ICW North Carolina

[Rocinante33]

Originally Posted by CarlF

You’ll have no problem. 60’ mast is easy. Your draft is a bit harder but once you get to Beaufort NC you have 4ft tides to work with.

Don’t feel embarrassed about doing the ICW instead of offshore. Unless you want to do overnights, you’ll probably get there quicker on the ICW since you can go everyday instead of waiting for weather windows. Punching into a south wind offshore is no fun.And because shallows extend far offshore in these waters you can spend half your day getting in and out the inlets to anchor. On the ICW the anchorages are going by all the time.

Do you have a tablet with Aquamap loaded? Load Bob423’s tracks and enable the USACE survey display. These show the shallow stretches you have to worry about. You’ll only have a couple of them a day. Schedule your day to not go through one within 2 hours of low tide and you’ll be fine.

In the ICW we plan for 100 miles every three days. Two days of 50 miles and a day off to provision, sight see , or read a book on a rainy day. Trying to go faster becomes a real grind.

We also found it helpful to have one person at the helm using the chartplotter zoomed in close to stay in the channel. The other acts as navigator with the tablet looking a mile or two ahead at what’s coming and dealing with passing boats. Switch roles every few hours.

100% agree with this. Multiple runs in multiple boats with 6’ drafts.

[lubber]

Done this a couple of times - Hampton to Lake Worth Inlet. Georgia between Savannah and Jekyll Island was very scenic - undeveloped, remote feel.

A safety tip. I found it's easy to get too focused on one thing or start gathering wool in the monotonous parts, so I followed an A-B-C-D routine.

A. Aware - what's happening around you? Check fore and aft, port and starboard.
B. Buoys, Bridges, and Boats - Are they where you expect? How are you moving relative to them?
C. Chart plotter - Are you where you expect to be?
D. Depth - Are you clear? Rising, falling?

Then repeat, A-B-C-D.

[merrydolphin]

I home port in NC.
Just dont go the Dismal Swamp route and you’ll be OK. The shallowest spot in the ICW that I have found is passing Jeckel Island. The channel shifts a lot here. Get local knowledge if you can. I ran aground right in the middle of the marked channel. A local told me that it had shifted and was marked wrong. With 6’ this was the only place that I had a problem. Just remember that inland NC, until you get to the outer banks areas, there are no “moon” tides. They are wind driven and can range several feet with a strong steady wind. Again, consult locals. NC is very cruiser friendly, unlike FL and GA. You will find helpful people and even free docks. Elizabeth City and Oriental to name a couple. Enjoy. I have made the trip both inside and out and combos. Coming back, it’s nice to ride the Gulf Stream for a good part of it. Going down I either do ICW or harbor hop/ICW.

[carstenb]

Look at our blog. It is about 6 years since we we up and down the icw. Our blog is quite detailed about the trip. We had no issue even with a 7 foot draft

Read it here. Svcapri.com


You will have to page back through the blogs to fond. It

[smj]

Originally Posted by Peeew

I guess I’m at outlier here. Ive done bits of the ICW in NC on other people’s boats. And on my boat I find it a lot easier and usually a lot faster to just go offshore. Lots less stress. Deep water etc. It means overnight sailing so at least two people for my trips. Even with less sleep I’m a lot more rested than I found the ICW. If you want to duck in often there are lots of options once S of cape Hatteras. And since Hatteras is close to the Chesapeake it’s usually a pretty accurate forecast for that part. I’m fairly flexible for weather so I don’t usually wait a long time for perfect weather. Once it’s safe I go.

I’m guessing because of your mast height the ICW is close to Impossible to do anyway?

[searenity38]

We live here in NC on the ICW. You should not have any problems. I travelled it in my HC38 with a 6 ft draft. It's doable.
For your peace of mind I suggest two things:
- get the Aqua maps app. It's free but you can subscribe to an update for $15 that will provide you up to date depths for the entire ICW.
- join ICW Cruising Guide by Bob423 on FB. It is THE site for getting information and advice for travelling the ICW.

[Kd9truck]

I have a lightweight production vessel, it has 7.5 ft draft, I go outside from Hampton to Southport. I motor/sail at between 6-8 knots, it takes 50ish hrs to do the 350ish miles.

[Sailshabby]

Originally Posted by Pippins

We have a 39' Cal sailboat. 6.8 keel and 60' mast.
We are in Norfolk Virginia at mm 0. We started our trip in Boston, MA all on the outside until here.
We would like to continue from here in the ICW at least through N.C.

I have studied the charts etc. It looks like we would be fine to continue through N.C. this way but spoke to someone today who said he has a motor boat that he's taken on the ICW many times with a 4 foot draft and would not suggest we do this. Please help. I have constrictions from so many people. Yes, No, Yes, No.

Can someone please help. I really don't want to be on the outside of N.C. but I also don't want to cause any problems. Thank you, Pippins

60’ mast or 60’ airdraft?

[Amapola]

I ditto AquaMap and Bob423.

[rxcsailnet]

I have done the ICW about 6 times (North and south), and it can be nice and pleasant, with very little excitement. The scenery in both the Alligator River and Dismal Swamp areas is fabulous, but the water depth in the Dismal Swamp can be quite a challenge. I also lost a wind fly in the Dismal Swamp because trees grow together overhead. My mast clearance is 58 ft, and draft is 5'3".

Go ahead and do it. Take your time and enjoy it. You are, however, going in the wrong direction for this time of the year.....

[Kolchac]

I went same way 3-4 years ago. I will never go again on ICW. If you go, learn name of bridges and VHF channels, if you do not want an operator moves a bridge down on your mast. I have 5.5 draft and was grounded many times. Mostly I was pushed to avoid collision. Also you will have problem with anchoring and do not go over night. 60’ could be ok for bridges, if there is no heavy rain.

[Kettlewell]

I've done the ICW a whole bunch of times (lost count at 25) and I love it! Don't let the naysayers turn you off. You will go aground, but the bottom is usually mud with a few exceptions--notably the "Rockpile" down in South Carolina. The first 200 miles are among the nicest stretches of the ICW, and you can often get some sailing in crossing Pamlico Sound or down the Neuse River. It has a little bit of everything: narrow creeks and canals, open sounds, deserted anchorages where you can't see a light at night, friendly little villages and towns, etc. I particularly like the Dismal Swamp route, but with your draft I would recommend following the main route. Be absolutely certain about your masthead clearance--measure it! Technically, the overhead clearance is supposed to be 65 feet, but I have seen 62 feet or less at several bridges, including the one at Mile 125.9 on the Alligator-Pungo Canal. There is little if any lunar tide there, but there can be significant wind-driven changes in water depths. Probably not something you can add now, but I have found a couple of things very useful in the ICW. We have two depthsounders--one forward and one aft. They can provide information on which way the water depths are trending. For example, if the aft sounder shows more than the forward sounder, slow down! The forward sounder is a fish finder, which provides a good visual clue as to the bottom trend. One little thing I have found that often works when aground along the side of the channel is to pull the bow around to face towards the middle of the channel, then get off going forward. Everyone tries to back out first, and that often pulls the stern down and digs in the back end of the keel. Plus, you don't want to back your rudder into something. Most boats have better power in forward too. We tow our dink most of the time since the water is typically calm, so it is ready to go if we need to take out a kedge anchor to pull the bow around. I don't care what charts you are using or what social media the channel is constantly shifting and changing, and with wind-driven depth changes you can lose or gain a foot or two in many places. As some have pointed out, keep your head up and out of the chartplotter and watch both forward and aft to make sure you aren't wandering out of the center of the channel, which is generally where the deeper water is. There are loads of markers to help keep you in the channel.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Kolchac

If you go, learn name of bridges and VHF channels, if you do not want an operator moves a bridge down on your mast.

60’ could be ok for bridges, if there is no heavy rain.

Bridges and channels are listed in refs like the Waterway Guide. No big deal.

-Chris

[Kettlewell]

Bridges and channels are listed in refs like the Waterway Guide. No big deal.

All bridges and locks are on VHF channel 13 in Virginia and North Carolina. In South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida they monitor channel 09. It's a good idea to keep your radio on dual watch on 16 and 13 as you proceed so you can pick up chatter from the next opening bridge. There may be delays or other pertinent information. Opening bridges tend to be on schedules and you need to know them so you don't arrive at the wrong time and have to wait around in a narrow channel. They are not all "on demand."