Larry wrote:

"Armond Perretta" wrote in
:

Really? Have you actually _tried_ it, or are you relying on a set of
assumptions? The "boat" thing, of course.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://home.comcast.net/~kerrydeare



Motored the ICW from about Wilmington to the ditch down the E Coast of
FL....BORING...except when the 6' keel was dragging and snagging the crap
on the bottom from no dredging. Florida was awful....a constant series of
no-wake zones to protect the manatees who are overrunning the place. The
"channel" at Lake Worth was very noteworthy. 6' is too much draft for it.

If you have only done Wilmington NC south, you have missed the best
part - namely the sounds of NC (Albemarle and Elizabeth City) and the
Chesapeake. And you've picked the worst place to go - i.e. the E.
coast of Florida, which except for the ocean side of the Keys and some
places in the Indian River area are absolutely horrible.

It's pretty here in SC, but after you've seen 1 mile of swamp, you've
pretty much seen the next 100, unless you count the dock owners screaming
and shaking their fists as you RACE by at 6 knots. How many swamp reeds
can you look at per mile?

Nope...just point me N up 80W until we see Kiawah Island and we'll be close
to home in no time....
Boats belong OFFSHORE in the OCEAN, not in someone's backwater bathtub.

grandma Rosalie

Larry wrote:
"Armond Perretta" wrote ...

Let's back up a bit. Didn't you just say one or two posts ago that
boats belong offshore? When did you change your position and admit
what I've been saying all along in this thread?

Our original conversation was dealing with "ICW Anchorage Listing", a
trip up (or down, depending on your reference I suppose) The Ditch.
There are parts of it that meander way around South of Charleston in
fairly pristine "Low Country", as the Chamber of Commerce prefers we
call the SWAMPS we call home. The basis was to TRAVEL, not enjoy at
leisure, from Nawth to Flo'da, as Yankees are inclined to do...

Eureka moment. What seems to be the issue is that, never having actually
"cruised" the ICW except for what appears to be a hasty and time-constrained
delivery, you have come away with the impression that _all_ ICW travel
resembles your rather unpleasant experience. My sympathies, old sport.

Anyone who tries, day after day, to make the requisite 50 miles and never
stops to explore is missing the essence of the trip. Obviously one cannot
explore the entire route in depth on a single cruise. The weather is one's
clock. It takes many visits, and at the right time of year, to eventually
grasp nature's entire offering.

For this trip, just leave me offshore ...

Every time I've traveled the ICW I've encountered an individual who starts
out with: "We're goin' offshore." There is usually a faint odor of
testosterone associated with the individual making this remark. Sometimes I
advise this individual that it's really difficult to see the blue herons or
brown pelicans from 47 miles offshore. As often as not, I later encounter
this individual further south, where his wife is seen unloading her bags
and preparing to fly home.

[ ... offshore pleasures snipped ... ]

No argument that sailing offshore has its own rewards. Having done about
75,000 miles there I would have to agree. Yet my own experience has led me
to value the special offerings of the ICW as well as the sometime serenity
of sailing away from land.

AS for the trip upriver to anchor out in some deserted estuary mouth
so far away from the marked channel you see no blinking lights to
spoil your latest book chapter after a fine meal.....that's a
different topic altogether.

The Low Country isn't the only place where this can happen. Try Cuba, Nova
Scotia, many creeks on the Chesapeake, Roque Island, etc., etc.

Y'all need to git out a bit, son.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://home.comcast.net/~kerrydeare