Miami - Nantucket live on Webcam...

4'2" shoudl be easy...

there is a lot of "noise" made about the ICW but it's really not as bad as it seems. Pay attention, stick to the middle of the channel when possible, dont' take shortcuts and watch the sounder.

from my notes...
-the entry to the ICW northbound in Charleston harbor was a little shallower than expected but we still found 8'MLW...

Here are my notes on Shallote and Lockwoods folly:
We got to Shallotte just past low tide (45' past Low) and this is what we found on center except otherwise noted:

17' at 82
12' 100yards so of 81
12' at 81
17'' North of 81
19' at 80
17' at 78
20' at 77
13' at 76, about 30' from 76
13' at 75, about 5' from 75

We hit Lockwoods Folly 1:45 past low tide and here is what we found

12' south of 48
11' at 47A and 47
16' north 47
18' from 46 to 41
11' just south of 36
17' at 33

Again all on center. USCG Blackberry was repositioning one of the reds.

-Cape Fear River to Snows Cut: stay in the channel and you'll be fine, pleny of water there despite reports of grounding.

- New River/ICW was dredged earlier and not an issue

- Northern end of Alligator river: i dont' know what the fuss is all about with guys running aground there... jsut follow the markers (some charts and plotters are outdated at FL G 3 has been moved) but if you follow the markers, there is plenty of water. non issue

the key is really to stay in the center when you get to "trouble" spots like inlet crossings and slow down in those areas. When i get to 3 to 4' water UNDER the boat, i am usually at idle. under 2' of clerance and i bump in and out of gear, one engine at a time...

going slow also lets you feel the bottom... for instance when it gets a little shallow you can alter course a little and see what happens to your depths. if it shallows more, then you know that the deeper water will be on the other side. if you just plow thru a 10kts+, you'll be aground before you know it.

you also have the rockpile up in Myrtle beach but again stick to the middle and it's no big deal. unless of course you have to cross a barge... but there is very little commercial traffic. we rarely encountered more than one barge a day last month.
 
Having done that stretch going south and coming back north this past 7 months, I can say Pascal's synopsis is pretty good. Just don't take anything for granted, and keep the tide as your friend. Ironically it might be better to go through the Rockpile at lower tide when the ledges are more visible. On the way back, we decided to go outside from Little River to Southport NC mostly for a change of pace, and we hadn't found that area of NC particularly memorable. Likewise Masonboro to Morehead. But for your first time, stay inside, it is much more interesting at least once, and you can judge for yourself. If you go outside to Southport, do not try to cut the corner back in to the Caper Fear River. In any of these areas, don't hesitate to call your towing provider for guidance; we found Towboat US very helpful.

The Waccamaw River above Georgetown (a nice port of call by the way) is one of the most beautiful parts of the entire ICW. Anchor out in Bull Creek or stay at one of the local marinas and explore a bit. Stock up on the local sausage at Bucksport.

You will probably want to watch the conditions when crossing Pamlico, and especially Albemarle Sounds. I've been across them dead flat and darn nasty. A lot of boats will lay back on either end until things calm down.

We did this in a 56 footer (61LOA) with 5 foot draft. I can fill you in on more anchorages and ports of call.

A great resource for the Carolinas portion is cruisernet.com, I wouldn't make the trip without it. We use both Clairborne Young's books as well as the Waterway Guides.

It is a wonderful trip!

George
 
George which waterway guides? We have Skipper Bob and some of the data within it regarding Jersey has been questioned.
 
"- Northern end of Alligator river: i dont' know what the fuss is all about with guys running aground there... jsut follow the markers"

I think the problem there like may places with skinny water just outside the channel is the fact that many people never look back behind them to see if they are really lined up in the channel.

I can't tell you how many times charterers on the West coast of Florida used to tell me they ran aground "right in the channel" in an area that I knew for a fact had plenty of water in the channel. They only looked ahead never behind to see that they were actually just outside the channel if you lined up the markers in front and behind them.

Also an awful lot of people don't seem to know how to read the signs that their boat may be giving them that they have moved into or are on the edge of shallow water and are perhaps about to go aground.
 
They're called just that, the Waterway Guide. You'd want the Mid-Atlantic 2008 for your trip. Very comprehensive. Runs about 40 bucks.

As for following the channel, it does just take diligence. There are spots when you take your eye off the ball, so to speak for just a moment, Mr. Neptune will bite your butt.

George

Anchored in Oyster Bay, LI, nice spot!
 
quote:
Originally posted by caltexfla

....
Anchored in Oyster Bay, LI, nice spot!

Click to expand...
George
Your in a great spot in our backyard, depending on where you are you can dink to 3 towns, Oyster bay, Bayville or Cold Springs Harbor
We are in the next harbor east, Huntington, let me know if you need any thing
 
boy, this thread just won't die! :-)

saturday we went out and came back late, around midnight or so...maybe that's what you saw. yesterday sunday the boat was in the slip... we went sailing with the hobie :-)

btw, stay tuned, the fall views should be interesting... working on the exact schedule but Charmer has a slip booked up here in Miami for the winter. trying to put together some charter specials on the Charmer website (yes, the boat has its own site too... ) for the trip south at attractive rates since it will be done during the relocation trip.
 
Looks like nice weather for a bike ride Pascal..
BTW, any upcoming trips planned?
 
I dont' know what image you're looking at since i just reconnected the webcam here on my boat a few minutes ago... the last image captured before that was yesterday from the helm of Charmer on the hard in Fairhaven MA, where the yard is doing some service before the trip south.

I'm flying back up on tuesday, for the launch and will start heading south after that...
 
Fairhaven Shipyard, which I hear has been bought by Kelley's but I can't confirm that.
 
Hello Nancy,

I thought that it was the Shipyard, but I wasn't sure.

There was a recent transaction, finalized in August, but it's the other way around. Fairhaven Shipyard purchased D.N. Kelley & Son, making the Shipyard a major boat(ship)yard in the area.

Click here for additional information:
http://tinyurl.com/3g9f2o
 
Bill,

Thanks for straightening me out on that! I've heard good things about the Fairhaven Yard.
 
Kelley has been bought by Fairhaven Shipyard, so it's now the same thing. They have two yards called Fairhaven Shipyard South and North (the old Kelley). we're at the north yard. They seem to be very professional and know what they're doing.
 
I have been wanting to do the loop and want to have the live web cam myself, just not sure how, can anyone point me in the right direction???
 
I was going to say "just ask Bill" since he ran one to last month :-)

it's real easy... get a USB cam (under $100), Active Webcam from PYsoft ($20) and an air card from ATT, Verizon, or sprint... ($50 to $100 for the card, $60 a month) for internet access.

I like ActiveCam from PYsoft because it's cheap, you can try it first, and it's highly customizable.
 
cool thank you I thought it was some big operation that I had to do,, wow We will for surely be adding that to the loop trip TY

oh yeah and this would also be good for security when not on the boat...How many cams can you have on a once
 
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