Intracoastal Water Way here we come ready or not

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TT54

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2014
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I have not been on the forum for a long time but have a need now to tell you what is happening. In two weeks we leave from Maine to travel the intracoastal water way to the Keys. We have very few hours on our trawler or on the sea. I hang my head in shame that we would tackle such a trip with so little experience. We are not going it alone we are travel with the guides of two very experienced boaters they have circumnavigated, sold their sail boat and are now traveling by trawler. Having them to guide us is priceless but... My husband has spent countless hours preparing the boat for the trip and fixing all the things that we didn't know about the boat when we bought it. I think that friends are worried about us and think we are insane. Since none have you have a vested interest in keeping the truth from us I would like to know if anyone else has done this and how brave/crazy we are for taking this on? I am scared to death and trying to overcome the fear. I grew up on a fresh water pond so I am not a stranger to water. I have been around the ocean for over 30 years but not on it. Any thoughts about this? Thank you Tricia
 
Last edited by a moderator:
New thread Mods?

TT54 said:
I have not been on the forum for a long time but have a need now to tell you what is happening. In two weeks we leave from Maine to travel the intracoastal water way to the Keys. We have very few hours on our trawler or on the sea. I hang my head in shame that we would tackle such a trip with so little experience. We are not going it alone we are travel with the guides of two very experienced boaters they have circumnavigated, sold their sail boat and are now traveling by trawler. Having them to guide us is priceless but... My husband has spent countless hours preparing the boat for the trip and fixing all the things that we didn't know about the boat when we boat it. I think that friends are worried about us and think we are insane. Since none have you have a vested interest in keeping the truth from us I would like to know if anyone else has done this and how brave/crazy we are for taking this on? I am scared to death and trying to overcome the fear. I grew up on a fresh water pond so I am not a stranger to water. I have been around the ocean for over 30 years but not on it. Any thoughts about this? Thank you Tricia
Click to expand...

Tricia

Thanks for the update I would start this on a separate and new thread I think you will get better advice and input from all the Tfers

sounds like a fun adventure and if the mods see this maybe one of you guys could move it over
 
Greetings,
Ms. TT. A bit of apprehension is natural when embarking on a new adventure. "Scared to death?" Unfounded IMO. Your vessel is prepared and your husband appears to have the knowledge to effect further repairs when and IF necessary. You've bought tow insurance (I hope) and you're traveling with two other "experienced" boaters. What's the worst that can happen? Who knows. What's the best that can happen? I forecast beautiful waters, new sights and sounds and gorgeous sunsets that you will experience after non eventful days whilst heading south and some of the best meals enjoyed.
"I think that friends are worried about us and think we are insane." Get new friends!
 
RT Firefly said:
Greetings,
Ms. TT. A bit of apprehension is natural when embarking on a new adventure. "Scared to death?" Unfounded IMO. Your vessel is prepared and your husband appears to have the knowledge to effect further repairs when and IF necessary. You've bought tow insurance (I hope) and you're traveling with two other "experienced" boaters. What's the worst that can happen? Who knows. What's the best that can happen? I forecast beautiful waters, new sights and sounds and gorgeous sunsets that you will experience after non eventful days whilst heading south and some of the best meals enjoyed.
"I think that friends are worried about us and think we are insane." Get new friends!
Click to expand...

Yeah - What RT said... only, I recommend keeping good friends that are concerned for you... but, do make new friends too on your beautiful pleasure boat journey. :thumb:

Be good, be happy, be safe - Enjoy!! :speed boat:
 
I am with Alan.


Start a new thread so we can help you if needed, but most of all we like pictures and would love to share in your adventure!!!! Welcome.
 
Tricia-before you go, many of your friend do think you are insane. But, as you make your way, send them pictures and descriptions, they slowly begin to realize that they are the insane ones. Suddenly you will be getting calls and emails about visiting, about taking a few days with you on the boat, or meeting you at your next port of call. As Fr. George has learned, nothing brings out friends you never knew you had like a boat, especially when you are on it enjoying a great trip! Nothing for you to be afraid of, a healthy respect yes, but afraid no. You will soon find yourselves being able to handle everything just fine and enjoying it! Have a great trip!
 
Ann's family and friends thought she/we were crazy too. As long as the boat is seaworthy and equipped with the proper safety gear and the right owner's attitude, and you keep away from having a schedule, things should be fine. Like Art suggests, we are pleasure boaters, in that order. Don't let your experienced friends push you into weather and sea conditions you are uncomfortable with. Hearken them back to their very first voyage.

Have fun and bon voyage!
 
+1 to what everybody else has said.

Take your time, pick your weather, trust your instincts, enjoy the journey.
 
At this time of year you will be accompanied by several hundred other boats making the trek from Minnesota, Michigan, New York, Ontario and Quebec. It's great trip but not really a big one. It' just a bunch of day trips strung together.

Enjoy !
 
IMO, no need to be "scared to death". You will be on the ICW in sight of land most of the time-- I did not find it to be all that treacherous when I did my initial cruise from Ft Lauderdale to Texas, and I'm a newbie know-nothing.

Like others said, don't be in a rush and don't have a schedule (I fully understand this now).

Post up on TF when something breaks or confuses you-- I guarantee you someone on this forum has already been there and done that.
 
Sorry for the thread drift but are Sabrelines and Sabres both the same company?
 
You're definitely the best kind of crazy. Frankly, I envy you. Sounds like a great trip to me. Enjoy it!
 
Enjoy your trip! Do not rush or schedule too much. Active Captain will be your new best friend. "Honey what's the name of the next drawbridge?" The guidebooks were -,are good for picking locations that you might want to see. Watch out for Canadian navy, 100's of pleasure boats. :)

Don't miss the Dismal Swamp!!! Today it the only option, stuck drawbridge on the Virginia Cut
 
It has been said. The previous posters are dead on. It is a pleasure trip, no deadlines, when in doubt be careful. Have done the trip from South eastern Ma to central FL and back several times, over a 35 year period. Always someone telling me I am crazy . Never heard that from the Fl. side. Relax, enjoy it is a wonderful trip.
 
One of the members of this forum (CharlieNoble) has a blog that I've read several times. It's really a great read. He makes the trip up and down the coast several times, with several different boats. mikepanderson.blog.com

Check it out!
 
Great trip. Many people are doing it.

Cruising to me is not about getting to some distant location though that seems to become an obsession for some. Cruising is about a series of relaxing short trips. If you don't get to the keys this time so what?


Just remember the most dangerous thing to have on a boat is a schedule. Don't make very long days out of it. If the others want to rush let them go. Take your time and enjoy the trip. A marathon of 10 hour days one after the other wont be fun.

The only thing that concerns me is following some old hands who may want to race ahead. Following experienced people is not always the best idea.


I suggest a good discussion with them about what their daily schedule will be.


Every day is just a day trip, not a thousand miles, just a short trip to the to the next stop. After you connect all the stops you will be in the keys.


I really encourage stopping for a day in many locations and exploring.


So my advice is take it slow and enjoy expelring all the new places.


Don't push the weather if it is very windy or foggy wait.


The guys that have to hire someone to bring the boat back home are the ones who don't follow the above advice
 
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Good call on the separate thread. Can't wait to see your progress. As I am on the west coast the only ICW is the big big pond out here called the Pacific Ocean, so the ICW is an interesting way to travel.....no wilderness, nice marinas and very few if any bars to cross......
 
We are leaving CT for Florida on 10/4. What's your boat's name? Ours is Magic. Perhaps we'll cross paths. It's the beginning of our 5th trip. You'll settle in and enjoy it real soon. We have a rule we follow; if the wind is 20 kts or above we stay put. Of course there are other weather considerations but that for us is a big one. Have fun, and if you feel uncomfortable with a weather prediction just relax for a day or two.

Howard
 
TT, As you pass through Miami on your way to the Keys, stop in for a visit. I offer free Cuban Coffee to my Trawler Forum friends. The trip up the Miami river in a dinghy is a lot of fun.
 
"pacific Ocean, so the ICW is an interesting way to travel.....no wilderness, nice marinas and very few if any bars to cross......
__________________

Maybe too many bars ���������� to cross, and a few are wilderness on the ICW. Seriously a few well known shallow spots that need some Tide timing. (Most are soft bottom except maybe a sunken Tank.
 
A few more thoughts upon further reflection.

There are many, many great destinations between Maine and the Keys, and many of them much superior to the Keys, which you will have all winter to explore if you like (though the siren call of the Bahamas should get you sooner or later).

Starting with Maine itself, depending on where you are starting from.

The islands of southwestern Mass, Long Island Sound (both shores), the Hudson River, Chesapeake Bay (like LIS a lifetime of cruising and gunkholing opps in and of itself),
the Outer Banks especially Ocracoke and Cape Lookout, the Waccamaw River and low country of South Carolina and Georgia, to list our favorites.

To give some perspective, we'd leave our base in SW Mass (Westport) and allow 2 1/2 months to make it to southern FL. 3 months or more was better and we'd usually dawdle enough to make it that much. After a few trips we learned what to skip in good weather and take the ocean (for us, NC from Beaufort south/west, and virtually all of FL, but you need to learn for yourselves). We never took the same route or stayed many of the same places coming or going . That's why I get a little concerned a little about "experienced" people dictating the paces and places. We had all kinds of them, many good friends, telling us what we should do. We decided screw it, we'll explore for ourselves. That's also why I don't like "crowd sourcing" sites.. you want to do the same things and go the same places as everyone else, or have your own adventure?

For you westerners, the ICW is really only a portion of their trip. It starts in Norfolk Va, though shallow draft boats can brave the the NJ ICW if they like (we used our Whaler for exploring that)
 
Maine to the Keys - Are we crazy?

^^^^^
What he said.

We rushed to get to the Keys on our maiden voyage-- 10 hour days, huge crashing seas (not really), desolate, alligator infested anchorages (really).

I had it in my head it would be nirvana when we got there for some reason. I've been there by land before, but the romance of arriving by sea was intoxicating, so I rushed.

The Keys were cool, and I did get intoxicated, but I never reached the elusive transcendent state I was seeking. ?

In other words, don't rush to get to the end. Enjoy the ride on the way.

?
 
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caltexflanc said:
...you want to do the same things and go the same places as everyone else, or have your own adventure?
Click to expand...

Amen!

The fundamental nature of boating is exploration and adventure into the unknown, with times of unease, excitement, boredom, and sometimes disappointment.

The recreational aspect keeps the adventures relatively safe and comfortable.

Have fun!
 
When you get in the marathon area . Look at harbor cay club for dockage as it is the small marina that no one wants to leave. Pm me for more info,I live there. Jim
 
Go for it!!

Remember to take time to enjoy the process of getting there.:thumb:
 
This post is a duplicate of the one I posted on another thread and I had the helpful suggestion that I start a new thread.

I have not been on the forum for a long time but have a need now to tell you what is happening. In two weeks we leave from Maine to travel the intracoastal water way to the Keys. We have very few hours on our trawler or on the sea. I hang my head in shame that we would tackle such a trip with so little experience. We are not going it alone we are travel with the guides of two very experienced boaters they have circumnavigated, sold their sail boat and are now traveling by trawler. Having them to guide us is priceless but... My husband has spent countless hours preparing the boat for the trip and fixing all the things that we didn't know about the boat when we bought it. I think that friends are worried about us and think we are insane. Since none have you have a vested interest in keeping the truth from us I would like to know if anyone else has done this and how brave/crazy we are for taking this on? I am scared to death and trying to overcome the fear. I grew up on a fresh water pond so I am not a stranger to water. I have been around the ocean for over 30 years but not on it. Any thoughts about this? Thank you Tricia
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Deckape said:
When you get in the marathon area . Look at harbor cay club for dockage as it is the small marina that no one wants to leave. Pm me for more info,I live there. Jim
Click to expand...
Wow! I feel so supported about our trip to the Keys I am really glad that I posted. Thank you all for priceless support. Tricia
 
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Many of us could tell you what crazy is and I'm sure it would not sound like your story. Great trip to you.

Graham
 
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