T&T: Atlantic ICW

[Scott E. Bulger]

Georgs,

We cruised the AICW for the first time this past year.  Many list members
have much more experience than I do, but I'll share my thoughts so you can
evaluate how they apply to your trip.  First, I too wondered how much
distance we could make each day and what a comfortable day was.  In our 7
knot boat we averaged 8 hours a day, with a handful of 12 hour days.  Some
would say this is way too fast, but for Marian and I it worked.  With your
speed you can stop at the same places we did, yet spend a fraction of the
time underway.  We faced draft issues at 4 spots along the way.  Your cat
will not have any issues, so your unencumbered by the tides.  That will mean
you have no reason to make a 12 hour day. The biggest issue you will need to
address is the areas where your exposed to significant fetch, which in bad
weather may cause sea state issues.  For many the voyage from NY to Cape May
must be done outside, but again, you may have the option of going inside.
In that case you have the Delaware Bay, Chesapeake Bay, Albemarle & Pamlico
Sounds, Cape Fear River and a few places where the ICW is exposed to the
ocean swell to be concerned about.  We opted to have our boat 2/3rds of the
way up the Deleware Bay by Oct 1 to insure we didn't get stuck with weather
issues.  This was a good move, but even with this timing we got pinned down
4 times during our trip south.  Some long time cruisers of the AICW said
this year was worse than past, but others said it was typical.  If I didn't
have the agenda of viewing the Fall Colors by RV I would have started our
trip south a bit sooner, and perhaps gone slower.  It seems that most people
try to time their arrival at the FL/GA boarder with Nov 1, the end of the
most insurance policies hurricane exclusion period.  If you don't have such
concerns than you can leave later, just realize your more likely to get
delayed.  Of course with a 20 knot boat you can make some serious distance
in a long day, something we couldn't even consider.  The other concern I've
heard about leaving later is fuel availability, again, not a concern for us
as we only filled a half dozen times from Seattle to Boston and back to FL.
The only other thing I'd throw at you is to ask what speed your comfortable
navigating at.  In some of the trouble spots (Lockwoods Folly, Jekyll
Island...) I slowed to idle speed.  The thought of moving through much of
the AICW at 20 knots is foreign to me, it would increase the stress a bit.
Anyway, I don't know that this helped, just my thoughts.  

I'd also echo the idea of getting the Doziers guides and the ICW flip chart,
and making notes on it each night for the trip the next day.  You don't want
to be reading the text for the first time as your coming up on the various
trouble spots.  

Good Luck, I'm sure you will have a wonderful trip.

Scott E. Bulger, ALANUI, Nordhavn 40II, Seattle WA