Recently in one of the Facebook groups I run someone asked me if it was possible to go from New Jersey to Florida in a twenty-two foot boat. Well, you could do it in an inner tube I suppose, but having been up and down the east coast from Cape Cod to Key West a half dozen times I said it shouldn’t be a problem. I said I would run up and down the two big bays, Delaware and Chesapeake and then down the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) and would avoid going “outside” at all costs. I don’t know exactly where he’s starting from in New Jersey and I’ve always run outside along the coast, there, but if one chose their weather with care it’s only a couple of hundred miles and there are inlets along the way to duck into when things turn yucky.
I should have said, and I’m going to post this to the group when I’m done, is that I just made a voyage from Fort Lauderdale, across the state via the Okeechobee Waterway and all the way up to Carrabelle in the eastern end of the panhandle and then back down to Bradenton Beach, FL where I am wintering at anchor on a 22-foot sailboat. These are some of the things that made it possible.
A GPS. I bought a Dual GPS for a hundred bucks.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pro-charts-marine-navigation/id451093694?mt=8
It’s small. About 2 inches square and works via blue tooth onto my iPad. It also works on Android tablets as well.
I then purchased the Pro Charts navigation system. It has electronic charts that cover all of the U.S. I bought the premium package because it updates the charts weekly though you could easily get away with just the free download.
http://www.miratrex.com/procharts/
Then, I got the electronic version of Waterway Guide. I found this to be extremely valuable for finding places selling fuel; free anchorages, although with a shallow draft boat with a swing keel very few places are inaccessible; bridges and their heights, marinas, if you’re so inclined. Don’t leave home without this.
One More Good Adventure 