ICW- Your Best Tips

[HenryD]

Mystery,
Vero, Titusville, Stuart have mooring fields. There are more...as you plan your Plan A and then Plan B, with bailout places, you can then try to secure reservations to rule in/out stops.
If you are coming across the bend in Florida, depending on weather, you can make different runs - Mobile to Clearwater, or Apalachicola to Clearwater, with your speed you can run to Tampa or Ft. Myers, etc.
As you move north from Stuart, do you plan to run offshore or up the ICW? Off-shore is faster speed in SC and GA but you also run 3-5miles out and 3-5 miles in, at each stop. Do you plan to run at night?
Another thing to consider - what is your fuel range and 8knts, 12knts, 18knts, 22knts, etc? If you run at 25knts but need to fuel every two days, you will be losing some hours at the fuel dock.
Will you be anchoring each night or running marina to marina?

 

[boater3]

Traffic, no wake zones, bridges and locks all take a toll on your average speed. When I was young and naive I once thought I would take a 25knot capable boat from Morgan City to
Galveston on the ICW in a day and a half. Four days later I rolled in to the marina with my tail between my legs.

I am agreeing this is not a two day trip after further investigation. Hoping to do it in three but going to see if I can get a fourth day just-in-case.

 

[boater3]

Mystery,
Vero, Titusville, Stuart have mooring fields. There are more...as you plan your Plan A and then Plan B, with bailout places, you can then try to secure reservations to rule in/out stops.
If you are coming across the bend in Florida, depending on weather, you can make different runs - Mobile to Clearwater, or Apalachicola to Clearwater, with your speed you can run to Tampa or Ft. Myers, etc.
As you move north from Stuart, do you plan to run offshore or up the ICW? Off-shore is faster speed in SC and GA but you also run 3-5miles out and 3-5 miles in, at each stop. Do you plan to run at night?
Another thing to consider - what is your fuel range and 8knts, 12knts, 18knts, 22knts, etc? If you run at 25knts but need to fuel every two days, you will be losing some hours at the fuel dock.
Will you be anchoring each night or running marina to marina?

I am going to focus on the TX to NOLA leg for now and try to do that separate. Should know this week if I can do it the following week. That will give me a month to plan the NOLA to FL leg in a bit more detail.

I am fine running a few miles out if weather permits. We will not be in a big rush in April when doing the FL to North East leg.

I can get pretty good mileage at lower speeds. I burn 25gph at 23mph and it goes up from there.

 

[McGillicuddy]

I am agreeing this is not a two day trip after further investigation. Hoping to do it in three but going to see if I can get a fourth day just-in-case.

I may be in Houston later this month. If you would like some experience along for the trip to Nola give me a call. I don’t charge for delivery work, usually only do it for friends. Sounds like you could use a hand.

 

[boater3]

thank you all for your input

i am now having trouble finding a marina in NOLA to leave my boat at for a month

they are all at capacity or want a year-long lease

this may throw a wrench in my plan

ugh

 

[CaptRonn]

thank you all for your input

i am now having trouble finding a marina in NOLA to leave my boat at for a month

they are all at capacity or want a year-long lease

this may throw a wrench in my plan

ugh

You should check out marinas on the North Shore of the lake.

 

[McGillicuddy]

Or nearby Long Beach MS. Cheap fuel there too.

 

[ForEvrYng]

Try Pass Christian MS Harbor.

 

[McGillicuddy]

Pass Christian has weird breakwater construction. Piling/space/piling/space..........repeat.

 

[boater3]

I didn't realize how close the north shore was. I liked the idea of NOLA city-center area because the airport, home depot, and west marine all seem within reasonable distance.

Since this is going to be at least a three day trip, I am trying to find new overnight spots along the way. Anyone have any recommendations around Calcasieu Lake and Grand Lake for a night one stop?

 

[boater3]

Did the the trip in three days. First day made it to Lake Charles, docked behind a casino. Second day made it to Morgan City, docked at the town docks. Third day made it to NOLA. Lots of locks and bridges.

Had to get back to work so woke up before sunset each day and left as soon as engines were warmed up (historical cold in Texas and Louisiana of course!) in order to make it as far as possible before sunset

In addition to historical low temps, there was historical low water, winds pushed the water from the river systems into the Gulf, and my transducer quit so it was quite the pucker factor in some areas

Passed 100-150 barges/tugs, having an AIS transceiver was very helpful

Ran 20 knots most of the time. Boat handled great. A couple kinks have to work out on boat’s systems but nothing that prevented the boat from running.

Will do the NOLA to FL leg in a few weeks

Thank you all for your insight!

 

[rclarke246]

Great job!

Some trip data would be helpful if you get a moment. You know, like hours/day, miles traveled, fuel consumption, etc...

 

[boater3]

Great job!

Some trip data would be helpful if you get a moment. You know, like hours/day, miles traveled, fuel consumption, etc...

Can I somehow pull from the Raymarine?

8 hours first day, maybe 120-140 miles
9 hours second day (including fuel stop, which wasn't absolutely necessary but wanted decent reserves, not too mention fuel was cheap in morgan city, and 1-2 hour wait for a lock), maybe 160 miles
9 hours third day (including 2-3 hours waiting on locks/bridges and several slow/no wake zones), remainder miles maybe 80-100 miles

could've made it on one tank (so less than 370 gallons) but would have had very little reserves, so that puts me around 1mpg

 

[rclarke246]

If you laid down a track you can get the actual miles traveled.

Also, on the AICW, there are chart circle marks every 5 statute miles, but I'm not sure that these are applicable to your route.

What % of the trip was in open gulf waters?

Thanks.

 

[boater3]

If you laid down a track you can get the actual miles traveled.

Also, on the AICW, there are chart circle marks every 5 statute miles, but I'm not sure that these are applicable to your route.

What % of the trip was in open gulf waters?

Thanks.

None of this trip was in the Gulf. All intracoastal. It was bad weather and too windy to attempt a gulf short-cut. We got tossed around entering the intracoastal near where the gulf met Galveston Bay. Next leg will involve the gulf.

Looking to do day 1 NOLA to Pensacola, Day 2 Pensacola to Carrabelle, Day 3 crossing to Tarpon if weather is good.

Open to insights for NOLA to Jacksonville. Biggest worry is what Hurricane Irma moved around that we cannot see on maps.

 

[rclarke246]

Irma changes: I’d check Waterway Guide and Active Captain, along with verbal requests for local knowledge. A new thread on TF will get you some good insights, I’m sure!

Wow, great speeds for inside passage. I guess you didn’t slow down for anything!

 

[boater3]

Irma changes: I’d check Waterway Guide and Active Captain, along with verbal requests for local knowledge. A new thread on TF will get you some good insights, I’m sure!

Wow, great speeds for inside passage. I guess you didn’t slow down for anything!

I know Navionics is going through an Irma re-mapping effort over the next month. I am hoping to get some valuable updates from that.

I dont think the 2018 waterway guide had the updates, I dont think anyone really knows the impact yet. I heard ramblings that the NOAA may be funding some mapping efforts but never validated. I will start a new thread but was planning on radioing locals (tow boats, tugs, local LEO, CG, probably in that order) if we were passing inlets into/out of the ICW.

We did slow down quite a bit. I'd estimate for half of the 100-150 tugs we passed - any tug or tug with a load that was grounded, tugs with empty barges, residential zones, some commercial zones, and when someone called us and asked us to slow down. We called all tugs that we wanted to pass, some requested a slow bell. It was a hand workout at the throttle. I did not call tugs that we were coming head-on with unless they were not moving over (there were two that did not move over and was not cool). The ST44 throws a smaller wake at 20 knots, especially if you move over and give room, and if you slow down the wake gets bad until you are practically idle.