Inlets: Leaving the Atlantic intracoastal waterway (ICW) to sail the Atlantic ocean

Wind, currents and waves can make inlets treacherous. Come along as we experience 6 inlets for the first time. Three of them were a bit rough. One was particularly brutal.

[@ATthruhiker96]

Great video. Thank u. Wife and i are taking our new sail boat up from Stuart, FL to Brunswick, Ga. We can't wait to see your next video. 😊

[@docofthebay1224]

I'm jealous!! Have a great trip!

[@christopherfranks478]

Winyah taught me the importance of wind against tide. I’ll never forgot being beaten up so badly! 😅. Georgetown was nice so long as the wind blew the paper mill odor offshore.

[@docofthebay1224]

You too? Seems most of the inlets are fine under the right conditions, though I think there are some down here in Florida that almost always challenging.

[@oday3514]

The Tartan 3500 is a BEAUTIFUL boat! I did the trip from Warwick, RI to Ft Myers Fl in 2020 in my 1986 O'day 35. The two inlets where I had trouble were the Edisto River and Sapelo Sound. We went in the Edisto River, and anchored. All was good until the wind clocked around so that it was blowing right at us, but the swell was hitting us abeam. Hoping to get some rest, we moved into Big Bay Creek and re-anchored (I even put out a stern anchor) then went to sleep. I woke up a few hours later to find that the wind and tide had tripped the stern anchor and pushed us into the marsh. It took some work, but we got her out. We tried to enter Sapelo Sound after a crew member started puking over the side in rough seas. If you look at the raster charts for the inlet, you will see that it is marked "Changable Area" by Experiment Shoal. We ran aground by R N "6" in very "sporty" conditions, resulting in a bent rudder post. According to both the latest raster and vector charts, we should have been in 22 feet of water when we hit bottom.

[@docofthebay1224]

Dang! Thanks for sharing all of those stories. So true, that any of these inlets can be really difficult when wind and tide are not favorable. There are times when you really cannot rely on the charts for accurate depth information.

[@stardustandgolden1]

great informative video, thanks

[@docofthebay1224]

Thanks! As I was finishing it up I was feeling like, "this is kind of tedious, wonder if anyone will like it." Very surprised at the number of views its getting.

[@helenvojtko9673]

Thank you for your helpful comments and observations.

[@docofthebay1224]

Thanks for your comment. Glad it was helpful.

[@notsuretoo]

Looking sporty out there! Even setting a small main (2nd or 3rd reef) will give you a better ride next time. Sheet it tight, will cut some of that violent rolling. We got out asses kicked leaving Cape Fear Inlet in a similar set of conditions, glad you didn't break too much stuff!

[@docofthebay1224]

That is a GREAT tip! Makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

[@notsuretoo]

@docofthebay1224 fair winds mate!!

[@jamesknight4633]

Thanks so much for this vid. Really helpful. I’ve done a lot of sailing on the west coast, calif, Mexico , Hawaii where there’s mountains , hills etc which help determining position at sea. On the icw and offshore the land is so flat there’s nothing to help tell where your at. My last boat was an old 49 ft Rhodes sloop. Looking to get another wood boat that’s in Lake Superior and do a trip down the Erie Canal , icw, and work my way back to the pacific. On a chart the icw looks easy but I now realize it’s all bouys and channel markers , tricky as hell .

[@docofthebay1224]

Thanks! Hope you get the boat and do the trip. Parts of the ICW are beautiful but a lot of it is narrow and tedious - takes constant attention. Having the bob423 tracks displayed on AquaMaps was super helpful.

[@Mark-fo6to]

Good video. .. . . I was curious on some of those inlets

[@docofthebay1224]

Thanks for the feedback. Still figuring out how to do this video thing.

[@racheleuhus2985]

Gah such a memorable trip!

[@llgee1380]

See you made it …!!!! Todo bien!!!

[@fredread9216]

Thanks much for the video. I have not done this kind of route. Have gone total open ocean to the Caribbean and have done the intercostal route south to S FL and Bahamas. But never did these inlets. Thanks.

[@docofthebay1224]

Thanks for the comment. I'm sure you have encountered some challenging conditions on your multiday sails. On our overnight sail we encountered 25 kt winds and 7 ft seas which to me is too much. It was a relief to get to the Savannah inlet.

[@fredread9216]

@@docofthebay1224 Those were some nasty conditions you had. Near costal and especially inlet conditions can be worse than open ocean where the waves are more in there natural forms not effected by strong currents and shallow water. Some of our best sails were in 25+ conditions. Especially in the trade winds. Where things were more regular. Down wind we were happy in anything less than 30 kts.

[@docofthebay1224]

That's good info. Thanks. I am noticing that the waves seem worse a mile from shore than they do 8 miles out.

[@fredread9216]

@@docofthebay1224 Yes, and the problem with this coast is that the continental shelf is so far out. Then if going south you have to avoid the Gulf Stream. Coming home, jump into the Stream and it’s a sleigh ride! Have done that a couple times. Jump in from Bahamas or S Fl and before you know it you’re heading into Beaufort inlet NC. Or with the right weather window just keep going to the Chesapeake. But I actually like the intercostal from NC up to he Chesapeake lots of beautiful anchorages along the way and Cruiser friendly ports. I have always said the Carolinas and Chesapeake are the last truly cruiser friendly ports left in the USA. Georgia use to be until the put a bunch of anchoring restrictions in. I now avoid GA as much as possible. If they don’t want my business of fuel, supplies, and the occasional dock, they won’t get it.

[@petercaras3696]

It may seem like a good idea to use a out going tide to leave a place like Winyah and without a fresh breeze, it could be but it seems you learned a valuable lesson.

[@docofthebay1224]

Thanks for the comment. Sometimes you just have to pay the price getting through the inlet so you can sail the ocean.

[@petersavage6211]

I filled my anchor well one night leaving an inlet like that. I had just bought the boat and neglected to put the anchor bilge pump on auto. Flooded the v berth with skanky anchor water. Lesson learned…

[@docofthebay1224]

Ouch! That sounds terrible. Tough cleanup.

[@charlesethridge3533]

Were the shoals you mentioned marked on the gps map? Or did you have to guess at where they were. The former is not usually stressful. The latter is very stressful unless you are following someone with local knowledge, ya?

[@docofthebay1224]

Short answer is yes, everything was as it seemed based on Navionics and AquaMaps. AquaMaps was super helpful on this trip. Sapelo Sound was the only one we transited that had "local knowledge" warnings in the Waterway Guide. We did it at high tide. All the depths we encountered were spot on for the Navionics and AquaMaps displays.

[@andocmdo]

What type of boat do you have? Looks like a Pearson 33-2? Or maybe a Tartan?

[@docofthebay1224]

Good call. It is a 1992 Tartan 3500.

[@user-ky4oc6sz1e]

What make of sloop are you sailing. It looks possibly like a Tartan.

[@docofthebay1224]

You nailed it. It is a 1992 Tartan 3500.

[@llgee1380]

But it is fun so enjoy it…..!!!!

[@docofthebay1224]

Ha! When I get stressed out my wife, Stacy, reminds me, "This is your hobby. You're supposed to be having fun!"

[@llgee1380]

Why do you keep going in inlets ..? So you can sleep?

[@TaylanYalniz]

You had pretty big waves at Winyah

[@docofthebay1224]

Sure did, but it was only for about 20 minutes. After we got out of the inlet and turned south everything calmed down.

[@sailingabroad6528]

@ 11 mins it looks like pass a grill inlet south of St Pete beach Florida. The weekend yacht traffic makes it almost unbearable for a sailboat.

[@docofthebay1224]

11 min was Winya Bay Inlet in South Carolina. I understand some of the south Florida inlets are perpetually stirred up. We were so early in the season (March) that there was very little boat traffic anywhere. Thanks for the comment!

[@captainamerica3531]

🏆🎉👍

[@docofthebay1224]

😊

[@drifter9425]

Curious why no mainsail use

[@docofthebay1224]

So, a prior commentor suggested a double-reefed mainsail tightly sheeted would have reduced the back and forth rolling motion. If I could go back to that day and night I would definitely give it a try. Most sailors I know sail down wind with just a foresail when winds are strong.

[@gking5522]

FYI, from a native... It's pronounced (In Georgia anyway) "Sap-ah-lo" inlet (and Island).

[@docofthebay1224]

Ahhh! Thanks. I actually double checked to make sure I hade Beaufort NC pronounced correctly. I wasn't sure about Sapelo. Thanks for clearing it up.

[@llgee1380]

Why do you keep going in inlets ..? So you an sleep?

[@docofthebay1224]

One reason is to get experience with the inlets. The other depends on who I have on board as crew. When my friend Ron was crewing we sailed 150 miles on the ocean before coming back in. Different dynamic with my wife or daughter.

[@llgee1380]

See I told you … You know what you said at the end …

[@docofthebay1224]

Thanks for all the comments. Thanks for feeding the algorithm.

[@llgee1380]

I don’t understand why with good blue sky you only stay in ocean for 10 miles …. Just get out there and avoid the inlet challenges !

[@docofthebay1224]

My preference for sure. But, as I've learned, if you want anyone to come sailing with you you have to make concessions.

[@ufodude1000]

Lol sail the boat icw is not for sailboats I'm 10 miles offshore as I type this

[@docofthebay1224]

I'm so jealous!!! But, if you had my wife aboard you WOULD be on the ICW.

[@brittseverence7221]

Sure, cost is a factor...but why would anyone sail the open ocean on anything less than 70 - 80 feet with reasonbly heavy displacement? You're just a wine cork in small sailboat.

[@docofthebay1224]

Why have so many people circumnavigated the globe in boats less than 21 feet. Sometimes it is to feed a hungry ego, but part of it is the personal growth that happens when we face challenges. Also, sometimes it is fun to be a wine cork. This is making me remember Anthony Stewart who sailed around the world alone in a 19 ft open cockpit boat (kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipPRoIWCj7llb6M). Unknown to me, he grabbed my lines and helped me tie up at a marina a few years ago. "Do you sail?" I asked him. "A little," he replied.

[@brittseverence7221]

@@docofthebay1224 Sailing around the world alone in a 19 ft boat is more about insanity than challenge or ego. But, as he was alone, no excuses necessary...just another Evel Knievel. As I read through the other comments here about people running aground, losing sleep, getting lost and seasick or experiencing boat failure, the romance of the sea in a small coastal style boat diminishes at the first sign of danger. A life long sailor and licensed captain, I can smell a bad situation brewing when a captain can't even stow his painted dock fenders when out to sea.

[@MikeSnedaker]

Fear is in the eye of the beholder. I was raised on a sailboat. I’d much rather cross the atlantic solo in a 30’ boat than drive a car from NY to FL.

[@brittseverence7221]

@@MikeSnedaker I wouldn't want to do either. Comfort, safety, style, are everything. Why suffer?

[@MikeSnedaker]

@@brittseverence7221 it’s called living