The ICW is a navigable, mostly inland route from northern Maine down the entire East Coast to the southern tip of Florida and then back up along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. of the ICW is intended mainly to direct you across open water and into the next inlet. It is not necessarily the route of deepest water and should not be followed blindly.
For sailors, the vital part of the ICW begins at mile zero in Norfolk, VA, and ends at or somewhat south of Beaufort, NC. This 200-mile stretch of the ICW cuts inland around Cape Hatteras—almost always to be avoided—and has two routes.
Northbound sailors will want to move about 50 miles offshore as quickly as possible and pick up the Gulf Stream for a 5- to 8-knot boost toward Beaufort, NC, which is pronounced bo fort and not to be confused with Beaufort, SC, also on the ICW and pronounced bew fort.
Southbound sailors usually seek to duck out and run offshore whenever seas and weather permit, hugging the coast to pick up the Gulf Stream counter-current that grows stronger south of Miami. Wanting a boost from a northerly wind, they await the passage of a cold front, duck out, and stay outside until the next front approaches, being always mindful of the next opportunity to duck back in.
It is ideal, on a southbound passage, to go outside at Beaufort and avoid the boring stretch through North Carolina. Failing that, going outside at Cape Fear River (using the Western Bar Channel shortcut) offers an easy 30-mile run around the shallow waters near Lockwoods Folly to Little River Inlet or Winyah Bay. (Avoid the shoals just east of the Little River entrance.) The 120-mile run from Cape Fear to Charleston is an mindful to stay well off Cape Romain shoal.
The trip from Charleston to Norfolk is an easy overnight trip in good weather, staying well off Cape Romain shoal.
Fear to Charleston is an easy overnight trip in good weather, being mindful to stay well off Cape Romain shoal. Near mile 7, just south of Norfolk, the Dismal Swamp ICW southbound branches into two
DismalNear mile 7, just south of Norfolk, the ICW southbound branches into two Swamp routes. The main route goes to Coinjock, NC, and the other goes through the Dismal Swamp canal to Elizabeth City, NC, 51 miles from Norfolk. A placard at the branch shows the status of the canal, which has a working depth of only 6 feet that can be higher or lower, depending on rainfall. The Dismal Swamp route has two locks, one at Deep Creek (mile 11) and one at South Mills (mile 32). Normal opening times of these locks are 8:30, 11:00, 13:30, and 15:30. This route has few anchorages and is best run in one day.
Myths
of the
ICWTimes change and the common knowledge of yore becomes the urban myth of today. It was once said that the stretch of northern Florida south of Fernandina presented one tedious bridge opening after another. Almost all of those bridges have now been removed and replaced with 65-ft fixed bridges. At the few that remain, a timely call to the bridge tender often evokes a response to “keep ‘er coming” and gets you through without even slowing down. (It is in North Carolina where a few bridges present the most difficulty today. Don’t count on a North Carolina bridge being attended in time for its earliest opening.) Another myth says that the ICW through Georgia is tedious and winding. There are indeed a couple of places where you might see other boats going your way approach you from head on across a narrow spit of land.
This route through Georgia is only 30% longer than an offshore passage, and it is perhaps the prettiest stretch of the waterway.
than an offshore passage, however, and it is perhaps the prettiest stretch of the waterway.the waterway. There are relatively few places where a Ducking sailboat can transit safely between the in or out
DuckingThere are relatively few places where a sailboat can transit safely between the in or ICW and the Atlantic. Beaufort, NC, and Norfolk, VA, are the two most often used by sailors. Except for shipping channels, the others are treacherous, at best, and used mainly by fishermen. Sailboats should not attempt them without up-to-date local knowledge about shoaling conditions and careful attention to the wind and current.
The coastline south of Charleston makes a sweeping turn, a great crescent that turns increasingly eastward until the shore runs SE. Seeking northerly winds, southbound sailors usually put out after a frontal passage, making the east coast of Florida more and more of a lee shore as they move farther south. The wind veers quickly into the east, down here, in the aftermath of a front and the shallow water magnifies the resulting onshore swell. Stay well offshore, therefore, until south of Canaveral.
Wind that opposes the strong tidal current flowing out of an inlet creates dangerous standing waves along with rip currents that sweep sideways across the inlet. If caught outside in worsening weather, it is often best to run the inlets at high tide.
All that said, the table lists every class A Inlets inlet between Beaufort and Miami. Two numbers give the ICW mile mark of the inlet and the distance offshore to a 10-ft depth of water, table are generally usable in all but the worst conditions. Mind the miles-long jetties on either side of the Winyah Bay, Charleston, Savannah, Fernandina, and Mayport (St John’s) inlets; although shown on charts, they can be below water at high tide and some are not marked with lights.
Beaufort, NC (240, 3.5) (Masonboro, NC, is not a class A inlet) Cape Fear (380.6, 5.2) (Little River is not a class A inlet) Winyah Bay at Georgetown, SC (409.5, 11.5) Charleston (464.1, 5.75) (South Edisto River is not a class A inlet) Port Royal (549, 11.5) (Calibogue Sound is not a class A inlet) Savannah River, GA (576, 12.6) (Sapelo, Doboy and St. Simons sounds are not class A inlets.) St Mary's River (712, 4.8) Best of the lot. St John's River (739, 5.8) (St Augustine and Ponce inlets are not class A.) Port Canaveral, Ft Pierce, Lake Worth, Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and Miami are all class A inlets
North of
NorfolkAt Norfolk a northbound cruising sailboat has two choices. The 3-day trip up Chesapeake Bay, through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, and down the Delaware River is scenic and protected with many fine anchorages. The overnight trip outside and up the Atlantic coast of Maryland's Eastern Shore has nowhere to anchor or put in. Weather usually influences the choice. Harbor of Refuge at Cape Henlopin, opposite Cape May at the mouth of the Delaware River. This fine harbor has a narrow hooked entrance close to shore that is best attempted during daylight. There are few, if any, good places to anchor on the Delaware River, where a passage should be timed to the swift tidal current. The closest good anchorages to Cape Henlopin are west of the entrance to the C&D Canal, near Norfolk, and up around New York City. The ICW is not suitable for sailboats north of Cape May and south of New York. Along the New Jersey coast, Atlantic City is the only place where a sailboat can put in without difficulty but it is too near Cape Henlopin to be useful, as you will be several hours off the shallow NJ shore at that point.
Jersey
CoastLeaving Cape Henlopin northbound New again presents two choices. The easy route is overnight up the coast of New Jersey, under the Verrazano Narrows bridge and through New York City on the East River to the Throggs Neck bridge, then up Long Island Sound where there are many good places to anchor. The fast route makes directly for Block Island, a 2-day voyage past Montauk at the tip of Long Island. These routes converge at Block Island Sound, thence heading up Buzzards Bay to the Cape Cod Canal.
ICWUp-to-date charts are essential, on the ICW, and the available ICW strip charts Charts are perhaps the most convenient. The strip charts have many anchorages marked, but not all. Computer charts downloaded free from Notices to Mariners that report recent shoaling. The nice thing about these computer charts is that the notice will be marked at the location to which it applies.
BridgesMost of the ICW fixed bridges have at least 65 feet of clearance, including all north of Florida, but there is a fixed bridge only 55 feet high in Miami. Some bridges open when requested, usually on VHF channel 13 or sometimes on channel 9, and others open only at scheduled times. Use the low power setting when calling a bridge. Lacking radio contact, the horn signal to request a bridge opening is one long followed by one short. A boat moving downstream has right of way over one moving upstream, although you cannot count on every skipper knowing this.
Working
depthExcept through Dismal Swamp, the ICW has a working depth of 12 feet for depth most of the way, often maintained only by constant dredging. That said, the ICW is notoriously shallow and subject to shoaling. Every sailboat can expect to touch bottom on it from time to time. This is part of the ICW experience.
Aids to
navigationThe ICW is well marked with nuns, cans, and day markers, many of which show the mileage. Miles on the ICW are statute miles, not nautical miles as elsewhere. Aids to navigation on the ICW generally—but not always—follow the convention that southbound is returning. That is to say, nuns are usually on the west side of the channel land and cargo containers at sea.”) Day marks often have a square yellow patch that identifies them as ICW markers. Do not pass close to markers as you might elsewhere; instead, stay well off the marks and in the center of the channel. Favor the outside of curves where depth is greater.
Passing
anotherMuch of the ICW is narrow cuts where traffic stays right except to pass, just like on the highway. Before passing boat another boat, signal your intention with two short horn blasts if you will be passing on the left and leaving that boat to starboard (two syllables) or one short blast in the less common case where you will pass on the right and leave the other boat to port (one syllable). If you are the boat being passed, which is always the most likely scenario for sailors, acknowledge the horn signal by repeating it and then slow down to idle until the other boat has gone by to minimize the time that boats spend alongside one another. Only if you slow down can the passing boat also slow to minimize its wake.
Horn signals, either one short blast or two, are always relative to the passing boat that signaled first, never the boat being passed. Five short horn blasts is the signal for disagreement (or danger). Three blasts signal that a boat is going into reverse. Some skippers will try to raise a boat on VHF channel 9 or 16 before passing but often there is little time for radio chatter, the passing maneuver is routine, and the convention of "two toots and no bells" works just fine. Remember that a boat ahead cannot see your "Daisy Mae, this is the sailboat Airborne behind you requesting to pass." If the skipper of Daisy Mae replies, "Roger, two toots," that means "OK to pass leaving me to your starboard." Use the
and the convention of "two toots and no bells" works just fine. Remember that a boat ahead cannot see your transom, so the appropriate radio call might be, "Daisy Mae, this is the sailboat Airborne behind you requesting to pass." If the skipper of Daisy Mae replies, "Roger, two toots," that means "OK to pass leaving me to your starboard." Use the
low power setting when calling in a request to pass.Tugs
and
bargesThe ICW hosts a continual flow of commercial traffic, mostly tugs pushing barges. Tugs use 13 as their working VHF radio channel. Often they cannot maneuver, particularly in narrow spots, and you must alter course to avoid them even if this means going outside the channel markers. When a tug approaches, it is wise to call it and ask for passing instructions. Tug captains know the waters and can advise you how best to proceed. An oncoming tug might, for example, suggest that you leave it to port rather than to starboard as you normally would. Bridges open on demand for commercial vessels and, if nimble, you can follow them through after confirming this with the bridge master.
Carrying
extra
fuelRare is the opportunity to sail when on the ICW. You will motor, most of the way, and motor sail most of the rest. Take every opportunity to top off fuel, particularly at Coinjock and Norfolk. Carry two or three 5-gallon cans of diesel, perhaps lashed to a board clamped between two stanchions, along with a good quality, hand operated transfer pump, fitted with clamped-on hoses, for getting fuel from the cans to the tank. The cheap pumps that are readily available do not work well; a good one might cost $30.
fuel-can pour spouts that are now required by law do not work well, either. Instead of venting fumes to the air, as older spouts did, the new ones invariably spill quite a bit of liquid, which is far worse. A better choice is the plastic fuel cans used at auto racing tracks, available online, that have simple and effective screw caps. Some can accept a separate pour spout cap that does not have the spill-prone valve built in. One such pour spout is the most you would need. A full 5-gallon can weighs more than 40 lbs. This is far too much weight to have lashed to the stanchions in waves of any size. The bottom of a lazarette is no better unless they can be lashed down securely. Lashing them around the base of the mast might be the best option, particularly when going offshore.