Clearwater, FL to South Padre Island, TX: ICW or Straight Across?

[sailthemoon]

Hey all, looking for some sound advice and guidance.

Just purchased a 32' catamaran in Clearwater Beach, FL. We will be bringing her back home to South Padre Island, TX in the next few weeks (end of April- beginning of May '23).

We have never done a voyage of this length or difficulty and are hoping to glean as much knowledge and advice from the community as we plan.

If we take the ICW, we plan to travel without making any day stops (weather permitting), and while we don't have time constraints, we aren't interested in this being a 'casual' trip. We would like to be as efficient as possible. We do have radar and aren't opposed to traveling at night, again, weather permitting.

With that being said, thoughts on taking the ICW or going straight across the gulf? Those who have made this trip, what was your trip time (we have a cruising speed of 7 knots)? Any major concerns besides weather for this trip that we might not have thought of?

Any other information is welcome (even if you think it is common sense :P).

[GreenWave]

I have come across from Key West to Kemah and them Kemah to Bradenton. Both times straight across. With your speed that is likely 6-7 days. ICW will suck and take three times as long. Pick a weather window in next two months.

[sailthemoon]

Thank you for the insight. How much fuel did you allot for? We obviously have the option to sail but would like to have the fuel to motor. We have a 25hp gas outboard motor.

[GreenWave]

not sure my fuel plan will be useful for you. I have a Yanmar diesel that burns 0.8g/hr at cruise speed. You have an outboard which I have no idea regarding fuel burn. Suffice to say you will need a lot of fuel to get from A to B. PLan your stops arond your feul consumption and tank size(s).

[tkeithlu]

If you choose to do the ICW or to break an offshore route into parts, you first step is Clearwater to Carrabelle, since there is no ICW between those two points. That's a one day trip, and if you put a slight dogleg in it, you can even anchor for the night half way between the two. That would also be a good test run for your boat and crew, with all the resources you might need in Carrabelle and easy access back into the Gulf.

Straight across is far enough that you would not be able to dodge going through a possible front - they come too close together this time of year.

[smj]

I’ve always loved the Iroquois, but would plan on maybe a 5kt cruise speed unless your lucky enough to have perfect conditions.

[gallatin1988]

I suggest you research the ICW between New Orleans and Houston. It's unlike any other stretch of the ICW. Lots commercial traffic, very few anchorages, not a lot transient slips, elevation locks, etc

[Garrettw]

These are my home waters and I concur with Gallatin. If you aren’t familiar with the ICW in this part of the gulf coast, this isn’t the section to learn on.

Going offshore is also much faster. Lots of rigs though so be prepared to stand watch diligently. Actually, now that I think about, you might be going mostly west which probably puts you south of most oil and gas. Usually the winds will be in a favorable direction for the offshore course you would be doing.

[Mickeyrouse]

The ICW across Florida is reasonably idyllic, just be aware the Florida section ends at Tarpon Springs, where you then have a jump across to Carabelle or Apalachicola. If your mast exceeds 50 feet you will have to go outside to Pensacola. Another reasonably pleasant run as far as New Orleans, but be advised the only reliable stops west of Lulu’s at Foley ( that’s Jimmy Buffet’s sister) are Biloxi and Gulfport. There are a couple on Mississippi Sound at Dauphin and Pascagoula, but you may be constrained by depth in places that serve mostly outboard boats. Fuel stops west of New Orleans to Texas are scarce. I’ve been going back and forth Texas-New Orleans for almost forty years, and still the only stop is Shell Morgan at Intracoastal City. Overnite docks (no fuel) can be found at Houma and Morgan City and possibly Doug Ollander’s at West St. Mary. Stingaree at Crystal Beach Texas has a dock and restaurant ( no fuel) but alongside depth is often a problem. It’s a dry run fuel-wise all the way to Galveston unless you jump down to the Sabine Pass Port Authority when you go thru Port Arthur.
Off-ICW anchorages are scarce too. There’s Barataria, Wax Lake Outfall Canal, Mermentau River, Taylors Bayou at Port Arthur, Offatt’s Bayou at Galveston, where cruising conditions - fuel, dockage, etc.- improve.
If you do the ICW, especially west of Mobile, be prepared for the heaviest barge traffic on earth. Keep a VHF accessible at the helm- I use a handheld. Identify your vessel by description, course direction, and approximate nearest mile marker. Unless you have AIS transmitting your vessel name, your ship’s name is meaningless thus your call for passing instructions is unlikely to be answered. Expect the occasional condescending response. Remember, those dudes are working- you’re having fun. Try to let them them know what you’re doing. Find out what they’re doing.
I am personally leery of offshore Louisiana. I just read in “ The Gulf” by Jack E. Davis that Louisiana has had over 189,000 offshore oil wells drilled since offshore production began in the 1940’s. A huge number of well sites have simply been abandoned after production played out. That means an equally huge number are unlit, broken off at the surface, and God knows what else.
So if you’re coming, be alerted. The previous caveats help explain why there are so few our-of-state hail ports seen on transoms in Texas.