Thanks!
There's a lot of information from Virginia on down, but not so much from Maine to the start of the ICW...we're trying to decide just when to leave.
Thanks!
There's a lot of information from Virginia on down, but not so much from Maine to the start of the ICW...we're trying to decide just when to leave.
Many will tell you to skip the New Jersey intracoastal because it can be shallow and narrow. While true, for a 4 foot draft boat, travelling on the last three hours of a rising and first 3 of a falling tide make it pretty easy. There are decent inlets to jump in and out of every 15-30 miles so changing your mind is no big deal.
Some have even have gone as far as to say there is nothing to see or do...had to be from those who have never done the South Carolina and Georgia ICW...now those are some desolate stretches!
To make time after Jersey...heading straight down the Atlantic to Norfolk is the ticket...there's a couple nice stops but south of Chincoteague...you really need the legs and crew endurance to push into Norfolk unless you are willing to anchor out at the north end of the Bay Bridge Tunnel (Fisherman's Island).
The other way is great, especially if you really have a few weeks to kill and that is the Chesapeake route. The only bad leg is leaving Cape May, NJ because it's a long day even with the tide....wrong tide and you are screwed if you are a 6-7 knot boat, That's because there's no real places to stop along the Delaware unless you are willing to anchor, motor a ways off your track and up some river or are travelling in great weather, in season and everything clicks.
One to the C&D Canal..you are home free to great cruising...as long as you are travelling before the end of October when the weather really starts to shut down passage windows. I leave in mid-December and grit my teeth till I'm through to Norfolk...and even then I dead the Albemarle and Pamlico sounds and the Alligator & Neuse Rivers.
Bottom line from an experienced delivery Capt... be south of Norfolk by mid to late Oct. If you have a tough boat and don't mind it rough...then Nov/Dec is interesting (I never did it that late till last year) as you have the waterways and marinas to yourself for the most part (cept water is often shut off and waterfront restaurants are mostly closed). Whet we really enjoyed was pulling into all the places with Seasonal Decorations up and towns with seasonal spirits including waterfront parks with entertainment and beautiful decorations.
Interesting to see someone else leaving VA in Dec. We leave Deltaville for our first trip down the ICW the first week of December. Gonna be chilly I imagine but that's the timing.
Dave
145NM Cape May Buoy to Thimble Shoals (just outside Norfolk) -Atlantic Route
235NM Cape May Buoy to Thimble Shoals - Chesapeake Route
Fresh off OpenCPN
Plus the extra days add even more miles departing the route to/from anchorages/marinas via the Chessie.
Timing the Delaware is tough unless you travel at night..never really works out too well Northbound due to the quicker tidal current change going down the Delaware River.
All my recommendations for the Delaware River are based on a 6-7 knot boat...faster boats are penalized less....
I agree that the offshore run isn't easy..but I rather run 36 hrs overnight/straight and be in Norfolk (when running late in the season...because often the weather windows are barely that long in December and late November) The Delaware is tough to plan unless running before/after dark. Running south the lower Chessie can kick your butt no matter which way the winds blow that time of year.You have to plot it all the way back to Old Point Comfort. It is a hell of a ways from Thimble Shoals to the ICW. There is no real bailout south of Ocean City, MD. You do not want to go in the Chincoteague inlet especially if things are getting crappy outside. I compare every time and the plotted route to Deltaville is 20 miles or so (memory) longer inside.
You have to decide whether this is a delivery or a journey. If a journey and you want to enjoy the trip plan on sending as much time as possible in the Chesapeake. It is one of the finest cruising grounds around. Most boaters will want to leave the Chesapeake by middle October so you have two months.
Marty
Some have even have gone as far as to say there is nothing to see or do...had to be from those who have never done the South Carolina and Georgia ICW...now those are some desolate stretches!
.
Different strokes for different folks, I suppose. Personally, I think that those South Carolina and Georgia marshes are some of the prettiest places on the face of the earth. (They are desolate, though, I agree.
John
Different strokes for different folks, I suppose. Personally, I think that those South Carolina and Georgia marshes are some of the prettiest places on the face of the earth. (They are desolate, though, I agree.
John