ICW suggestions?

T

tparrent

New member
A couple of weeks ago here that I had a Maine sailing vacation canceled right before I was set to leave. That has left me with a bunch of vacation at year end (no time to take it before then). For the first time in my entire career, I have actually counted the days I took so far this year and plan to use every single remaining day off due to me. Guess that cancellation was a little demotivating. Yup.

Now this has not exactly been a banner year for those of us tied to the mortgage industry. Given that, I am trying to be somewhat parsimonious and not spend a fortune on a long vacation to Tahiti or some other exotic place. My short trip down to Charleston showed me that there are certainly areas nearby worth exploring and I Don't Have To Go Through Airport Security :D

So I am thinking about a late December vacation along the ICW and am looking for suggestions. I would take my 18 year old daughter and charter a boat (or buy a bigger C Dory - no sense letting this parsimonious thing get out of control :D )and spend about a week on the trip.

I live in the Raleigh area so I can drive to anyplace from the Chesapeake to Florida without much hassle. Of course, December on the Chesapeake doesn't sound appealing. Christmas time in Florida sounds even less appealing (unless it's a rock concert, I REALLY don't like crowds!). The Outer Banks might be ok but it would likely be nippy here. South Carolina looked nice. I've heard real nice things about Georgia.

I would appreciate any suggestions. I prefer grassy marshes, flat water and quiet anchorages. I suppose we would stop at interesting towns for the occasional meal and bookstore but, for the most part, we would likely stay Out There.

Thanks!
 
I'm not sure by reading your post if you have ruled out FL as a cruising ground in December. If not, I have a few suggestions.
Pine Island Sound on the west coast near Ft Myers is a pretty body of water with a few islands to explore like Cayo Costa, Cabbage Key, Gasparilla, Sanibel and Captiva.
For solitude go south from there to the Thousand Islands, Everglades and Florida Bay.
I'm partial to my home waters of the Indian River Lagoon. Although the water is not clear like on the west coast, still 156 miles of coastal ICW cruising.
Biscayne Bay near Miami is nice but you don't like the crowds.
Don't forget how close The Bahamas are to us on the east coast of FL. Given the choice of any of these destinations I vote for a crossing to Abaco or Bimini.
 
I strongly suggest that you take a trip down the St.Johns River in Flordia. You could leave your truck and trailer safely at Astor Landing Camp grounds. There is a terrific ramp right down the road at Astor bridge. You can go to Hontoon Island , Go on to Sanford Florida or go the other way and go through Palatka and Welaka . No large crowds just nature at it's best ! Oh and of course you can go to St.Augstine as well...just a thought. We have spent two or three weeks on the St.Johns river in Dec and Jan. Course we had a 25 C-Dory. We would go back down in a heart beat again if we had time ! LOL Oh and if you have time Murphy's Creek, Lake George and Silver Glen Springs are a total treat !
 
How could I forget the St John's River? In April we spent five days cruising the ICW from IRL to Jacksonville then down to Sanford. Left the boat there and rented a car to go back to work for a few days. Stayed at the Boat Tree Marina. I think it was $15/night with BoatUS discount.
Went back to spend another five days exploring. We went down (north) the dead river to Lake Woodruff and into Spring Lake to visit Ponce De Leon Spring. We were the only boaters there.
We motored way up Alexander Springs Run and Juniper Springs Run until we ran out of water or were forced to stop for a deadfall. Salt Springs is accessible by C-Dory. We stopped at the town dock of Welaka for lunch.
The St John's gets shallow and narrower past Lake Harney but still travels for over a hundred miles south.
To do the upper (southern) portion of the river I launched my other boat, a SeaPearl 21 cat ketch sailboat at US192 and ended at Sanford. Took me another five days. Your boat needs to be light enough to portage over an airboat ramp that bypasses a dam and be able to row/paddle/pole over shallows. Makes you think you are miles away from civilisation in Central Florida.
 
We boat around Charlotte Harbor in SW Florida around XMAS time. Most of the time is not too cold or many storms. Fishing is good, too and lots of places to explore
 
In February 2010 I launched at Astor, FL for a leisurely two week trip on the St. John's River. Motored down to Sanford, then returned north to Jacksonville and south on the ICW to Ormond Beach, FL (only 40 miles east of Astor where I'd left the truck; I hitchhiked back to Astor). ...not quite a "loop" trip, but close.

It was nice to boat in (mostly) calm, protected water's with little regard for wx issues, although it was surprisingly Cold (make sure you're prepared for colder-than-expected wx). Jacksonville was pretty "busy," but I was there on a Sunday morning so it's wasn't too bad.

For a one week trip, omitting the leg from Astor to Sanford and back would make the trip comfortably doable in the time allotted, and you'd not be retracing your route. On the ICW you'll find numerous areas where you must go Slow - but that just adds to the leisurely aspect!

If you decide on this route send me an email and I can provide more detail (anchorages, free dockage, etc).

Best,
Casey
 
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