On 2008-10-02 02:34:26 -0400, Wayne.B said:

On Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:18:36 GMT, Jere Lull wrote:

Mum hasn't seen much of the ICW yet, and that's a magical place.
Florida is boring when directly compared.

We've done almost all of the Atlantic ICW, and while I'd agree that
there are some great places along the way, I would not trade for
Florida.

How much Florida boating have you done ? There are countless miles
here of the greatest and most diverse boating you could imagine.

Hmmm. This could be a bit of factor of what type of cruising each of us likes.

I tend towards wild areas that could be what the original explorers
saw. Pat likes to see the pretty houses along the shore, sometimes
likes to visit the historical structures accessible from some
anchorages, but of late she has easily been overloaded and asks to get
away from the modernity.

The stories I've heard of the ICW in FL don't sound real fun with all
those bridges. Sailing down the shoreline gets boring fast, too.
Biscayne Bay was pretty cool, though.


--
Jere Lull
Xan-à-Deux -- Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD
Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

On Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:16:55 GMT, Jere Lull wrote:

The stories I've heard of the ICW in FL don't sound real fun with all
those bridges. Sailing down the shoreline gets boring fast, too.
Biscayne Bay was pretty cool, though.

The bridges on the Florida (Atlantic) ICW don't get to be a real
problem until south of Palm Beach. Prior to that bridges are
relatively few in number and open on reasonable schedules. There is
also some nice scenery in open spaces along the way, as well as many
areas developed with beautiful homes. It's a mixed bag. Going
outside along the beach can be interesting enough as long as you stay
close in. I prefer less than 400 yards weather permitting.

From Palm Beach south on the ICW you are going through major
population centers. The ICW is dotted with the mega-mansions of the
global rich and famous. It is scenic enough in that respect but
there are lots of bridges, and most are on restricted schedules. The
preferred route south to Miami is outside along the beach.

After Miami lies Biscayne Bay and the Keys, both rich with scenery
and cruising opportunities, too numerous to describe. Suffice to say,
a lot of people have cruised to the Keys and forgotten to leave.

Going back north on the west side of FL you enter the waters of
Everglades Park, one of the truly great wilderness areas of the
country. During January and February you can cruise many miles back
into the interior and see no signs of civilization at all. Nada.
This area is a great test of ability to fend for yourself because you
are out of cell phone and VHF range with the world. The only
communications are via HF/SSB radio or sat phone. If you need SeaTow
they will have to come 40 miles north from the Keys or 60 miles south
from Everglades City. They will charge you dearly even if a member.
If not a member, re-mortgage your house. On the Everglades coast
there are miles of beautiful, totally deserted beaches, typically with
nary a soul within miles. There are a few places where beach camping
is approved but with a little discretion you could camp anywhere.

Going further north up the west coast you come to the Ten Thousand
Islands area, Everglades City, Marco Island, Naples, Ft Myers Beach,
the Okeechobee Waterway, Sanibel Island, Captiva(s), Cayo Costa, Boca
Grande, etc. - some of the finest cruising you could imagine but I
can't talk about it in a public forum. :-)

We have not yet cruised the Panhandle and its ICW but the reports we
get are excellent.

Lest I forget, from the east coast of FL it is an easy one or two day
sail over to the Bahamas and a whole other cruising paradise that
attracts boats and people from all over the world.