garmstro55
Senior Member
That's quite a trip Rich! I will be there with you in spirit.
Lord willin' the crick don't rise, I'll be departing Georgetown tomorrow. I'm planning to either stop at McClellanville or drop the hook somewhere around there. Then onward to Charleston after that.
I'll keep an eye out, and let you know what I find.
I draw 5’ , and since the dredging no issue Sullivan’s Island to Dewee’s inlet.
Recall the dredge path perhaps 90’ wide so can return to shallows quickly at the edges. Same story at Dawhoo Creek off the Edisto. No apparent dredging at juncture of ICW ACE Basin and Coosaw River.
Heading Chas to Jax next Sunday pm.
While I understand it has been dredged recently, the stretch along the backside of the Isle of Palms leading the the Shem Creek bridge was once know to be shallow. It would be nice to hear you can confirm that passage through there was uneventful.
Is Georgia the worst for shallows? I am hoping to bypass the whole state, but weather will determine.
If you go through Georgia, the Altamaha Southern section was dredged last Fall. The Little Mud river and the Mud river including the Northern part of the Altamaha river will be too shallow at low tide in some areas. I would suggest mid tide or higher for that section.
Ted
Fields Cut which is the waterway you enter going North as you cross the Savanna river, was being dredged when I went through last fall. What's worth noting is that the buoys at the North end will likely be different. Shoaling had the buoys close to the East shoreline.
As you would be traveling South, expect to assess the markers before making the turn. Hopefully, Waterway guide will have updated information.
Ted
I've done the ICW from Norfolk to Tampa, thru the Okeechobee. 5.7' draft. (I've done the east coast 6 or 7 times) Stay in the center, watch the day markers you'll be OK. Do get TowBoatsUS or Sea tow, never leave the dock without it. Used to be real skinny around McCullenville, but I think that's been fixed. Down around Cumberland Island there are some shallow parts, and watch yourself in the rock pile. All in all I love the East Coast ICW. Beautiful Cruising, lots of good anchorages, lots of good marinas and people. Just do it nice and slow and enjoy the trip.Don't want t completely miss the AICW, but with 5.5 foot draft...... We'll probably only load half the fuel for the first part of the trip. Capacity is 2000 gallons.
Lord willin' the crick don't rise, I'll be departing Georgetown tomorrow. I'm planning to either stop at McClellanville or drop the hook somewhere around there. Then onward to Charleston after that.
I'll keep an eye out, and let you know what I find.
rgano, I'm a 50T Master in Edenton NC looking for sea time and AICW experience. Depending on your exact departure date, I'd love to go along for the ride and will cover my own expenses.
Jim
I've done the ICW from Norfolk to Tampa, thru the Okeechobee. 5.7' draft. (I've done the east coast 6 or 7 times) Stay in the center, watch the day markers you'll be OK. Do get TowBoatsUS or Sea tow, never leave the dock without it. Used to be real skinny around McCullenville, but I think that's been fixed. Down around Cumberland Island there are some shallow parts, and watch yourself in the rock pile. All in all I love the East Coast ICW. Beautiful Cruising, lots of good anchorages, lots of good marinas and people. Just do it nice and slow and enjoy the trip.
Always nice to hear encouraging news like yours. Where is the rock pile you speak of?
Always nice to hear encouraging news like yours. Where is the rock pile you speak of?
Going through the rock pile area isn't an issue at low tide for water depth, but the safe width narrows quite a bit. I make it a practice to make a Securite call before entering the area as there are places at lower water levels that you wouldn't be comfortable turning around. While there isn't much commercial traffic through there, the occasional construction barge and tug do transit the area.
The other good place to make a Securite call is Elliott cut (Wappoo creek going into Stono river west of Charleston, SC). This is a narrow cut with stone banks. Peak tidal currents can exceed 3 knots. While the cut is quite short there isn't room to comfortably pass another boat. The occasional small tug with a construction barge can be seen going through here.
Ted
Hey Rich, no issues to report between McClellanville and Charleston. I never saw less than 7 feet of water where I was. I departed at close to low tide, and I transited the area in the bottom half of the tide range
They actually recommend more than a Securite call - it is recommended that you specifically ask if there is any commercial traffic heading into or going through in the opposite direction to you.