ICW - Navigation study- Newbie Again

[Ragshoe]

I spend a lot if time in ICW from Corpus Christi to Port Mansfield Texas. Very easy to follow the Channel because I have done it 100 times

I am planning on going to west coast and possible east coast of FLorida next Spring for the 1st time and want to learn how to navigate in the ICW and bays without just staring at chartplotter. I really need to learn what each navi symbols, signs, colors etc mean....what is everyones favorite book or website for me to study? I would really like videos that help train and show real ICW examples. I would be happy to pay for an online course if one exists.

Thanks Everyone

 

[High Wire]

Chapman’s Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling will cover all that and much more.
In the ICW ONLY, in general, keep the red buoys on the mainland side and green to the ocean or GOM side.

 

[ranger58sb]

I spend a lot if time in ICW from Corpus Christi to Port Mansfield Texas. Very easy to follow the Channel because I have done it 100 times

I am planning on going to west coast and possible east coast of FLorida next Spring for the 1st time and want to learn how to navigate in the ICW and bays without just staring at chartplotter. I really need to learn what each navi symbols, signs, colors etc mean....what is everyones favorite book or website for me to study?

Should be same nav aids and signage your already used to seeing. Yellow triangle to starboard/yellow square to port going south, vice versa going north.

-Chris

 

[psneeld]

The only real answer is follow a current chart. River system and inlet junctions can throw marking systems off and without a good idea of which channel you should be following, it is easy to take a wrong turn.

While true the yellow ICW marks are the true ICW marks, they can be difficult to see at times, etc.... so good charts are your best friend.

It is not hard, and a chart isn't absolutely necessary but makes life easier. People often take a wrong turn here and there on their first couple trips up and down the AICW.

 

[FF]

Been a while , but the ICW charts came as folding charts for different sections.


I seem to remember chart #1 was all the symbols for navigation , bottom , dangers, etc.

 

[PJHoffnet]

If you're a FaceBooke'r, you might find this group - ICW Cruising Guide by Bob423 https://www.facebook.com/groups/ICWCruisingGuide - a good place to look for answers (using the group's search function) or ask questions.

 

[rgano]

The only real answer is follow a current chart. River system and inlet junctions can throw marking systems off and without a good idea of which channel you should be following, it is easy to take a wrong turn.

While true the yellow ICW marks are the true ICW marks, they can be difficult to see at times, etc.... so good charts are your best friend.

It is not hard, and a chart isn't absolutely necessary but makes life easier. People often take a wrong turn here and there on their first couple trips up and down the AICW.

Took the words outa my mouth! Chart or chartplotter with current updates shows you where you should be. And sometimes (not always) you do need to stare at it. Red right to Galveston will be the rule, except where it isn't when crossing harbor buoyage. Benn across the route you intend a couple time, and the Mississippi locks are going to be your biggest challenge, not the buoyage.

 

[Blissboat]

Chapman's still seems to reign as the standard reference. When underway my own practice is to supplement the plotter with something in hard-copy such as the pertinent Chart Kit, open to whatever unfamiliar coastal or inland waters I may be transiting. Call me old fashioned, but before an underway day, I try to study the route on paper and get my brain around possible inflection points. Even so, there will be surprises. When in doubt, slow down or even stop to reorient yourself.

 

[Sailor of Fortune]

I spend a lot if time in ICW from Corpus Christi to Port Mansfield Texas. Very easy to follow the Channel because I have done it 100 times

I am planning on going to west coast and possible east coast of FLorida next Spring for the 1st time and want to learn how to navigate in the ICW and bays without just staring at chartplotter. I really need to learn what each navi symbols, signs, colors etc mean....what is everyones favorite book or website for me to study? I would really like videos that help train and show real ICW examples. I would be happy to pay for an online course if one exists.

Thanks Everyone

I applaud you for wanting to verify without totally relying on electronics. You'll have fun and do fine

 

[PatSea]

The Weekend Navigator by Robert Sweet is an excellent reference.