Navigation
Red, right returning to Miami so on the way south, red is on the right (but remember when you leave the ICW & go up or down a river or sound, the colours/buoys may reverse)
Hey diddle diddle, stay in the middle (of the channel)
Red & Green, stay between.
Take paper charts & cruising guide (chart books available from Amazon & eBAY) Skipper Bob publications are excellent
Redundancy & back-up systems are important. Have 2 installed & working depth finders & 2 GPS units, one with laptop or chart plotter
Along the ICW channels, between Green & Green & between Red & Red, there are often crab pot floats marking the extremity of the channel on each side. Don’t pass over the line formed by the crab pots. In theChesapeake
The ICW is on average 14 feet deep plus or minus 10 feet. In a channel, go down the middle unless the cruising guide says different but keep testing right or left for deeper water Turn back to the opposite side whenever you are getting shallower & test the depth there.
In shoaling areas, go slow so if you hit, you may be able to back off without assistance. Kedging also is an option (to keep you busy) while waiting for Tow Boat US.
The depths going down the ICW is often like those twisting along the NSC entrance channel into Lac Deschenes in late August only the land may be much farther away & there may be shallow water, sandbars breaking the surface & grass islands as far as the eye can see.
Follow the marks, not the chart plotter. Since the channels shift with the currents & tides, the buoys are often relocated to different spots where the channel is deepest.
Deportment
- Be extremely polite & nice to lock & bridge operators. Never criticize their “calls” on timing or holding bridge openings or telling you to “wait for the next opening” on the VHF radio. If you do, every bridge & lock operator will know you by your boat name & services they provide to you might suffer.
Many bridges have timed openings (e.g.on the hour & half hour) & some are "on request", NEVER "on demand."
Communications
You have to provide your boat name to every bridge & lock operator by VHF radio. It is to your advantage to select a name for your boat that is easy to spell & understand. (a name made up from your 3 kids names & the dog’s may be cute but if you can’t make it understood easily, choose something else)
Get a US cell phone (a Canadian cell phone used in the US is a VERY expensive option, about $1.50 local plus $0.50 toll) Tracfone offers 10 cents a minute for local or US or Cdn long distance & 10 cents a minute to 20 other countries. You can buy Tracfone in Wal-Mart. (They will use the store address as your address. Mine showsFulton ,NY
Have an installed VHF radio base unit (rated 25 watts) in the cabin with masthead or equivalent antenna (a remote mic/controller to the helm is a nice option) plus a VHF handheld for short range communications. You need both.
Have a laptop with WiFi built in & if possible WiFi range extender/booster. Skype (or Magic Jack or equivalent) provides for unlimited calls inCanada
Consider getting a Mobile Internet Plan if you insist on having internet every day & don't mind paying $60/month for a Verizon Wireless Mobile Internet 5 GB Plan. (or ATT) You could then use it too for Skype or Magic Jack to make & receive telephone calls while in the US.
Throw in a couple of FRS radios since if you & your crew split up in town, you can call each other to arrange when to go back to the boat.
- Buy US Tow Boat insurance before you go. (about $150 Cdn annually) Covers costs when (not if) you run aground. Don’t leave home without it!
- Get add on medical insurance (for federal Public Service – Johnson’s & get top-up policy to cover you & spouse/family after first 40 days out-of-province/country till you return)
- You need a navigation endorsement to take your boat south of the
Tappan Zee Bridge
Power & Heat
You will need a 1 Kw generator (Wal-Mart in US &Canada Carolinas . You can plug in at marinas or you can also use the generator to power an electric heater at an anchorage.
Put in a LED anchor light and if possible, “warm” LED cabin lights (the anchor light will be on virtually every night & so will the cabin lights, particularly in the Fall so you might as well save battery power) Buy them on eBay (3 watt, hi power, for about $8 each)
You should consider two battery banks. A starting battery as #1 (I use a group 27 & the house batteries for #2 (I use 2 - 4D’s in parallel with about 220 amp hours).
Get a sun shower & fill it whenever possible with fresh water & have it heating on deck each day for use when you anchor each afternoon/evening.
Entertainment
It will be dark by 5:30 & you will be anchored (or better be) by then in the Fall. The evenings are long so you need to think of something to do so if you have WiFi Internet connectivity, you can get current TV shows in the US via HULU (or others) on laptops (i.e. Simpsons, Numb3rs, Medium, etc)
You need a TV antenna & a US digital TV set (preferably LCD set since they are more compact. Better to get a LCD TV & DVD combo & bring some DVDs. You will be in some remote anchorages along the way - little or no off-air TV, cell phone, WiFi, etc) and many marinas have boaters who will trade pocket books & DVDs.
Money & Cash
- Put every purchase on plastic. Do on-line banking for the unexpected charges/purchases & set up auto-debit for recurring charges to your account before you leave home (gas, hydro, city taxes, phone, etc) Since you won’ always have Interent, you can’t depend on paying using “on-line” banking when you want to.
- There are ATMs at many stops in the
US - Get a roll of US quarters ($10) in food stores/ customer service to use in Laundromats, buses, etc
Cooking & Propane
You always run out of propane at the most in-opportune times. Have a second smaller tank that you can switch to while you are waiting / searching for a fill up spot. (It’s now relatively hard to find a propane filling station since most spots have gone to the tank exchange option. U Haul & trailer shops usually have tank fill operations.
Buy a fold up cart you can bring with you to carry groceries, laundry & propane tanks. You can’t carry it all. XS Cargo has them in Ottawa/Merivale Road for $15.
Dingys
Virtually all boats have an inflatable dingy with a motor. A motor is required if you ever expect to get back to your boat in many of the areas where there are substantial currents, likeNew York City
We had davits on our boat & either enjoyed about a ½ knot advantage over those that pulled their dingys (or saved a bit on diesel since there wasn’t drag from towing it) Davits are nice to have but not essential.
Sails
We probably had our genoa out about 30% of the time when it helped pull us along keeping us at 6 knots. We didn’t use our main. So, don’t bring along extra sails. The room they take up could better be used for almost anything else.
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