My wife and I have just begun talking about this....

rrhodes

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 24, 2008
Messages
636
Re: My wife and I have just begun talking about this....

Holy crap that is a long trip.......!!!!!!!!!!!!

How long would that run take?
 

dbkerley

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
443
Re: My wife and I have just begun talking about this....

3 1/2 months to a year depending on how fast you go. I'm looking at doing it in segments.
 

jeffnick

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 24, 2004
Messages
695
Re: My wife and I have just begun talking about this....

When would you be going? How long at a time? What kind of boat?
 

dbkerley

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
443
Re: My wife and I have just begun talking about this....

I don't know yet. Like the thread said, "We just started talking about it". Currently, I have a couple of boats and the most likely candidate right now is an AristoCraft 19 for the initial river run.
 

jeffnick

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 24, 2004
Messages
695
Re: My wife and I have just begun talking about this....

I ask because we've been thinking about picking up some of the stretches we've missed.

We've done the ICW from Norfolk to Key West (including the Bahamas). And have made the trip to Ft Myers both via Flordia Bay and Lake Okeechobee. We've run the Gulf ICW up to Anclote Key and cruised from Carabelle to Dauphin Island. We've done some of the Mississippi near New Orleans but can't say we're fond of the levees and lack of small boat services.

We've done some Tennesee River (Knoxville to Nickajack), all of Lake Barkley/Kentucky Lake. Some waters around Nashville.

Lake Michigan from Calumet Harbor to Chicago both inside and out, then up to Detroit Harbor on Washington Island taking in every harbor on the way.

We crewed on a sailboat from Sodus Bay to New York via the Barge Canal system, then on to Beaufort NC.

Most of the cruises were on our current boat, an 18 foot cuddy,
mermer.jpg

others were on our 27' sailboat
T2-1.jpg

or our 35' trawler.
TrawlerSide.jpg


The section we're looking at next is a small loop from Albany to Montreal then down the St L to L Ontario, in at Oswego and back to Albany.

Keep us posted on your plans, maybe we can share a fender somewhere.
 

Blue Crabber

Ensign
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Messages
966
Re: My wife and I have just begun talking about this....

Man that looks awesome. I would love to have a boat that could handle doing that someday!

It was neat reading the blog on the website you posted. Sounds like a neat trip.

If you decide to do it, good luck and enjoy every minute!
 

dbkerley

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
443
Re: My wife and I have just begun talking about this....

I have got such a long way to go before I feel confident enough to start locking through and anchoring overnight in areas where there may be barge traffic.

We have always just done little day trips before. Lots to learn. I'm going to shoot for this time next year to run at least a significant portion of the river leg.

The logistics of moving the truck and trailer to drop off and pick up may be a real chore.
 

jeffnick

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 24, 2004
Messages
695
Re: My wife and I have just begun talking about this....

I've often thought a hop-scotch trip would be nice. Two couples, one boat one trailer. The first day couple 1 would take the boat and couple 2 would drive the car/trailer. Couple 2 would get to the destination well ahead of 1 and would spend the day in town or thereabouts. Couple 1 would do the water thing casually making their way to the destination. That night, they could load up the boat and all stay in a motel, or someone could sleep on the boat in the water and in our case someone could sleep in the van.

Alaska05-ALL008.jpg


The next day they'd swap and 1 could do the town before they left and do the next town as well before 2 arrived with the boat. The trouble is, I'd always rather be on the boat.

I see the folks in the link took bicycles. We don't really have room for a bicycle but I put a couple together anyway.
DSCI0599.jpg


Or how about a folding model?
DSCI0483.jpg

DSCI0490.jpg



Anchoring where there could be barge traffic can be daunting, that's why the ICW is so nice. You can always find a hidey-hole off the channel where it's safe from commercial traffic and weather.

If you'd like to 'explore' the area before you boat there, try this site.
http://www.activecaptain.com/OTW.php
'Great place to get 'local knowledge'. We also use the satellite view to check out boat ramps and parking facilities.

I'd be happy to help you in any way I can...just let me know.
 

captgare

Cadet
Joined
Jun 7, 2009
Messages
6
Re: My wife and I have just begun talking about this....

One word...........trawler. I boat on a Carver 380 Santego but a trawler would be much better suited for long rang cruising.
 

eastont

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 16, 2008
Messages
511
Re: My wife and I have just begun talking about this....

Last September we met a couple who had left Jacksonville Fl. and cruised up the east coast, around Nova Scotia, up the Ottawa River and were cruising down the Rideau Canal. Their plans were to make it to Toronto and winter the boat there and come back in May to finish the trip to the Gulf of Mexico.
They were in a 45' cruiser and he said he wouldn't have done it in anything smaller. Some of the weather they encountered on the coast was pretty harsh.

They gave us their website and said the whole trip would be posted, but unfortunately I've lost the address. All we have is a picture of the boat.
 

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