H-38-vs-bridge clearance on ICW
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not knowing the height of your mast makes this hard...
Most bridges are mandated to be 65ft clearance. Otherwise the bridge swings or opens up some how...
Went down the ICW from Norfolk to West Palm last year, with a mast height of 55ft.
Most bridges are mandated to be 65ft clearance. Otherwise the bridge swings or opens up some how...
Went down the ICW from Norfolk to West Palm last year, with a mast height of 55ft.
Jim
The 356 and 36 mast height is 55 but don't we still need to add for wind machine, VHF.
Someone told me to allow 3 more feet for them.
Nick
The 356 and 36 mast height is 55 but don't we still need to add for wind machine, VHF.
Someone told me to allow 3 more feet for them.
Nick
The problem is relying on any one person's experience. Most sailors occasionally go outside so which bridges did they miss? There was an H38 and an H44 with me and I only know of one bridge that we did not share. That was the the Cape May cut, they went around and I took the shortcut. You could PM or e-mail Jeff Bacon from this site, his being the H38.
Your mast
You really should check the mast height from the water line to top of your mast and could use your topping lift line and than check charts is a good starting point knowing your mast height for sure.
Nick
You really should check the mast height from the water line to top of your mast and could use your topping lift line and than check charts is a good starting point knowing your mast height for sure.
Nick
My 2003 H356 with light, wind and vhf antenna is 58.5 feet. The published height is 55 feet. My mast measures 50' - 1/2" long to the top plate. I am 5.63 ft above the water at the mast. That is to the top of the mast where the light and windvane is mounted. I knocked my windex off the first time I went under a bridge I thought was higher than 55 feet. I have measured mine since.
The critical items are the light and windvane. The light is slightly higher than the windvane and is at 56.55 feet on my installation. The VHF antenna will bend, so between 56.55 feet and 58.5 feet you can scrape your antenna and get under without major damage. Most bridges have X bracing under them. It is higher in the void of the X and I go to the center of the X if I am within the range above 56.6 feet and 58.5. In that situation you hit the exterior beam and then are clear until the center and then hit the opposit exterior beam going back out the other side. I also allow for waves which will decrease your margin for error. Don't go through if the waves are running or a power boat is bearing down on you.
You can put water buckets on the end of you boom and gain a limited amount. I had ten 5 gallon buckets full of water on Memorial Day weekend and went under a bridge with clearance of 56.45 feet at a 10 degree heel. That gave me about 2 feet of clearance. Didn't touch the antenna going through, but coming back two days later, I barely scraped the antenna with the water level up where the clearance was 56.4 feet. I had burned 30 gallons of fuel and used about 1/3 my 75 gallons of water, so I was riding a little higher in the water.
The critical items are the light and windvane. The light is slightly higher than the windvane and is at 56.55 feet on my installation. The VHF antenna will bend, so between 56.55 feet and 58.5 feet you can scrape your antenna and get under without major damage. Most bridges have X bracing under them. It is higher in the void of the X and I go to the center of the X if I am within the range above 56.6 feet and 58.5. In that situation you hit the exterior beam and then are clear until the center and then hit the opposit exterior beam going back out the other side. I also allow for waves which will decrease your margin for error. Don't go through if the waves are running or a power boat is bearing down on you.
You can put water buckets on the end of you boom and gain a limited amount. I had ten 5 gallon buckets full of water on Memorial Day weekend and went under a bridge with clearance of 56.45 feet at a 10 degree heel. That gave me about 2 feet of clearance. Didn't touch the antenna going through, but coming back two days later, I barely scraped the antenna with the water level up where the clearance was 56.4 feet. I had burned 30 gallons of fuel and used about 1/3 my 75 gallons of water, so I was riding a little higher in the water.
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We sail our Hunter 340 in the Barnegat Bay region of New Jersey (NOAA Chart 12324). There are two fixed span bridges that limit travel at each end of the bay and Intracoastal Waterway. To the south, there is a fixed span bridge charted at 60 feet of vertical clearance at mean high water. My mast stands 56 feet off the water. The tide boards at the bridge, however, indicate that the vertical clearance ranges between 56 - 58 feet depending upon the state of the tide. On our first trip under and with a clearance of 57 feet showing on the tide boards we stood off before venturing slowly and carefully through. We made it through with the VHF antenna intact but don't really know what the true clearance is at that location. At the northern end of Barnegat Bay is a double bridge to the barrier island. The East bound lanes are carried by an older Bascule bridge with a closed vertical clearance of 30 feet. The West bound lanes carried by a fixed bridge with a charted vertical clearance of 60 feet. When you approach this bridge on the water, the tide boards only indicate the clearance under the Bascule bridge but not the fixed bridge. A call to the polite bridge tender will get the Bascule bridge to open but he will not tell you the minimum clearance of the fixed bridge – liability??. What to do? Based upon my experience, I suspect that even if I could see them for the fixed bridge the tide boards will be of little or no help. It is a long way around these bridges, out into the ocean and through two problematic inlets. I wrote to NOAA and received a polite reply that they will post a notice.
We sail our Hunter 340 in the Barnegat Bay region of New Jersey (NOAA Chart 12324). There are two fixed span bridges that limit travel at each end of the bay and Intracoastal Waterway. To the south, there is a fixed span bridge charted at 60 feet of vertical clearance at mean high water. My mast stands 56 feet off the water. The tide boards at the bridge, however, indicate that the vertical clearance ranges between 56 - 58 feet depending upon the state of the tide. On our first trip under and with a clearance of 57 feet showing on the tide boards we stood off before venturing slowly and carefully through. We made it through with the VHF antenna intact but don't really know what the true clearance is at that location. At the northern end of Barnegat Bay is a double bridge to the barrier island. The East bound lanes are carried by an older Bascule bridge with a closed vertical clearance of 30 feet. The West bound lanes carried by a fixed bridge with a charted vertical clearance of 60 feet. When you approach this bridge on the water, the tide boards only indicate the clearance under the Bascule bridge but not the fixed bridge. A call to the polite bridge tender will get the Bascule bridge to open but he will not tell you the minimum clearance of the fixed bridge – liability??. What to do? Based upon my experience, I suspect that even if I could see them for the fixed bridge the tide boards will be of little or no help. It is a long way around these bridges, out into the ocean and through two problematic inlets. I wrote to NOAA and received a polite reply that they will post a notice.
Per the specifications posted on this site's "Boat Info"; the mast height of a H-38 is listed as 60'7". Presumably this is the height of the top of the mast off of the water. It lists my H-420 as 58'5" and the H-456 as 63'... both of which are, in fact, the height of those boat's masts off of the water.
So ... adding ~ 3' for VHF antenna, etc., you total height above the water should be < 64'.
Since I have accompanied a H-456 down the ICW and know that it can get under all ICW bridges (from mm0 - Miami ... except Miami's Julia Tuttle Csy bridge), I believe you can safely transit ICW 65' fixed bridges; although there are a few of those bridges (like the one at St Augustine, Fla) that are subject to significant tidal fluctuation. With that understanding, I would suggest you approach any of the high rise bridges near inlets, etc. with caution and check the bridge's height gauge before going under it. At extreme high tide you may not have enough clearance and may want to wait a few hours for the water level to subside.
I once owned a H40.5 with a mast height of 62'9". I've done several trips on the ICW and a couple of bridges gave me much angst. Make sure you have a good up to date cruising guide as they will point out fixed bridges that may not quite meet the 65' requirement (the worst is just north of Belhaven, NC). If the tides are high you may have to wait it out. I never touched a bridge with my mast, but my VHF antenna made contact. I have put all crew to one side, attached the dinghy to the end of the boom and put the boom all the way out to gain a little space between the top of the mast and bottom of the bridge. Also, you can fill the dinghy with water for added weight.
Tom,
We took Carolina south on the ICW in November 2007 from New Bern NC to Fort Lauderdale Fl, then crossing the GS from Port Everglades, with no clearance issues on any High Rise bridge charted at 64 or 65 feet clearance.
We also went north to the Chesapeake, again with no clearance problems.
The highway 264 bridge over the Alligator - Pungo Canal will be the closest you will clear and if you try to hit the green light at bridge/channel center with your antennae, you might just brush it. If you are unsure , approach each bridge dead slow and put your binoculars on the clearance boards at the first opportunity.
Steve
We took Carolina south on the ICW in November 2007 from New Bern NC to Fort Lauderdale Fl, then crossing the GS from Port Everglades, with no clearance issues on any High Rise bridge charted at 64 or 65 feet clearance.
We also went north to the Chesapeake, again with no clearance problems.
The highway 264 bridge over the Alligator - Pungo Canal will be the closest you will clear and if you try to hit the green light at bridge/channel center with your antennae, you might just brush it. If you are unsure , approach each bridge dead slow and put your binoculars on the clearance boards at the first opportunity.
Steve
Tom,
Yes, Carolina has in-mast main furling. It sure beats dancing on the coach roof in any conditions fooling with the main.
Have you started south?
Steve
Yes, Carolina has in-mast main furling. It sure beats dancing on the coach roof in any conditions fooling with the main.
Have you started south?
Steve
Their is a trick you can do, to get a fifty foot mast under a 45 foot bridge, i saw this done a couple of times, but never tried it myself. (never needed to) you unhook the main, and jib halyards, tie a couple of fifty gallon water drums full of water to them, (more water drums if you need it) you set the water drums at a calculated hight from the eater, you tie the water drums together, and fill them with water, you set them on the deck, so they can clear the rails and everything else, then you turn the boat, either hard to port, or hard to starboard, the drums swing out the opposite direction, and pull the boat over, and will only stop pulling the boat over, when they hit the water, (if you have done it all correctly that is) then you can steer any direction you want, with the boat listed over to scary angles, wich allows you to pass under a bridge you dont have the clearance for. when you want the boat back up, you just slack away the halyards, very carefully, due to the weight that is on them. You can see someone do just that, on utube, here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGAzt-8minI
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