Miami to Norfolk VA.

[Lizzie_B]

The time is coming for the Spring cruise, after which I have to take the boat up to the Potomac.How far is it from Miami to Norfolk VA and how long should it take in May.The boat is a 1981 Catalina 38 which is fastish and seaworthy (see www.catalina 38.org ).

 

[Sea Devil]

Not sure what she draws but I went up the ICW a few years back - left from Coconut grove by Miami and ended with a lighting strike in the Potomac at Washington DC... Even that had its upside.

I really really enjoyed the ICW. Found it a delightful experience and never boring for a minute. Did run aground a few times - Indian river had it's shallow bits as did a couple of the estuaries - Bambola drew nearly 6ft at that time - lots of gear on board. The trip is around a 1000 miles if I remember rightly and it's possible to do about 60 a day - no locks except one near Norfolk VA or was it Charleston??? cannot recommend it highly enough as the East coast is fairly uninteresting and not too many ports of refuge. Done it on the outside as well but the ICW has the great memories.

 

[DaveNTL]

there was a pilot quide on the shelf in west marine last week - norfolk to miami - i presume all ICW

We get Busby next week in New York and we're not sure whether to head south to Norfolk towards warmer weather for a bit, and then back up north to Maine for summer. Or just stay put? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Sea Devil]

The best ICW book for pilotage is Skipper Bob's Anchorages in the ICW - brilliant and inexpensive - you probably need the chart books as well - Some areas like the marshes of Georgia and some big estuaries are really difficult to find the 'correct' route in. Bit costly as there are either 2 or 3 I think but almost essential...

 

[bbilly]

Scuze me - what's the ICW?

 

[PaulS]

That would be the Intracoastal Waterway. Covers most of the U.S. east coast and Gulf, allowing transist without having to venture out into the more daunting parts of the Altantic and Gulf coast of the U.S.
A very pleasant and easy way to travel taken by thousands of boaters every year. It's become a spring and fall ritual for boaters to head south for the winter and back north for the summer months.

 

[AndrewB]

Like Ex_Bambola, I've done this via the ICW. ABout 1150 nautical miles, took us 24 days travel, not including stop-overs, but with a couple of excursions 'outside' to move things along. It is not permissable to travel at night, and there are delays at lifting bridges, so a limit on daily milage. There are reports that the ICW is not being so well maintained now and has shoaled in places so that deep draft yachts cannot get through - you would need to check this.

Outside is much faster with the Gulf Stream under you, should be do-able in not much over a week non-stop. Get a little way offshore as there is a counter-current close inshore (also a number of shallow banks). Cape Hatteras has a reputation for being rough and you might chose to go 'inside' at Beaufort for the last section. Winds should be predominantly westward and so favourable, but occasionally there can be prolongued periods of northerlies, particularly off Cape Hatteras, which not only are adverse, but turn the Gulf Stream into the marine equivalent of Belgian cobblestones.