ICW in a C22

[YOLO]

I am planning a trip up the ICW from Norfolk to NY. Have any of you C22 owners attempted such a trip?

This trip would also require me to sail offshore from the last 40-50 miles.
What do you all think?

 

[CaptDon01]

I'm sure there have been several folks who have made that, or similar travels in their C-22. We did a 68 mile crossing from Two Harbors on Catalina Island to Oceanside CA a couple years ago without incident. We've also done an overnight trip down the Southern California coast that was somewhere around 80 miles. The key is having an autopilot, at least for me. We have a Raymarine ST2000 which I've found works exceptionally well in a following sea condition. It's the only way to sail!

Good luck,

Don

 

[watercolors II]

I would say it's doable, in the ICW you are in protected waters but, in all the bays where you would encounter the worst weather the east coast has to offer and that 50 miles would require a lot of waiting time for weather windows.

850 miles would be quite an accomplishment, something to remember and talk about but, I think getting a trailer for your boat and towing it to NY would make a lot more sense, a time saver and would make your boat more valuable and mush easier to sell when you want to move up in size.

 

[YOLO]

I do own a trailer, and I trailer sail all over GA, but its the trip, getting there, the challenge, that appeals to me, not the destination. The destination is for the crew

 

[The Garbone]

My understanding is that the ICW ends at Norfolk, you will have to go outside to get to New York.

 

[YOLO]

What about the Keys? Maybe out of Miami? Would the C22 handle that kind of area better?

 

[Tom J]

What about the Keys? Maybe out of Miami? Would the C22 handle that kind of area better?

I don't have a C22, but I did have an O'Day 23 for a number of years, and I think the trip from Miami to Marathon or Key West would be very doable in the C22. The sail down Biscayne Bay from Miami can be delightful, and is a great start on the inside route to the Keys. Average depth on the Bay side is 5-6', so you would do better here than I did on my 31'. From Marathon to Key West, I've always gone by way of Hawk Channel, but even this route is protected by the reef, so with a good weather window, you should do well here. Good luck!

 

[Sailvayu]

Its very doable I did that trip 3 times in a 25 footer back in the 70's. You can go up the Chesapeake and down the Delaware then port hop up the NJ coast. Not much water in the NJ ICW so you are better off doing the port jumps to the good inlets Just pick your weather windows for the coastal jumps. As I recall Cape May to Atlantic city to Sandy Hook

 

[dgreen1991]

Wish I had the time off from work. I would do it. I would rather go south though. Weather is always a factor. I would rather end my trip in a place as beautiful as the Keys. Ending there would be a greater reward in my opinion. I am a diver also and love clear blue water. To be fair, I have not sailed in water North of the Outer banks. I want to sail the Chesapeake. Life is short. Do it, I say. Any thing you do is a risk. Good common sense, pre-planning and good equipment should reduce the risk. The reward is greater accomplishing it in a small boat, like the C22, in my opinion. Please share photos, video and trip info. Would love to hear about your trip. I would take more spares, Outboard, rigging, etc.. So much to see, I would want to have a lot of time, so I would have more time on the hook and daylight to see stuff. I would definitely plan stops and determine how many miles to sail a day with several days allocated for bad weather. I should start planning my trip South now. I wanna go so bad. I think I would have a distant destination and a closer one. I would rather cut it short to see more stuff than to pass everything and miss it.