Introduction

Damon & Janet Gannon's Pacific Seacraft 37, Fulmar, anchored off Jekyll Island, GA.

Surviving Thriving on the ICW

Introduction

Every year, thousands of cruising boats migrate seasonally along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW). For cruisers on the East Coast, making a run down "The Ditch" is a rite of passage. And each year, there are a growing number of boats navigating America’s Great Loop, which incorporates the Gulf and Atlantic segments of the ICW. For some, the ICW is both the route and the destination. For others, the ICW is just a way to get around Cape Hatteras as they travel to or from the Bahamas. Staying on inland waters is generally considered safer than venturing out on the open ocean, but there are a lot more obstacles to bump into on inland waters, and there is a rather distinct set of skills that inland cruisers need to possess.

The ICW is infamous for its narrow, shifting channels, shallow water, swift currents, low bridges, and heavy vessel traffic. But it also offers miles and miles of unfettered nature: tranquil waters, expansive marshes, ancient forests, undisturbed barrier islands, and abundant wildlife. Additionally, The ICW provides cruisers access to some of the most picturesque and welcoming towns on the East Coast. Love it or hate it, having certain knowledge and skills can make a transit of the ICW less stressful and far more enjoyable.

This work is an attempt to provide a cheap and easily accessible guide to the skillset needed to navigate the ICW. It is not meant to be a cruising guide to the ICW, nor is it a general boating how-to instruction manual. There are great guides on these topics that are already available. Rather, it’s a nuts-and-bolts description of some of the maritime skills that can make it much easier to navigate the ICW, and is intended to help both novice boaters and seasoned mariners who have not yet experienced the ICW. Most of the examples come from the Atlantic segment of the ICW (AICW), stretching between Norfolk, VA and Miami, FL, with a few references to the Gulf Coast of Florida, as well (GICW). Of course, many of the topics will be relevant to navigating any inland body of water. Where we mention specific locations on the ICW, we also provide the mile marker. The mile markers on the ICW are in statute miles, not nautical miles. Mile 0 on the AICW is in Norfolk, Virginia, and the waterway heads south from there.

You can read this book from beginning to end, or just pick out the bits and pieces that are relevant to you. Chapter 1 introduces the tips and tricks that are described in more detail in the subsequent chapters. Thus, you can use Chapter 1 as a guide to the specific information that you need from the other chapters.

Throughout the book, we provide suggestions and recommendations. Some readers may disagree with some of our viewpoints. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. But before dismissing our guidance, keep in mind that we’ve been doing this for a long time. We hold strong opinions about certain things because we've seen what happens when boaters underestimate the hazards.

DO NOT USE THE CHARTS IN THIS BOOK FOR NAVIGATION. In many of the figures, we drew the APPROXIMATE route of the ICW by hand, from memory. We did this to illustrate the points that we are trying to make. These roughly-drawn figures are not meant to be used for navigation. See Chapter 8 for information on what you should use for navigation.

This work is a living document that we hope to keep updating and improving over time. Feedback from readers will be instrumental to this process. Please tell us if any of the descriptions are unclear, if there are important topics that are missing, or if there are ones that don’t seem relevant. If you have comments, complaints, or suggestions, submit a feedback form or email your comments to us. The most helpful comments will likely come from cruisers who read this guide prior to their first cruise on the ICW and then revisit it near the end of an ICW cruise, while the experience is still fresh in their minds. Our sincere thanks to Renee Schramm, Ann Beardsley, and Ted Arisaka for providing extensive editorial suggestions on earlier drafts.  We can't thank you enough for your expert advice.

Don't just survive your passage on the ICW, Thrive! It's an incredible experience, which should be much more positive if you follow the guidance given here.

If you are new to boating or to ICW cruising and are interested in training opportunities, contact us at adventurebluesailing@gmail.com. Finally, if you find that this guide is particularly helpful and would like to support its continued improvement, consider buying us a hose clamp. You can never have too many spare hose clamps on a cruising boat.

Sunset at the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, FL.

One of the vessels with whom you'll be sharing the waterway.  Length: 241 feet, beam: 56 feet, draft: 8 feet.  And you were worried about the ICW not having enough water for your boat?  Fear not.

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Contents

• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Tips & Tricks
• Chapter 2: Water Levels
• Chapter 3: Avoiding Obstacles
• Chapter 4: Running Aground
• Chapter 5: Bridges
• Chapter 6: Inlets
• Chapter 7: Docking, Anchoring & Mooring
• Chapter 8: Navigation Electronics
• Chapter 9: Weather Basics
• Chapter 10: Typical Weather
• Chapter 11: Environmental Stewardship
• Chapter 12: The Perfect Boat
• Chapter 13: Maintenance
• Chapter 14: Conclusion
• About the Authors