ICW in a trailer sailer?

[Grith]

I have read many reports of those doing all or part of the ICW and am beginning research on an ambitious project.
I have a very thoroughly equipped for long range cruising unusual trailable yacht here in Australia.
Made in Poland the Imexus 28 is capable of being transported inside a 40 foot shipping container and I have already researched and costed shipping mine from Australia to New Zealand via this method.
I decided that I could make do with several extended charters to cover the key areas I wish to sail in NZ but the ICW and other cruising options in the US and Canada have me examining the option of a two year relocate of my yacht there and return.
My partner and I whilst retired we have done so a little early and I have sailed for over 50 years whilst my partner relatively new to sailing is rapidly growing in confidence.
We have already completed several extended cruises the last being over two months out in The Whitsundays here in Northern Queensland and the next planned 3/4 months in the very challenging and remote Kimberley’s in North Western Western Australia.
We also loved our extended river cruise on the mighty Murray River here in Australia our equivalent to the Mississippi.
Whilst over in the US the Bahamas might also be an option as whilst similar in concept to the often maligned Macgregor powersailers the Imexus is a significantly more capable and sturdy craft with a wider range of sailing, powering and comfortable living capabilities.
The range of capabilities the Imexus has and my particular further modifications seem to make it an ideal craft for the entire ICW trip.
These include onwater underway mast lowering by one person.
Required draft to move under engine of only 18 inches and able to gently sail in 2 foot 6 inches of water whilst still only requiring 5 foot fully canvassed in strong conditions upwind.
Up to 1300w of solar panels and 920w of these permanently affixed.
Electric cooking by induction, refrigeration and separate freezer by compressor, hotwater by 240v via inverter, auxillary electric propulsion by torqeedo 1103, primary engine 115hp Yamaha, primary propulsion via roller furling large Genoa with both mainsail and asymmetrical spinnaker speed upgrades available.
70 gallons of petrol capacity and 60 gallons of fresh water storage and a 1 to 1.5 gallon per hour RO watermaker using 12v at 480w to produce this.
The yacht normally carries 200ah of AGM batteries and 335ah of lithium batteries in Powerpacks but I will have to check their ability to be transported in the 40 foot container.
We carry a Honda 10eu suitcase generator but haven’t even fired it up on our last over two month cruise so would leave this behind.
We also have both electric heating and airconditioning available though here in Australia we rarely use these.
Our cockpit can be fully covered for both sun and rain and we have 9 openings via porthole or hatch 7 of these being insect screened or protected.
Our internal volume is very large for a 28 foot yacht due to very high freeboard and we have standing headroom at the galley and an enclosed shower/toilet compartment. Our dinette remains usable at all times with both sleeping areas, kitchen and ablutions being totally separate.
Ok all, what problems do you foresee so I can check if I have thought of them and a solution.
Regards Grith

[Kettlewell]

One minor issue might be that standard USA electric is 120V 60Hz, as opposed to I think what you have at 240V 50Hz. That would only be a problem if you intend to plug in when in marinas and such. Frankly, I have no idea what the issues might be with importing a boat in a container and getting a cruising permit for her. As to the ICW, you can easily extend your travels all the way to Canada in the north and the Bahamas in the south without doing overnighters, though you obviously will have to pick and choose the right weather for any offshore jaunts you may wish to do. Sounds like a wonderful boat for the ICW.

[jeanathon]

Nice boat. The first problem I can think of is a visa. You could of course pop over to the Bahamas or head to Canada to restart a 90 tourist visa, but it would be nice to not have to play that game.

[massnspace]

It can be done. Even he Bahamas, as long as you are willing to wait for a weather window in Miami.

But….you can buy a very nice mid-90s, HUNTER (not cheapo MacGregor) 26’ trailerable boat here for about $15,000 USD. Then sell it for $10,000 on you way out.

Or just buy a small 25’ keeled sailboat for several thousand and sell it for free before leaving. I think either of these options will be much much cheaper than shipping your boat both ways….

You won’t need to take the mast down for the ICW route. Unless it’s some off-the-path creek.

PS: The Hunter (or keeled boat) does NOT plane, so only designed for 6 knots. But it is a nice build, unlike the MacGregor.

Good luck

[Kettlewell]

You won’t need to take the mast down for the ICW route. Unless it’s some off-the-path creek.

Official overhead clearance is 65 feet from Norfolk to Miami, though there is a 56-foot bridge in Miami. If you are under 60 feet you won't have any issues with bridges.

[Chotu]

You could do the entire Great Loop!

You’ll need a converter to use the 110/120 60hz power but other than that…. If you can get all the visa stuff to work out should be a great experience

[Orion Jim]

https://breezecustoms.com/blog/impor...t-into-the-us/

If I were considering such a large investment in time and money I would start by contacting a customs brokerage, above is just ONE example, to obtain factual answers to my questions. Those who provide these services professionally will provide accurate and up to date information on taxes, import requirements, and customs duties.

https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Artic...language=en_US

You must also satisfy the requirements of U.S Customs and Border Protection. The link above provides access to factual information.

[Grith]

Thanks all for the various advice. Yes the 90 day visa was one of the primary issues I was considering.
The 110 versus 240v isn’t an issue as we don’t bother plugging in even when rarely going into a marina for that occasional long hot shower, supermarket provisions restock and alcohol replenish.
We make our own 240v via EcoFlow lithium power packs recharged by our solar panels and occasionally topped up by the alternator on our large outboard.
On our last over two months out on The Great Barrier Reef we didn’t have need to fire up our suitcase generator even once. The Imexus has a built in generator box in its stern opening onto its swim platform as being outboard powered there is no heat exchanger available for hot water.
My RO watermaker made portable fits into this along with leaving space for a smaller than originally designed for suitcase generator.
The other big issue is insurance as our current insurer wouldn’t cover us outside Australia and I have struck this issue previously having purchased a motorhome in Europe which I owned for two years there.
I did get insurance over there eventually but it proved very difficult. I would take the chance without but assume like here that marinas won’t let you in without a valid insurance certificate.
As for purchasing and reselling I have two years worth of cruising modifications and systems fitted to my unusual yacht as well as a joy in its unusual capabilities and whilst possibly cheaper when you buy an old yacht secondhand to then resell lots of things often need replacing or break at the worst possible moment and the time and effort involved to buy and offload a yacht versus a car can be very significant.
The breadth of systems my yacht has and modifications I have designed and fitted go far beyond anything likely to be found secondhand in reasonable condition.
Buying and reselling a tow vehicle is generally relatively simple but a yacht/onwater home to live on is an entirely different matter in my view.
Despite at times defending my yachts cheaply built older American cousin the Mac X/M from one eyed detractors I wouldn’t want to use one for my intended travels as they are a big step down in so many ways.
We hardly ever use its big outboard beyond hull speed and actually use the electric torqeedo 1103 just as much as it provides the quiet equivalent of sailing when the wind isn’t there or is on the nose where tacking isn’t feasible due to bank constraints.
It does however have the ability to overcome my yachts huge windage in a gale and tackle breaking rivermouth waves and the like in powerboat style fashion. It can also finish the journey into a safe anchorage in quick order if the light is running out or conditions turn particularly adverse.
Perhaps it might turn out to just be a thought exercise but having already done parts of Europe via motorhome and travelled thousands of miles here in Australia with the yacht in tow behind vehicle it’s an attractive enough proposition to commence ironing out the obstacles.
As can be seen in photos here I am no stranger to pushing the envelope a little.
1. Dried out inside a fringing reef to shelter from strong winds.
2. Anchored in the middle of a reef fringed lagoon in the open ocean who’s only access is via narrow gap in the reef which runs as a virtual waterfall both in and out on rising and falling tides with almost no slack.
3. An earlier tiny cruising equipped trailer sailer about as far from navigable water as can be achieved anywhere on the planet.
I was returning from a remote cruise where we managed 5 weeks living out in the islands on this tiny craft and were towing back home across the width of the entire continent.

[s/v Jedi]

Make an appointment at the US Embassy in Nassau Bahamas for a 10yr US visa. It will be months forward but often you can reschedule sooner when others cancel their appointments. Then fly in to the US on your regular ESTA 3-month, transport boat by trailer to south Florida, do the paperwork for Bahamas entry and cross from West Palm Beach to West End, can be a day sail I think.

Then work your way through the Bahamas towards your appointment in Nassau to obtain your 10 year visa that allows stays up to 6 months plus entry by private yacht (ESTA is only for flights etc.)

Now you can cross back and do the US entry by boat, obtaining a cruising permit etc.

[Kettlewell]

I would take the chance without but assume like here that marinas won’t let you in without a valid insurance certificate.

As a transient I don't think I have ever been asked for my insurance certificate. There are lots of small marinas and docks on the ICW that are pretty informally run. There are several places with free docks, and if you like anchoring out you can do so every single night--we usually do.

[Grith]

Thanks again for the advice. Suggest you dont try the same here in Australia as the bureaucrats have gone crazy and the old days of not needing an insurance certificate for access seem to have disappeared.
With our ultra shallow draft we often go right into shore rather than anchor out though do lots of that as well.
We don’t like the hassle and bustle of marinas and avoid using them where we can.
We have various guides for some of our more popular cruising destinations. Is there a recommended one for the ICW?
Picture of our yacht and my daughter ( not my partner Clare ) taken a few weeks ago when she came down to South Australia and did a weeks cruise with Dad to The Coorong. The Coorong is a nature reserve of international importance for birdlife being about 100 miles of relatively narrow and shallow hyper saline water separated from the ocean by a strip of sand dunes.
It was very cold and windy and we had an adventure rather than a pleasant cruise but dad and daughter have done quite a few of them in the past.
Last photo Annabel helming under asymmetrical spinnaker wheel in one hand and sheet in the other with us doing 6-7 knots in about 10 knots of breeze. We have a big kite that is larger than our main and large Genoa combined.
Clare stayed home to renovate our garden after over 3 months away and to allow a little Dad and Daughter together time.

[Fore and Aft]

Grith since your keen on a bit of adventure why not forget the pedestrian ICW and cruise some of the great lakes and canals of Canada. The wife and I spent two seasons doing that in 1996/1997 and had a fantastic time. The most dangerous thing we encountered was the overwhelming Canadian hospitality. Not to mention the Tim Bits from Tim Hortons were a bit of a health hazard.
Just look at the 30,000 islands in Georgian Bay Lake Huron that is a lifetime of anchorages right there. Then there is the Trent Severen waterway to take you down to Lake Ontario and a short hop across to Oswego in New York state and you're on your way to the ICW.
I am not sure if the shipping costs could compare with the price of buying a boat over there. Just look at these two examples below. The Dawson 26 is a bit of a wild card boat I had never heard of before. One crossed the Atlantic so they can't be to bad.......
Cheers
https://syracuse.craigslist.org/boa/...687694388.html
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...3-2125d8e00afd

[Mickeyrouse]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Official overhead clearance is 65 feet from Norfolk to Miami, though there is a 56-foot bridge in Miami. If you are under 60 feet you won't have any issues with bridges.

Many bridges from Daytona on south are 50 ft drawbridges, tho probably not a problem for a 28 ft sailboat.

We’ve done the Atlantic ICW a couple times, and the Gulf ICW more than I can remember. The Atlantic ICW is much more cruiser-friendly- and interesting.

[Grith]

Thanks all for the suggestions most appreciated.
Having purchased and sold a fair few yachts in my day including buying quite a number sight unseen previously and crossing the country to pick them up I can pretty confidently say every one has had major work required to get it up to speed once purchased despite my best efforts to know what I am getting into.
The several times I purchased a supposedly fully equipped cruising yacht to go straight out onto the water for extended holidays I have needed to spend a couple of weeks frantically fixing and upgrading things only to have other fairly important things breakdown shortly into the cruise regardless.
Once only two days in the outboard just gave up the ghost and took several days to strip down and rebuild and the difficult sail back in in bad conditions left my then partner with a prolapsed disc due to extreme sea sickness and in agony. Holiday ruined.
An earlier time after four weeks cruising a passage with some short steep waves on strong winds saw us break a side stay and the whole mast came down in rough conditions scaring the daylights out of my daughters mother. I felt had checked the rigging to the best of my ability but a seemingly sound swage gave way. On an older yacht you just purchased there can be any number of hidden gremlins as often boats are sold by unhappy owners glad to be rid of their troubles not perfect yachts with everything just fine!
Also at 6 foot 2 most trailer sailers are weekend to week onboard only yachts for me now getting a bit older and even many full sized cruising yachts are still too small in bed length, internal height and have other issues I prefer not to deal with anymore.
Having spent years researching and trying various trailerable yachts to find one that fits my requirements I can’t see me going way backwards again and sacrificing the many attribute's I currently have.
Apart from that it’s not just the yacht it’s the entire cruising package from sails and sail management systems, dingy’s, lithium power systems and solar panels, water and fuel tankage, auxiliary electric outboard with remote throttle setup, and everything else from communication and safety systems to cooking, refrigeration, hotwater, aircond and heating and the list is near endless.
If containering the yacht then everything is already mounted, packed, carried and there not a start again project.
I would find it difficult to enjoy going back to a basic fairly old camping onboard yacht platform having had a mini fully equipped heavily modified modern cruising yacht.
As for where to cruise yes that’s interesting but you start with a plan and with a trailerable yacht it’s fairly easy to modify where you actually go.
My walking oriented new partner likes to get off and do things not be stuck constantly onboard so I have that to consider as well.
Things like virtually full cockpit shade enclosure at anchor and really good bug proofing are both critical for her as well. Those things are actually a bit challenging to achieve on a trailer sailer or to quickly equip a new purchase with.

[Fore and Aft]

Grith I wonder if its easier just to get 6 months visa for each country? You could start in Vancouver, do the great lakes. Then join the intercoastal waterway once you have crossed the New York state border. Then the intercoastal waterway. Finally cross into Mexico cruise Mexico and drop your boat of at Manzanillo port and fly home. Thats three countries and 18 months
The biggest issue I can see is registering the trailer in whichever country you choose to start from.

Cheers