Does any one know if it's possible to traverse the entire eastern intercoastal waterway (Norfolk to the Florida Keys) in a Hunter P42 without banging the mast against the bottom of a bridge. These 42's have a very tall mast and the thought of passing under all those bridges gives me pause for thought.
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John F
ICW Bridges
Last fall I did 2 weeks on the ICW from Norfolk to Charleston SC on a boat with a mast that was 61ft w/vhf ant. We went through the last bridge north of Charleston SC with minimal clearance because of an extra high tide. The bridge had tide gauges to measure the clearance. Not all did and not all bridges were in the guides. Some that had been removed were still in the guides. As a rule , if the mast is 62 ft, you should be ok. There is a bridge in the Miami area which is,I think, 55 FT. It is well known
Last fall I did 2 weeks on the ICW from Norfolk to Charleston SC on a boat with a mast that was 61ft w/vhf ant. We went through the last bridge north of Charleston SC with minimal clearance because of an extra high tide. The bridge had tide gauges to measure the clearance. Not all did and not all bridges were in the guides. Some that had been removed were still in the guides. As a rule , if the mast is 62 ft, you should be ok. There is a bridge in the Miami area which is,I think, 55 FT. It is well known
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ED THOMPSON
HOW TALL IS TALL
CHECK YOUR CHARTS.THE ONLY LOW SPAN I FOUND,WAS THE TULLY BRIDGE IN MIAMI,AT 56 FEET.
CHECK YOUR CHARTS.THE ONLY LOW SPAN I FOUND,WAS THE TULLY BRIDGE IN MIAMI,AT 56 FEET.
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Frederick
ICW OK for P-42
Last Year I sailed my P-42 all the way from Annapolis, MD to my present home port Punta Gorda on the Florida West coast. You can pass all bridges of the ICS until Ft. Lauderdale. Between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami is a bridge that is much to low for the 62 ft. mast. From Ft. Lauderdale to Miami you have to go outside. Do not worry about the golf stream because if you stay within aprox. one mile from the coast you will find even a southerly current. I enjoyed the trip very much. If you have any more questions about this trip e-mail me on fsvleer@aol.com.
Last Year I sailed my P-42 all the way from Annapolis, MD to my present home port Punta Gorda on the Florida West coast. You can pass all bridges of the ICS until Ft. Lauderdale. Between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami is a bridge that is much to low for the 62 ft. mast. From Ft. Lauderdale to Miami you have to go outside. Do not worry about the golf stream because if you stay within aprox. one mile from the coast you will find even a southerly current. I enjoyed the trip very much. If you have any more questions about this trip e-mail me on fsvleer@aol.com.
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Guest
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Oley Olsen
ICW BRIDGE HEIGHT NORTH
In replies to Henry's question of bridge height, all the replies dealtm with the bridges south/ I Have a H 340 with a 59"6" mast awl, and would like to know if I can get through places like Bridges over the Cape May Canal, the C & D Canal and others in this area as well as going up the coast to New England ports. IS ther anything written that addresses this question. I've wondered why Hunter being a Fla. based company making coastal cruisers chose to make so many of their boats with such high mastswhen we deal with so many brdiges onn the ICW with minimal clearance wor them.
In replies to Henry's question of bridge height, all the replies dealtm with the bridges south/ I Have a H 340 with a 59"6" mast awl, and would like to know if I can get through places like Bridges over the Cape May Canal, the C & D Canal and others in this area as well as going up the coast to New England ports. IS ther anything written that addresses this question. I've wondered why Hunter being a Fla. based company making coastal cruisers chose to make so many of their boats with such high mastswhen we deal with so many brdiges onn the ICW with minimal clearance wor them.
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Dan Hawryschuk, S/V Floridays
ICW bridge clearance
Last spring we moved Floriday's from Charleston SC to Kent Island, MD. Many times it felt like we wouldn't clear some of the bridges but that was never the case. Many of the tide boards were missing and it was a question of eyeball judgement. Floriday's has a 62' mast and was not heavily loaded. She also carries twin VHF antennas and a lightning suppressor rod at the mast head. We were ok even when the the tide was high. We experienced groundings more often than anything else. It's been dry this year so water depth may be a problem. We had a great time. Lots of dredging work going on.
Last spring we moved Floriday's from Charleston SC to Kent Island, MD. Many times it felt like we wouldn't clear some of the bridges but that was never the case. Many of the tide boards were missing and it was a question of eyeball judgement. Floriday's has a 62' mast and was not heavily loaded. She also carries twin VHF antennas and a lightning suppressor rod at the mast head. We were ok even when the the tide was high. We experienced groundings more often than anything else. It's been dry this year so water depth may be a problem. We had a great time. Lots of dredging work going on.
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Miguel
Bridges from St.Johns River to Miami
I did it two weeks ago and the only bridge under 65 ft is in Miami wich is 56 ft or 57 something at low tide. My boat is a 356 wich is 55.3 plus the antenna at 57 the antena did hit the bottom of the bridge a very "stressfull moment". Check that there are no motor boats crossing at the same time as you, their wake may make you hit the ceiling!! Saludos Miguel
I did it two weeks ago and the only bridge under 65 ft is in Miami wich is 56 ft or 57 something at low tide. My boat is a 356 wich is 55.3 plus the antenna at 57 the antena did hit the bottom of the bridge a very "stressfull moment". Check that there are no motor boats crossing at the same time as you, their wake may make you hit the ceiling!! Saludos Miguel
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