east coast cruising

[Wayne nicol]

from florida, heading north- all the way to the border- would that be considered mac cruisable- anybody done any of the sections or all of it ?
cheers
wayne

[mastreb]

You would be taking the intra-coastal waterway (ICW) up to the Hudson, and the NY canals. Imminently navigable and part of the "Great Loop", although people typically go the other direction.

[Chinook]

I assume that the border you refer to is the Canadian border. I'm certain that Macs have cruised all those waters, although I wonder if anyone has done the entire East Coast from Florida to Canada in one continuous voyage. Most of the route can be made via inside protected waters, with just a few stretches in exposed waters where favorable weather would be a necessity.

[Bobglas]

You'll have open Atlantic from Norfolk to NY (or Delaware bay if you take the canal.)

[Chinook]

Actually, you can mostly avoid open water from Norfolk to points north by going up the full length of Chesapeake Bay, crossing east on the Delaware Canal, going down Delaware Bay, crossing the tip of Cape May on the Cape May Canal, and then proceeding up the New Jersey coast on the New Jersey Intracoastal Canal. This is a shallow draft route, but ideal for Macs. Careful navigation is required, because it gets quite shoal in places. It was damaged by hurricane Sandy, but I believe it's been made passable since then. The north end of this waterway terminates just shy of New York Harbor. From New York you can go up the Hudson to either the Erie Canal or the Champlain Canal, which are both part of the Great American Loop. Alternatively, you could sail up east on Long Island Sound to the Cape Cod Canal and then follow the Massachusetts coast up to and through the Cape Ann Canal. From there you'd be doing short hops on the Atlantic up the coast to Maine, with lots of options for safe harbor. Once you reach Maine, substantial parts of the coastline can be cruised on protected inside waters. We've cruised all of these waters, with the exception of Delaware Bay and the New Jersey Intracoastal, and they make for great cruising. The Mac is a fine boat for experiencing the East Coast.

Out here on the west coast, things get much more challenging. I've not heard of anyone attempting to go down the entire west coast in a Mac. The waters off Washington, Oregon and Northern California are noted for stormy conditions, limited opportunities to run for shelter, and hazardous bars at the entrances to the widely spaced harbors. I've poked my nose out into the North Pacific off the west coast of Vancouver Island, as well as up north in Alaskan waters. It can be a humbling experience. Weather windows tend to be widely spaced, and you definitely don't want to challenge the Pacific in rough conditions.

[tek]

You would be taking the intra-coastal waterway (ICW) up to the Hudson, and the NY canals. Imminently navigable and part of the "Great Loop", although people typically go the other direction.

People I talk to have gone North on the ICW and South on the rivers through the center of the US in order to not be fighting the river current.

[Wayne nicol]

just planning a "super trip"- we live in the pacific north west of Canada- so know the real weather conditions out here- but would love to take the family on a cross country road trip across Canada- hit the great lakes- and sail from there to the coast- have friends in Ontario who can help with short vehicle hops if needed- and get the truck and trailer to Toronto or such like- then head down the coast ending up in florida - have a great family friend there- seems as good as any way to go and visit him
then use a commercial boat hauler to get her back to Toronto- and then drive home again.
maybe over a full summer?
cheers
wayne