite of the warnings we saw only two manatees at a distance (kids should have bird books and maybe fish books to ID what they see.
Sounds like you'll have a great time, maybe let us know how it went.
Later,
Dale
majortest@earthlink.net
We just brought our boat up from south Florida to NC last August. Here's a quick summary of stuff.
This should be a fun trip. Particularly with 3 generations.
- We agreed that inside was the way to go with an unfamiliar boat (at least until up in GA).
- We did stock up on a variety of guides, and charts (half.com and e-bay were worth it.) A Waterway Guide year or two old is fine and has the list of bridges - you'll hit about 30 of them.
- Of course the nice thing is that with a boat your size (big enough to be safe and small enough to push off a grounding if needed) is that you can basically point north and enjoy.
- You will be rocked by the go-fast and sports fisher guys . . . tie everything down inside each time you take off. I'm glad my kids are old enough have a fairly wide ranging vocabulary . . .
- We found that we always motored and raised a headsail whenever it was favorable. Our boat did not have a bimini and we used a 'hi-tech BBT' (i.e. a basic blue tarp). This was a lifesaver. By stretching it over the boom and manuevering the tiedowns, we kept shaded all day.
- Ice chest with lots of water and some gatorade type drinks. You can go through some water!
- Extension cords and fans for dockside survival.
- Anchored out was never a problem. I set the second anchor whenever we were in an exposed area just in case. (like above Titusville, we wanted exposed for the breeze, but also wanted "safe" in case of too much breeze)
- We used a Kenyon butane stove and got about 4 or 5 days of cooking from a cannister. (stoves are cheaper on e-bay than at West).
- We towed a hard dinghy. No problems. Only really used it at Daytona so far a the segment you are doing.
Points noted in our journal
- left Riviera Beach mile marker 1018
- anchored out 969 'The lighted bridge of Ft Pierce is 1 hour N'
- into Melbourne Harbor MM 918 good, friendly people welcoming liveaboard people took us to church, grocery, West Marine . . .
- left 1:30 pm and got to MM 883.8 anchorage just N of JFK Space Center Twin Highway bridges. Cooling breezes, no bugs, flashing silvery schools of fish around the boat.
- anchored out at MM 829.4 Daytona Beach across from Englishman Jim's. Used their shower and walked a few blocks to Park's Seafood for 'the best seafood yet' (next best was Golden Isles GA).
- Thunder and rain all morning clearing after noon. Underway at 12:45 pm and make it to 802.8 Palm Coast Marina for a great early bird special dinner at the Sheraton.
- 25 miles to St Augustine contrary current in the land cut, but we make it in time for lunch.
- Print up a tide table or two. There is considerable boost at times near inlets. Ideally you pass inlets at slack tide. But in reality, you get going each morning and see what comes.
In spite of the warnings we saw only two manatees at a distance (kids should have bird books and maybe fish books to ID what they see.
Sounds like you'll have a great time, maybe let us know how it went.
Later,
Dale
majortest@earthlink.net
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Bob B
Re: Advice on ICW in East Fla
Taylor,
It sounds like a great trip. It should be no problem to make the trip in four days, maybe less if you go dawn to dusk but won't be as much fun. Forty to fifty miles should be as much as you want to do. You will be fighting the tide sometimes and running with it others. Don't run at night. It is really dangerous and it is hard to see you at night. The best sources that I know of are Clayborn Young's cruising guides and a chart book that is spiral bound of the ICW. This will take you up or down as needed. We usually just use one of those big paper clamps and clamp it to the companionway hatch cover. We do have a dodger to cover it which you may not have. Young's book has anchorages and marinas listed with telephone numbers and facilities. I would plan on alternating anchoring and sleeping dockside for your first trip. Sometimes, you don't get the sleep you need while anchoring until you trust your technique and your selection of anchors. Make sure that you have a good anchor light. The ones that hand from the jib halyard may be the best in that they iluminate the deck some and give others more to see. Remember not to anchor anywhere that will set you hanging into the channel. I was running an ICW tug and if it weren't for good radar, would have run down a dark hulled ketch anchored in the waterway.
Have great trip.
Bob B.
CD 25D Tiva
Charleston, SC
BundyR@aol.com
It sounds like a great trip. It should be no problem to make the trip in four days, maybe less if you go dawn to dusk but won't be as much fun. Forty to fifty miles should be as much as you want to do. You will be fighting the tide sometimes and running with it others. Don't run at night. It is really dangerous and it is hard to see you at night. The best sources that I know of are Clayborn Young's cruising guides and a chart book that is spiral bound of the ICW. This will take you up or down as needed. We usually just use one of those big paper clamps and clamp it to the companionway hatch cover. We do have a dodger to cover it which you may not have. Young's book has anchorages and marinas listed with telephone numbers and facilities. I would plan on alternating anchoring and sleeping dockside for your first trip. Sometimes, you don't get the sleep you need while anchoring until you trust your technique and your selection of anchors. Make sure that you have a good anchor light. The ones that hand from the jib halyard may be the best in that they iluminate the deck some and give others more to see. Remember not to anchor anywhere that will set you hanging into the channel. I was running an ICW tug and if it weren't for good radar, would have run down a dark hulled ketch anchored in the waterway.
Have great trip.
Bob B.
CD 25D Tiva
Charleston, SC
BundyR@aol.com
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Randy Bates
Re: Advice on ICW in East Fla
Sounds like a fun first trip. First thing get a good anchor, a bruce or CQR. A danforth is for "lunch" stopping only. They'll pull out at the first wind shift. Second, be very aware of the tugs. Monitor channel 16 100% of the time, especially when approaching bends. Also beware that tugs WANT and DEMAND the windward side of the channel. The reason is simple actually. If they lose control for whatever reason, they can, and I've witnessed it, stuff their barges in the windward bank to hold station. YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE IN THEIR WAY!
Good luck and have fun!
randy.bates@baesystems.com
Good luck and have fun!
Taylor Scott wrote: Howdy,
My dad just bought a CD25 in Stuart FL and will take delivery this June after some blister repairs to the hull. My sons (2) and I will help him bring the boat back up to St. Augustine FL (Conch House Marina) the first part of July. I ask advice from the sailing sages here as to special things to checkout before that first voyage, any help in estimating how long this passage will take (I estimate about 187 miles and the boat has an 8hp OB), advice on how long we can expect to travel on the ICW in a day, and any other advice. We have never done an overnight before and I am really excited but somewhat anxious. I have been advised to make mosquito netting for the hatches as "mosquito lagoon' is aptly named (near Meritt Island). I have a spare 5hp OB I may bring just in case as well. Apparently the survey says the boat is in good condition and should be quite seaworthy for this passage. Any advice would be greatly appreciated,. Thanks. Taylor Scott (Jr) in Lansing, Michigan. (scottro5@msu.edu)
randy.bates@baesystems.com