The ICW

We are currently cruising north on the East coast of the USA along the ICW, the Intracostal Waterway, a system of rivers, lakes and canals that stretches over a thousand miles from Florida to the Chesapeake Bay.


Controlling depths vary from 7 to 12ft. Non-opening bridges have a 65ft clearance with one exception at 56ft in Miami. (The latter can be passed by a brief stretch in the ocean). Other bridges open on demand or to a published schedule. Bridge operators can be contacted on either vhf channel 13 or 9.

An excellent resource for those wishing to make this trip can be found by clicking here.

Our intention is to go to New York via the Chesapeake Bay both in the ICW or “Ditch”, and in the ocean. In early June we cut out most of Georgia, and four days on the ICW, by sailing in the Atlantic ocean. Four years ago we spent days winding through the beautiful grasslands of Georgia, breathtaking but felt like we only made about a mile an hour.