ICW or Coastal cruising

[garylinger]

I'm getting the itch to plan a trip on the ICW. I was just wondering if anyone knows of (or has done) the ICW or any coastal cruising on an S2 9.2C. I would be interested in reading or hearing of their experiences. I currently have one on the Chesapeake Bay near Solomons Island.

 

[Peregrine17826]

We've been cruising Maine to Cape Cod in our 9.2 C on summer vacations since 1993 and she is certainly a comfortable boat that our friends admire for the size of the cabin. I wouldn't hesitate to take her south if I had the opportunity to do so. She turns on a dime and I've wiggled her off a few rocks and sand bars without any incidents. Maneuvering under sail or power is easy from the center cockpit. I wouldn't hesitate as long as your boat has been kept up well.

Pete M

 

[Calypso]

Good to hear. We are new sailors with a new to us 9.2c in spring of 2008. We would also love to hear of cruising the ICW. We're on Barnegat Bay, NJ. The ICW runs through here. We've traveled from Atlantic Highlands outside to inside at Manasquan, to Forked River, NJ. Not that far a trip, but, we have learned that traffic and waiting for the bridges can be a hassle. Next season we're going outside for a trip or two.

 

[garylinger]

I appreciate both responses. Now I am also interested in hearing how the different 9.2Cs are equipped (beyond the standard equipment that was on the boat when delivered). I keep looking at all of the various toys and gadgets (solar panels, generators, electronics, self-steering equipment, etc.). What is necessary for short-term cruising??? (in your opinion).

 

[Peregrine17826]

As long as you have a good dodger, Autohelm, depth, speed, radar, and GPS or chart plotter, you'll do fine.

 

[BobM]

Somebody on here built some nice custom deck boxes for their 9.2C. Seems like it would be a nice thing to have for the cruise you are talking about. As I recall they fit alongside the cockpit. I took mine out for three days and I think that my head storage tank (12 gallons) was a much bigger problem (small capacity) than fresh water storage. We took all our showers at stopping points, but it is a pain to have to stop and pump out often and the tank was pretty full after 3 days with two aboard. I don't know if the 9.2c is much better off than the 9.2A in that regard.

 

[garylinger]

My wife and I got our 9.2C in May of this year and had a lot of maintenance to perform (the boat had essentially been not used by the previous owners for 2 years or more). We took it out on the Chesapeake several times on 'day' trips - basically 4 or 5 hours at a time. I don't know what the fill time on the holding tank will be but it is rather small (12 gallons). The shower/tub empties into the bilge. Right now the only 'extra' equipment I have is a VHF radio and a handheld GPS (Garmin Map76). On my wish list are things like solar chargers, wind direction/speed instruments and eventually autopilot. Unfortunately the money doesn't keep up with the list!

 

[Calypso]

We bought our boat with autopilot. I use it almost every trip out. I don't know how much it drains our battery as every night we come back to our shorepower. Our holding tank is 20 gallons. It soudn't be hard to put a larger tank in there. Ours is stamped Ronco.