Our mission is to provide resources, seminars and events to both current and aspiring cruisers interested in experiencing the ICW. Through our team of experts, we bring you the most up-to-date, comprehensive network of knowledge and support to help make your trip down the ICW as fun and stress-free as possible.
Last April, my wife, Marjorie, and I decided to take our Tartan 4100, Meri, north to Maryland from her winter home in Hobe Sound, Florida. This, in turn, meant deciding whether to stay in the “Ditch” for the duration or go offshore part of the way. Although we had both been ...read more
Dawho Creek STM 495 has been a growing area of concern. It has shoaled to less than 6 feet at MLLW and you do not have to be far of course to see less than 5 feet. There are USACE surveys through Dawho Creek from the fall of 2017. They show a deep-water route to the north of the ...read more
13. Ramshorn Creek STM 570 As you pass G39 and R40 there are reports of shoaling near the red. It is recommended that you stay on the green side if your draft is over 6 feet. On our track on the green side, we saw 7.3 feet MLLW. A deep draft sailboat with us was too close to the ...read more
12. Hell Gate STM 602 The very name of this short ¾ mile stretch of the ICW strikes fear into the hearts of many cruisers. It needn’t. While at 3’7” it is the shallowest section of the ICW we have seen, with 7 to 8 feet of tidal range, it is very easy to plan your transit with ...read more
2018 ICW Southern GA, STM 684 to STM 640 Note: We use Navionics Sonar Charts in parallel with our chart plotter for navigating the ICW. They are another tool to have at your navigation station, they are pretty accurate, and much more detailed and accurate bathymetry than NOAA or ...read more
As the northbound migration begins, we are getting some early reports on conditions along the ICW. The overall impression this spring is that after the damages caused by the hurricanes, the winter storms have apparently not made too many additional changes. There is even some ...read more
The ICW trouble spots develop anywhere an inlet or river crosses the ICW. At every change of the current, sand moves into and out of the ICW channel. Most of the changes are gradual. Whether gradual, or cataclysmic due to passing storms, you do want to have up to date ...read more
Whether you are in the planning stages for a southbound ICW cruise in 2018 or you are looking at a northbound trip this spring, it is important to know where the shallow spots are along the ICW. It is wise to mark your charts and familiarize yourself with these so that you are ...read more
After hurricane Irma bashed through Florida and the southeastern coast of Georgia and South Carolina, significant damage to infrastructure has been reported. Damage to marinas and other facilities is relatively easy to see and report. There are several resources to track the ...read more
If you’re planning to sail south to warmer climes, the first thing you’ll learn is that there’s a lot to learn—about passage planning, about preparing your boat, about the exotic places you want to visit, about staying in touch with home. SAIL’s Sailing South seminar—taking place ...read more
Planning to head south? Don’t miss SAIL Magazine’s Sailing South all-day seminar in Annapolis this October. A star-studded line-up of speakers will help you plan your great escape to the sunshine. Sunday, October 8 9AM-4PM, Naval Academy Club 2 Truxtun Road, Annapolis, ...read more
Where to Go The Naval Academy Club at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The Naval Academy Club is located at 2 Truxtun Road, Annapolis, Maryland 21402. Personal cars are not permitted on Academy grounds. Enter the United States Naval Academy on foot at the ...read more
SAIL Magazine’s seminar on sailing south for the winter is packed with essential tips from expert cruisers. Whether you’re looking at cruising down the ICW or sailing offshore, you’ll learn how to get to Florida, the Bahamas, Cuba and the Caribbean safely and enjoyably. Come ...read more
ICW, by Tom HaleCaribbean, by Andy Schell & Mia Karlsson $175 per couple $95 per person If using Firefox, please use the link at the bottom of the page. Thank you! Traveling along the ICW is a great way to explore the Atlantic coastline as you move your boat south to warmer ...read more
A decade ago, here in the pages of SAIL, I wrote of my experiences with the inaugural Classic Boat Rally fleet as it sailed along the Intracoastal Waterway from Savannah, Georgia, to Charleston, South Carolina. It was a six-day cruise that led the boats through some of the ...read more
As far as fleets go, the collection of boats that greeted me as I motored into Hampton, Virginia, in late October was as varied as they come: sloops, cutters, catamarans, a trawler and even a trailer-sailer, all geared up and ready for an adventure. I had brought our Norlin 34, ...read more
“In a cold world you need your friends to keep you warm.” Recognize that line? It was used to promote the 1983 film The Big Chill, which ultimately spawned the hit TV series Thirtysomething. That movie, made even more famous by its soundtrack, was filmed only a few blocks from ...read more
South Bound with the Snowbirds: In my mind I’ve gone to (north) Carolina Cruising guide authors Mark and Diana Doyle, co-leaders of the upcoming SAIL Magazine Snowbird Rally, continue their eight-part tour of the Intracoastal Waterway. In this third installment they highlight ...read more
Yes, you read that right! The Intracoastal Waterway is indeed a sailor’s paradise. Last October we left Hampton VA as part of SAIL’s ICW Snowbird Rally, and didn’t refuel until we hit New Smyrna, Florida. That’s a long, long way and we made 80 percent of the journey under sail. ...read more
Cruising guide authors Mark and Diana Doyle, co-leaders of the upcoming SAIL Magazine Snowbird Rally, continue their eight-part tour of the Intracoastal Waterway. In this second installment they describe one of their favorite runs, the Great Dismal Swamp. Since the ICW south ...read more
Like many sailors, my wife, Cristina, and I cruise our local waters on the Chesapeake every chance we get. Like many sailors we have also long dreamed how wonderful it would be to one day just keep on going and not return to the marina on Sunday—that someday we would be able to ...read more
Paul & Sheryl Shard, cruisers extraordinaire As producers of the award-winning “Distant Shores” TV series, Paul and Sheryl Shard have cruised more than 100,000 miles around the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean seas. Not only are they highly experienced cruisers with a ...read more
Cruising guide authors Mark and Diana Doyle, co-leaders of the upcoming SAIL Magazine Snowbird Rally, take us on an eight-part tour of the Intracoastal Waterway. In their first installment, they begin in Hampton Roads and transit Virginia Cut (Route 1) to the sounds of North ...read more
Paradise lies just west of ICW mile marker 173 on the Neuse River in North Carolina, about a mile up Broad Creek. It’s not hard to find, but you do have to look for it. Once you get there, you’ll agree. River Dunes is paradise. Grace Harbor, River Dunes’s manmade 26-acre basin ...read more
