The ICW - The Easiest Way - Sail to the Sun Rally
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 มิ.ย. 2024
- Are you traveling on a sailboat and thinking about using the ICW? Worried about water depth on the ICW? Racking up miles for your sailboat insurance or headed to the Bahamas on a sailboat? This week we interview a sailor named Wally who organized the Sail to the Sun Rally for sailors to sail from the sailboat show in Annapolis Maryland, down to Miami via the Intracoastal Waterway and the Dismal Swamp including taking a sailboat through locks, sailing North and South Carolina, anchoring and docking in marinas in Georgia, on to sailing the waterways through Florida.
Sail to the Sun Rally: sailtothesun.com
Practical Sailor is your trusted resource for reviews of sailboats and sailing gear.
www.practical-sailor.com
Chat with us on Facebook! / practicalsailor
Good content. Traveling with like minded people is almost always more enjoyable.
OMG, my wife and I did Sail to the Sun 2016 and it still is ABSOLUTELY one of our best memories from our 10 years living aboard. BTW we are now in Fiji and have over 50K miles under our keels. Many of our best sailing friends who we remain in touch with are Sail to the Sun 2016 alumnae. Prepare for beautiful waterways, delightful people, oyster festivals, and fun city tours. The only thing that suffered was my liver from the social gatherings. Highly, highly recommend.
As I recall...you didn't seem particularly worried about your liver at the time :) Of course, none of us were.
Still remember you teaching everyone how to do knot work. That was fun!
A fabulous opportunity for anyone who has a bucket list and needs a bit of extra help to make it happen- stop thinking about “Someday” and just do it!
We love Wally and would love to do this!
We met Wally and his little dog a bunch of times as we did the icw. Not part of his rally…but they all were having fun. We kind of leap frogged each other a
Bunch of times and ended at the same marinas a few times and anchored in either the same places or near sometimes. Clearly a good way to do this for many for sure. Recommend. We did watch where Wally anchored and found some good off the icw spots. The charts are not always perfect and they do change. There are two other things to consider one is bobs tracks and aqua maps with the latest core of engineers surveys. Figuring out how to download bobs tracks and how to read the posts on Facebook will give you daily updates on bridge issues and shoaling
Hey! How you doing? Where are you now?
What an awesome idea for someone doing the ICW the first time. Great Video!
Excellent interview! I’m getting ready to do the ICW for the first time. THANK YOU!!!
Did the ICW, with lots of outside (ocean) legs, as my first cruise as a new sailor. In fact I’m there now! It’s not as complex as people make it if you have the right tools.
Perfect timing. Experience is priceless ! thanks
Hey Wally... thanks for the "honorable mention" !!! I was always sure that an ICW Rally would be a great idea !!! Cheers !!!
and you were SO right!
great to see Wally in action - great interview !
thank you...
Coolest upgrade?
Install a standard DST on each bow. Below the water line (obviously) and at a slight angle outwards (hull shape will do it for you) (non-networked. Standalone wiring)
2 displays at the helm. P&S
You will always know where the deeper water is!
I ran a 82’ Burger set up like that. So simple. Much better than FwdScan
Great episode, Love learning about the IC@, I hope to be there one day
This sounds a great idea & fun. Maybe one day I'll get a chance?
Australians are very envious of your ICW, we have to use the Pacific.⚓
Great Channel!!!!
This was a very helpful video - thank you!
Great interview and I can see the value in having a boat ahead of me with less air and water draft than my 64.+’ and 7.0’. Having a laser measuring tape and calibrated depth sounder on the lead boats would really help me given the sounding boards at many bridges are a mess.
a laser measure doesn't really work because the way bridges are made, the gaps between the low girders confuse the units. Can't get a definite enough reading.
This is so cool
Interesting Thank you
Great video! I've done it 4 times, and it is quite an adventure. Plenty of groundings, and plenty of Rum-pa-pum!
"Plenty of groundings"? Hmmmm.... you need to join the Rally and learn how it's done :)
Sounds like a good "boot camp" for cruising to me. What a great way to start a journey!
omg - if I ever called it a "boot camp", I'd never get anyone to come along. I mean, really - would you rather go to "boot camp" or a two month long floating party? :)
@@WallyMoran I was more utilizing the tech term for a highly expensive 5 day intensive training program for IT called a "Boot Camp". Usually go for 2400 to 6k depending on the subject, but I definately see your point.
@@elliottscott6179 I know, I was yanking your chain. :)
ActiveCaptain! It’s the best!
🙄
Done the ICW 3 times. Would not think it a good idea to do it as a group. Every boat is different. I think traveling with a group would add more challenges for slower/faster boats and those with deeper draft, or higher masts that are constrained by water level at the lower fixed bridges. There are quite a few bridges that have only 63 or 64 ft clearance (not 65). He said they travel at 5.5 knots , very frustrating when the draw bridges are timed for 6 knots. Things like that would slow the group. More expensive to stay in marinas than to anchor, and sticking to scheduled marina visits might force bad decisions. One of the most dangerous things on a boat is a schedule.
Those are all valid criticisms, but you not having had the experience of doing a rally, they are not accurate. I've had boats with 7 foot drafts and 64.25 high masts. Everyone got through without problems, BECAUSE of proper passage planning. In fact, there is an 8 foot draft small cruise ship that runs from Charleston to St. Augustine that does the ICW every week. So as I said, it isn't that hard, IF you know what you're doing.
The only bridges that are timed to the next or previous bridge at all are those to the south of Palm Beach and through to Fort Lauderdale and Dania. There, you need to do 6.5 knots and again, if you time your passage so that you have the current behind you, it's easy. Again, that's part of the passage planning, because I don't care to hang out in front of a bridge either if I can avoid it.
Yes, it's more expensive to stay in marinas. Of course, if you're dealing with a storm and a bunch of boats, it's also a lot safer and comfortable.
You should join us - schedule or not, it's a great time.
It could be fun, but not much sailing in the ICW, it might be more fun in making some of the routes on the outside.
@@user-lq3ss9xf8c No, not much sailing on the ICW, but there is more than you would think. Outside is fine if the weather is suitable, but in the fall, a norther can come down on you very quickly and really spoil a day offshore if you're nowhere near a suitable inlet. We do actually get some outside travel in, especially for those who have never done the outside, to introduce them to the experience.
❤i😢
0:13
Just time your run when going though SC. Myrtle Beach / NC.Summer weekends are busy Kayaks to jet ski to barge travel. tourist renting boats.. wake everywhere ~
^^ listen to him folks! ^^
I like sailing and beer... and maybe 3 people. The last thing that I would want is to be part of a hoard of 10 or more boats all competing for a slip in a marina, or space in an anchorage. I have done the ICW (2020 & 2021), but I far prefer to meet people along the way. My one piece of advice to a noob; only use the inlets in the Carolinas and Georgia that are marked for larger ships.
let's see now... you've done the ICW twice, you're antisocial and your advice is... not very good if I'm being honest. But we'll forgive you that since you like sailing and beer! :)
There are numerous inlets that are perfectly good in NC and SC and GA that are not Class A inlets. The trick is to have the experience to know how to safely navigate them and/or to know where to find the information. That's why people join the Rally - for precisely that kind of knowledge.
btw, marina slips are pre-booked so there's no jockeying for slips. And the only anchorages we use are ones that are suitable for the size of the rally.
Great video...Is there a group that would begin in say, Kemah Tx, heading. to southern Florida?
Would love some info on traveling the GIWW from FL panhandle to Kemah or even Corpus Christi. Anyone out there seen a video or have advice to share? Will be making the trip this fall.
Tim GOOD VIDEO!
This sounds awesome! Great segment. I think the question a lot of folks are interested in is air draft and depth draft...Seems a lot of more modern boat in th3 38+ range start to get close to 6' draft + and 65'+ airdraft
Are those the two max drafts respectively?
Six foot is fine. Seven starts to get dodgy, but is doable. A 65+ air draft is an offshore boat. Anything up to 65 should be able to do the ICW, but at 64+, it involves more planning for tides, etc.
Seems like a good idea for our friends down south however Canadians have to travel a long way just to get to wally's start. Also the $995 is almost $1400 CDN. If there was a small group from Toronto that would suit me...
For anyone coming from the Great Lakes, I'll coach you down the Erie Canal and through to the Chesapeake. All part of the service!! The Erie is a LOT easier than people understand, the Hudson is beautiful. The Jersey coast can be intimidating if it's your first time, and there are a couple of tricks to doing the Delaware that make it a lot easier. Feel free to ask.
If you have issues with air draft and some of the bridges, the better mantra is "half tide dropping"!
lol... passage planning can be a challenge with a mast over 64.25 feet.
There's an ironic fallacy at work here. So many traverse the length of the ICW without ever really stopping to consider this rich byway as a destination in and of itself. Scurry north, scurry south, and barely a pause along the way. One night anchored out in the Waccamaw will put an end to that nonsense, but there are so many more idylls just waiting to be rediscovered. Take your time, go slow, for you may not pass this way again.
So TRUE! That's why the Rally is two months long :)
And the Waccamaw, especially in the springtime, is your reward for having gone through the commercial ugliness of Myrtle Beach.
That sounds great! I'll add it to my list of things to keep in mind. I'm curious: What happens after they get to Florida?
some head on to the Keys, some to the Bahamas, some to the Caribbean, others turn around and go back north. One couple is currently in the south Pacific, Fiji if I remember correctly.
@@WallyMoran One-way to Paradise. Sounds great!
Since my boat is landlocked on Lake Texoma is there a way to charter a boat for the trip?
You could likely find a charter company in VA, but it would be very expensive. You might also find someone who would let you deliver their boat south for them.
The icw is a cakewalk. Let's not over dramatize everything.
Nobody's overdramatizing anything.... the ICW isn't as hard as some make it, but that first time isn't easy either.
Pay Wally a thousand bucks to follow him down the waterway at five and a half knots for how many months? There are better for your money. Practical Sailor is recommending this?
My mom used to tell me, don't knock it if you haven't tried it. Might be good advice for you too.
@@WallyMoran Try what? Going down the ICW or going down the ICW in a gaggle? One I've done a dozen times, the other will never happen. With the resources available today, if you can't figure out the ICW on your own, you should stay home. Its just not that hard.
@@Mark-y5v I never said it was that hard. And it's not, but it's not easy either, even with the resources available now.
Some folks actually ENJOY spending time with like minded people sharing the same endeavour. You're not one of them, that's fine. But does that mean you need to rain on everyone's parade, disparage other people's dreams?
I had someone with your attitude on one of my rallies. Before we'd gone 200 miles, I handed him a cheque for his rally fee and wished him good luck with the rest of the ICW. He never even got to GA before giving up and hiring a captain to bring his boat south - where he sold it.
YMMV.
This is am interesting idea. If you go off the knowledge of one person's trip and the stops along the way it my not be the best route for the conditions. An easy day of sailing eating up some miles between two anchorages could be the toughest part of the trip depending on the conditions for a different year. Plus all the tips and hacks the other sailors use to troubleshoot and make their boating more enjoyable would be better than having to learn them the hard way. Plus, nothing beats local knowledge. You could end up sailing past a "local gem" and not hear about it until you are three days past it or never hearing about it. How many times will most people do this in their life, might as well make the once or the few times the most successful as possible.
What you've said is the whole point - seeing everything there is to see. I guarantee you, very few people know about the lemurs, the rum factory, the kazoo manufacturer, and lots of other events that I've learned about in nearly 50 trips on the ICW. As for "the best route" - there isn't another route unless you go offshore. The ICW is it. And as you note, conditions change, and I change the planning as needed to account for that.
Sounds like the old wagon trains out west.
Git 'em up doggies! Yee haw! :)
I like the idea, but 2 months is a long time to make it down there.
So what's your hurry? Seriously. Do you have appointments, a schedule (God forbid!)... enjoy the trip. That's a problem with society now - people are always rushing to things and we're conditioned that way. You're retired, there IS NO REASON TO RUSH.
@@WallyMoran it’s a combo. I’d like to make it down in a month, not two. Marina and restaurants every day is expensive.and more time in the Bahamas.
Of course the group has many benefits as well. Each needs to decide for themselves
@@TheCornucopiaProject-bd5jk in that case, anchor out and eat on board. It's your choice. FYI, one month to do that trip means you miss everything there is to do because you're underway every single day. You've turned the trip into a delivery, and it won't be fun. You'll be tired and stressed out.
And the Bahamas will be there whether you take 30 days or 60 days.
Stop putting the focus on your destination. Enjoy where you are AT, not where you wish you were at, and you'll enjoy all of it even more.
If you want to be guaranteed to have to anchor in over crowded anchorages, If you want to be constantly surrounded by people on boats who have no idea what they are doing, this may be just what you are looking for. Good luck .. ha ha
uh.... that is NOT the experience that anyone has had in the last ten years. But please, feel free in your ignorance to criticize. There are a lot of Rally alumnae who will gladly tell you that you don't know what you're talking about.
Well, this is a perfect illustration of “Different Strokes for different folks.” It sounds like an absolute nightmare to me. Sailors need to learn to be self-sufficient. They won’t learn by having their hand held and staying in marinas for the first five weeks. This isn’t cruising, it’s nursery school . You know a lot of the ICW can be done under sail. No, not motorsailing, but sailing. Does this outfit also push the unprepared and unfit “climbers” up Everest? If you want to do the INTRA Coastal Waterway, do your due diligence, prepare yourself and your boat and do it. Don’t be intimidated. Be well informed and depend on your own skills. Is Practical Sailor forgetting its raison d’etre?
well, who peed in YOUR cornflakes this morning? What's so nightmarish about spending 8 weeks with friends enjoying an adventure, exploring neat places, dining out, rafting up, sailing or motoring along a beautiful waterway? For new cruisers, this is part of the learning - and I do take time to teach the group so that they have a better understanding of what's involved when they head out on their own.
As for your contention that a lot of the ICW can be done under sail, yes, that's true. IF you wait for the right conditions, you could do all of it under sail. I actually know of one person who did that - on a 14 foot daysailer - name of Frank Dye, wrote a book about it called Sailing to the Edge of Fear. I don't know of anyone who has done it in a bigger boat, but since you're clearly so knowledgeable, perhaps you can tell us. Explain how people sail through Myrtle Beach, or the Waccamaw for example. Tell us how, under sail at 4 knots, they get through Snow's Cut if the current is against them? How about Elliot Cut? Hell's Gate? Got any answers for us here?
A lot of people don't have your level of confidence, whether it's misplaced or not I don't know but I have my suspicions - and they would like to learn at a pace that feels comfortable to them - not some internet rando who tells them how it's done.
btw, nice sailboat you got in your thumbnail there.
@@WallyMoran I don’t eat cornflakes. I’m more a Grapenuts or Shredded Wheat guy. In the old days, there weren’t bridge tenders refusing to let one pass through their bridge under sail but I’ve sailed ninety percent in a 37 ft boat and a 31 footer. Some of the land cuts necessitate motoring unless you’re fortunate enough to have a Norther heading south for example. Folks that are educated by your “follow the leader” methods are the same ones that then jump off for the Caribbean in packs after reading “The Thornless Path” and are totally unprepared for the journey. As I said, different strokes for different folks but don’t discourage relatively inexperienced sailors by stating repeatedly how intimidating the ICW is. I’m not going to trade resumes here. Certainly not worth the effort with someone who chooses to berate my thumbnail because they can’t appreciate a vintage Ducati Paso. Sailing is a big part of my life but not the only thing in my life. Cheers.
@@jonathanlewis1352 For a guy who eats cereals that are meant to help with constipation, you sure are one plugged up dude. You might be more easy going if you switched to Cap'n Crunch. As it is now, you jump to a lot of unwarranted conclusions. But, since you're clearly so talented in all you do, I'll defer to your wisdom, expertise and superior knowledge from your two trips on the ICW as against my 49 or whatever it is now, I can't recall and it isn't important.
FYI, most bridge tenders on the ICW still allow you to go through under sail. Out of curiosity, how long did those trips take you to get south?
btw, I ride a classic Gold Wing, and my last car was an 81 280ZX, which followed a 74 TR6, so I "get" classics.
@@WallyMoran As I anticipated, you are incapable of having a discussion without name calling and inappropriate comments. Your interpretation of my response stating boat size, not the number of transits is indicative of your inability to comprehend. So you’re a forty-inner…how boring. I hope those that follow this thread draw their own conclusions and take your advice with a grain of salt before paying you to escort them.
soooooo... earth flat? lol