The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW)

Five days and 200 miles on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) take us from Titusville to Key Biscayne, where we plan to cross the Gulf Stream to Bimini.

Sailing Bliss

Fair Winds Sailing Partners

The ICW is a famous journey and destination for many sailors.  It changes from wide open water with small towns to a narrow channel with ultra-urban cities with lots of bridges.  The water changes from tannic brown to sea green.  As you go south you see incredible wealth, huge mansions and even huger yachts.  The guide book speaks of conspicuous consumption and you can see it left and right!  One mansion has a golden replica of Winged Victory in its front yard. The gardens, pools, lawn furniture, statues of amazing creativity – one has life sized giraffe statues, others have nautical themes, each one seems to outdo the previous.  Most have super yachts along their seawall. It is a different world! Still, all along are pristine wetlands that are environmentally protected public lands preserved for current and future generations to enjoy nature as it was. 

Huge mansions and huger yachts

Miami under one of many bridges

One of many Miami skylines

Miami - Emerald City of the ICW

Ultra Urban Residences

Pristine areas all along the ICW

Golden Winged Victory

We sailed a lot the first 3 days with an east northeast wind of 15-20 knots, sailing 5-6 knots. We actually had to reef the jib and did not need to use the main sail. This is what sailing in season is like! There are many boats going south and few (almost none) going north, much like I-95 with cars this time of year. Lots of big yachts and trawlers. Lots of sailboats.  We mostly motored the last 2 days because of 39 bridges! All fairly close, about 2-4 miles apart, and opening on a schedule that requires 6-7 knots which is faster than we typically go.  Fly Away hull speed is 6 knots! To go 7 knots lowers our stern and we take on water in the drains, not a lot and not bad, but not good either. 

Each bridge is unique – height, width, and design.  One bridge looks like a Disney castle and another bridge is ultra-modern like something in a futuristic James Bond movie.  Fly Away and Fair Winds travel well together for each bridge opening. One bridge is 55 feet and with tide level shows 54 foot clearance and Fair Winds is 55 feet above water so must wait for an opening while Fly Away at 47 feet tall can sail through.  That works because the next bridge is too far for us to reach if we wait, so Fair Winds motors faster and we meet up at the next bridge.  One other famous bridge is the Julia Tuttle, at 56 feet, Fair Winds must sail the side span not the center which has a lower clearance.  All ICW bridges that are fixed must be a minimum 65 feet but when the Tuttle was built the specs were transposed to 56! A serious uh-oh.

Fair Winds approaching Ocean Ave Bridge - Disney castles

Futuristic 17th Street Bridge

Fair Winds under side span of Julia Tuttle Bridge

We have good luck with anchorages along the way.  They are conveniently spaced and protected as we like to be anchored by 4:30 pm as sunset is 5:30 pm. Short days! We pulled off the ICW about ¼ mile just north of Sebastian Inlet, then anchored off Harbour Town Marina in Ft. Pierce (where we stayed coming in from Bimini in October).  The third night was huge protected anchorage at the north tip of Lake Worth and then we just pulled off ICW at Lake Lettuce in Boca Raton area.  (where Daryl’s phone popped out of his pocket and into the 12 foot water when we weighed anchor, ugh) Our last night of the ICW took us to Dinner Key a city marina where we planned to get a mooring ball, shower, do laundry, refill diesel and water, and go out to a restaurant to eat!  Unfortunately, it was so rough that Jean and Gordon couldn’t pick up the mooring and all the other boats were crashing and rocking.  So we checked with Coconut Grove Sailing Club where Jeff and Elise stayed for a few months on their cruise.  It’s well protected and has nice amenities, even a boat taxi service from your boat to shore and back. After not reaching them on phone or VHF radio, we motor to their dock to see if we can get a mooring.  Daryl rounds the last buoy marker to let me off at the dock, when, bamm! We go hard aground.  I take the boat hook and sure enough – it's shallow, feels like mud, not sand, not rock.  We rev the motor back and forth, fly a sail to heel over and then Gordie pulls us, but couldn’t get purchase, no luck.  Ugh, we continue to rock and pivot and about 20 minutes later success! Free!  So much for new bottom paint on the keel, but luckily, it is an all lead keel, and no permanent damage.   No Coconut Grove or Dinner Key for us, we motor 3 miles east to the safety and comfort of Key Biscayne.  It is a most pleasant anchorage. It is here that we discover that our 5’6” draft may not be able to navigate the approach to Angelfish Creek pass.  Angelfish Creek pass is the best position to cross to Bimini and maximize the Gulf Stream northerly current of 4 knots at the its apex.  So we decide to cross from Key Biscayne, and we reposition ourselves to the southern tip, at Bill Baggs State Park and No Name Harbor, and had a serendipitously nice day exploring by bike and hiked up the lighthouse, 42 stories.  

Bimini is approximately due east, so we won’t be sailing against the current, but we won’t be helped by it either.  Fair Winds is ok with the change as they can power across it better than we can.  We are monitoring the weather for a good window to cross and fortunately for us it seems to be favorable Friday to Sunday.  We plan to leave 4 pm Friday and arrive about 4-6 am Saturday morning. 

Looking forward to a safe crossing!