Advice on Hilton Head -> Florida trip

jff

jff

Member
Mar 29, 2008
510
Atlanta
Boat Info
2017 Crest Pontoon
Engines
Yamaha
We're planning to ship our boat (48 Sundancer) to Hilton Head, explore the area for a couple of weeks and then travel in the boat down to Ft. Lauderdale. I would love any advice as to marinas, destinations, stops in and around Hilton Head and between Hilton Head and Ft. Lauderdale ... thanks!

Regards,
Jason
 
Jason,

I hope you have a great trip. My family has a house on Skidaway Island on the south side of Savannah. I've thought about getting our boat transported down there for a few months for a while now. Made a trip from Tierra Verde down and across Lake Okeechobee all the way up to Charleston on a 46 Sundancer and it was a great little vacation. If you are going to spend some time in and around Savannah and Hilton Head, send me a pm and I would be happy to hook you up with some friends who are bar pilots and or know the low country enough for you to have a great time while you are there. Regards-Dan
 
Charleston and Beaufort SC would be two must stops on the trip for me , but both of these are a little north of Hilton Head. Beaufort wouldn't be too far from you, but Charleston would be a 3h run from HH

I've been on the ICW from Ft Myers to Annapolis and the top 3 city stops for me were Charleston Savannah and St Augustine

There is a guy on another boat forum who makes a Miami - Nantucket run every year. He does a helm cam and blogs his trip on the forum. Other than his burning desire to describe in great detail how he gives everybody the perfect slow pass and others who respond to him in the forum about how they were fast passed by other clowns (as in me) and what a violation that was....it was good reading.

At the end of his trip he does a summary of all the trouble spots depth wise and this is outstanding. Print a copy of it and use it when on the ICW. If you go outside, then that is another story.

I spend most of my time outside, but after reading his stuff for 2 trips now, think i will go for this inside stuff and burn 10 gallons an hour on the ICW instead of our usual 80 when on the outside. seem to always want to get to the next place versus just enjoying the 8k trip on the ICW. I have done a bunch of miles on it, but mostly because it was too bad on the outside.

we are headed to the bahamas after Christmas, onto FTL end of Feb and back to SC in March so if you see some boats with Buck on them, give me a shout

will paste his summary here and again, this guy be the top ICW dog as far as I am concerned. to keep these notes and details....heck, he has even done this singlehanded in the 70' Johnson he has--ugly boat but his owner and he think its the queen latifa of the highway.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
figured i'd post a complete run down of conditions encountered on the ICW this fall, may be of use to southbound boaters...

In short, the ICW isnt' as bad as some made it seem. you do have to be careful, there is little margin for error but you can make it thru with a 6 1/2' draft while enjoying the trip and some great scenery.

spots where you need some tide (or want them for peace of mind) if you need more than 5' of water: New River Inlet, Carolina Beach Inlet, McClelanville, Dahwoo river / Watts Cut / Fenwick Cut, Fields Cut, Hell Gate, Little Mud River, Jekyll Creek, Matanzas and Haulover. On a positive note, it takes very little effort to time passage at the rigth time and find either anchorages or marinas before / after those sections.

Alligator River
Southbound, split R8/G7, in the middle, then proceed directly towards FL R 10, or towards a point between FL R 10 and G 9. simple and you will leave the shoal to stbd and never see less than 10'. Obviously, dont' miss the FL R 3, north of the shoal, not shown on older charts.

Swansboro/Bogue Inlet, MM229
there is plenty of water, at least 12' MLW.
however, two things can confuse people:
1)- inlet aid R20, located past G45 can be confused for an ICW marker if you dont' look at the number with binoculars and see that there is no ICW marking. After FL G 45, leave that floating R20 to port (southbound).
2)- floating G45A is much closer to the red side than you would expect (about 100/150' from the docks), do not assume that it's off station, and pass between G45A and the docks. you will find at least 12' MLW.

Bear Inlet, MM 235
Never saw less then 10' MLW thru out this section... the key is to stay near the middle of the channel. that means the REAL channel, not the line on the plotter. As you approach, you can see that the point across from R58 extends a little more than on the chart
making it obvious that the water is closer to R58.

Browns Inlet, MM 237
North of G61, the real center of the channel is not where it is on the chart, it is further to the green side. this is another case of where you need to rely on your eyes and the actual shorelines and not the line on the plotter. As shown on the screen shot below, you can see my track appears to be almost on the red shoreline., I was in fact mid channel enjoying plenty of water at least 9 to 10' MLW. Further down, the channel is well marked and plenty deep if you pass midway between the floaters (60 and 61a) then bear slightly to the red side and pass half way between G63 and the opposite/red shoreline.

New River inlet MM230
I came thru, a little after high tide and after dark, armed with the Sept COE survey, displayed on my laptop...
http://www.saw.usace.army.mil/nav/AIWW/S2-TJ.pdf
turns out that it was useless on the north side of the inlet since it doesn't show any data on the green side across from 72A. In the spring, I passed thru in the middle of the night and had to poke thru 3 times before finding water on the north side. This time around, I tried following the COE survey which shows a narrow channel between 72A and 72B. I didn't find it... I stopped when getting 8' on the sounder which considering the tides was about 6' MLW. I backed out and poked about 100' to port, which is outside the COE survey. I made it thru with about 9' MLW. there maybe enough water on the red side if you draw udner 6', i just didnt' want to
take any chances. Looking at the survey, it's very narrow line of deeper water.

on the south side of the inlet, is was a little easier and pretty much as described on teh COE survey. I came upon a large fishing float and swung around it, otherwise it's straightforward, with 9 to 10' MLW minimum


Carolina Beach Inlet, MM 292
this is starting to be a real trouble spot with shoaling causing issues, even though it was dredged last year. I've seen reports of grounded vessels and heard a sailboat aground by R154 an hour before i went thru, on a rising 2/3 tide. The shallowest spots were 6' MLW between R154A and G155, then 5' MLW about 25' abeam of G154A. There might have been a little more water further away from G154A but i wasn't going to survey the area with a 6 1/4 draft as i was following another boat drawing 6' and he made it fine, i just
followed... Everywhere else was fine, with most readings in the 12 to 14' MLW before and after G154A

Snows Cut, MM 296
is starting to shoal up although still plenty of water for most. Worst spots were 8' MLW between G161A and R162 then between the cut and Cape Fear River, I saw 9' MLW jsut north of G167. A dredge was working there so hopefully it will be fixed soon


Lockwood's Folly, MM320
no issues there... never saw less than 12' MLW., staying more or less mid channel. the only issue was about 25 small boats anchored on the edge or in the channel, some blocking the way. I advised USCG station Oak Island...


Shallotte Inlet, MM330
all the floaties are back on station, it's all good for now. The shallowest spot was 9'MLW between R80A and R82. From mid channel at Daymarker R80, it's almost a straight line to G83 if the floaties are on station.

No issues anywhereelse except a brief 9' MLW sounding off G121 at Mason Inlet.


McClelanville, MM430
that stretch continue to be an issue. I didnt' get into Jeremy Creek (dredged earlier this year) but the ICW south of Jeremy creek has spots as low as 6' MLW off R40 and 7' by the creek south of R37. Most of the stretch was 8 to 10' MLW on centerline or about 100' off the greens.

North of Ben Sawyer Bridge, MM461
Even though it was dredged earlier this year, it seems to tbe that shoaling is returning. I found some 8 1/2 MLW readings around G119, off "Inlet Creek". Not a problem yet, but could be a spot to watch for in the spring.


White Point (Dahwo/Edisto) MM497
Some spots at 6 1/2 MLW between R110 and the two green cans G 111 and G113. Since I had plenty of tide, i tried looking on either side of centerline but didn't find anything better than that. same between G115 and R116, following the ICW line towards G115.

Watts Cut, MM503
some spots at 7' MLW

Fenwick Cut MM511
8' MLW in some areas, on ICW line

No issues at Ramshorn, it's deep and well marked

Fields Cut MM 575
there is still the well known very short hump across the channel at the northern entrance, about 6'MLW, 100' south of the point on the west side. On the south side, there is a 100' long section around 7' MLW just south of pilings on the east side, before R50


Hell Gate MM602
even though it's been dredged, there is still some skinny water (7 to 8' MLW), about 120' off, and slightly south of G89.

Florida Passage MM607
about 12' MLW, the dredge Cherokee was working there.

Johnson Creek at Cattle Pen MM 625
short hump at 9' MLW abeam the creek, no issues whatsoever elsewhere

Creighton Narrows MM640
some 7' MLW spots along the way

Little Mud River MM655
Most of the the straight section between R192 and G193 had about 8' to 9' MLW on ICW line, except for a slight hump to 6 to 7' off Crooked creek. Approaching the bend, southbound, it shoals up a little to aroudn 6' MLW then back to 7' MLW in the bend, slightly on the green side (outside), then 8' off R194 (100' away).

On the south end of LMR, I aimed at a point exactly in the middle between G195 and the range marker., then made a sharp turn on the range. this gave me 7.5 to 8' MLW off G195 then increasing to 12' on the range. On previous trips, I looked for better depth on the R or G side at the south end, always finding less water. splitting in the middle of the G and range markers, then getting on the range without cutting or overshooting the corner seems tobe the best option.


Jekyll Creek MM685
G13 to R16, 11' MLW, on the red side of the ICW line.
G17, 10' MLW on the range, then 9' 1/2 way to G19 decreasing to 8' before G19
G19, 7', stay mid channle, do not over shoot the kink to port. depth increase quickly to 9' MLW and hold to 9' past Jekyll Wharf and 12' by the bridge.

Cumberland Dividings, MM703
Following the markers (not the chart as 62A is shown in the wrong spot, about 1/4 mile too far north) I found a 4' MLW spot about 100' north of R60A following a line passing about 50' from 60A. Not sure if there is more water further away from R60A, there might be.

Amelia River, MM719
Passed thru with 3#8242; of tides left and the shallowest spot is 8#8242; MLW north of G1, just before the bend when southbound (some charts show an 11' spot there). Everything else is at least 10#8242; MLW, on the ICW line, or just outside the line in the bend at G9. No issue there… the key as in every narrow creek and river is to stay on centerline. the charts show a clear shallow spot on the red side off G3 and G5 stray off at your own risk

Matanzas Inlet, MM 794
i timed this one with the tides and the shallowest spot was about 8' MLW between R80A and G81A. i stayed closde to G81B and G81C, about 50' away and found 9' MLW

Haulover Inlet, MM1080
this has always been a serious problem spot. Right now, the ICW is marked by 3 green cans and one red opposite of the southernmost green with the channel under 100' wide at this point. We anchored out north of the shoal, right before high tide, and did some checking with the tender finding 8 to 9' MLW on the green side. the big issue is the red side as the red buoy is located on the shoal. Worst, the channel doesn't shoal up gradually towards the red but suddenly steps up to 5 1/2' MLW about 20 or 30' from the red so you could very well have the depth sounder show plenty of water on one side of the boat while on the otherside your prop hits some very hard stuff.

It is absolutely critical to hug the greens, as close as you can, especially the southernmost one... I had 25kts blowing from the East so i was able to pass within a few ft of the greens without fear of drifting over one of them. When passing between the final green and the red, you need to turn to port about 30 degrees towards FL G9, make sure your stern doesn't swing out too wide or you will hit the shoal especially with a larger, wide beam boat.
 
unklbuck said:
There is a guy on another boat forum who makes a Miami - Nantucket run every year. He does a helm cam and blogs his trip on the forum
Click to expand...

You have a link?

Thanks
 
Last edited:
jff said:
We're planning to ship our boat (48 Sundancer) to Hilton Head, explore the area for a couple of weeks and then travel in the boat down to Ft. Lauderdale. I would love any advice as to marinas, destinations, stops in and around Hilton Head and between Hilton Head and Ft. Lauderdale ... thanks!

Regards,
Jason
Click to expand...

We have made this trip 3 times since 2005 and we still cant get enough. We have traveled from Savannah to Ft Lauderdale and back twice and then from Savannah to Charleston once.
There is a book on the subject named (CRUISING GUIDE TO COASTAL SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA) that we have purchased at West Marine. It is a complete guide to the entire trip and it points out the best anchorages and marinas along the way. The author also has a website (cruisersnet.net) that is very complete on the trip and it has a lot of input from cruisers on their experiences along the trip. Starting north in Hilton Head and working south we have stayed in the Harbor Town marina at Hilton Head, downtown marina at Savannah, Thunderbolt Marina, Isle of Hope marina, Two way Fish Camp marina, Brunswick Landing marina, and Langs Marina in St Mary's. No complaints but some marinas such as Two Way Fish Camp are antiquated and rustic but good enough for a one night stay. There are so many different creeks and rivers that you could explore along the ICW in Georgia alone that it would take a lifetime of cruising to see it all, so the book I mention above will give you clues as to what will be best for your time frame.

There will be countless shallow spots all along the route so you will have to travel at mid tide or better to be safe.

Good Luck
 
Wow, I'm printing that John.

There are 2 major marinas worth staying at in Hilton Head. Shelter Cove marina(my preference) and Harbortown in the Seapines development. Both have all the shops and restaurants one would expect and desire as well as full facilities.
 
Also our favorite food stops are woodys darn good bagels, Aunt Chiladas and Ocean Grille in Shelter Cove overlooking the water.
 
You will probably have the boat shipped to Palmetto Bay marina as they have one of the few or only large boat haul outs in that area. I had my boat surveyed there and they are very reasonable.
 
I'll second Shelter Cove Marina in Hilton Head. The Marina is well kept and social with a good choice of restaurants and shops. A couple of the restaurants will also have live entertainment, generally a guitar player. There is also plently of space for the kids to run around and sometimes they have crafts fair. The only drawback is that Broad Creek is a 40 min or so no wake zone to Calibogue Sound which isn't a problem unless you are in a hurry. A couple of my favorite restaurants are The Boat House, just north of the 278 bridge along the Intracoastal. Decent restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining. Boat House Dry Stack/Grady White dealer is next door. A couple of other restaurants next door are Husdons and Charley's Crab. Hudson's is more of a hole in the wall. During the Spring high tides one corner of the restaurant is essentially shoreline. Charley's Crab is a bit more upscale than Boat House. Unfortunately none of these restraurants really has guest docking even though they all have frontage along the ICW. Your best shot at finding a spot would be the Boat House Dry Stack Dock after hours. However, you would probably have a hard time finding enough space for you DA as many dry stack renters come in after hours leave their boats at the dock awaiting retrieval the next morning. I also like Kenny B's off of Pope Ave. - they have good Cajun food and a decent Sunday brunch.

Enjoy.
 
Thanks for all the advice everyone. I've been looking up these places on Google Earth, some of them are really confusing to find (for example Google Earth shows three Palmetto Bay Marinas in Hilton Head, strange). I'll have to see if Shelter Cove (is this one at Palmetto Dunes?) can splash my boat or not, if not I will plan on getting it splashed and then run the boat over to either Shelter Cove or Habour Town Marina. Bluebelly I will also go look for that cruisers guide, sounds like a great resource.

From Hilton Head we plan to run South (so won't make it to Charleston on this trip, but I've been there many times) probably to Jekyl Island.

Regards,
Jason
 
Lake Lanier, GA. We will be pulling it out to ship late March in time to use it a week in/around Hilton Head, then heading down to Florida to meet up with a MM group for a Bahamas trip.

Regards,
Jason
 
Technically Shelter Cove marina is part of Palmetto dunes. Different from Palmetto Bay marina which has the travel lift.
 
John,

I just ordered charts today so at the moment I'm not well informed ... but from looking at the area on Google Earth it doesn't look to me like there is a ditch or inside to run on from Hilton Head heading South. Am I just missing it? I can see it clearly starting further down in Florida but don't see any Intracoastal/ditch between say Hilton Head and St. Augustine. Hopefully it's there and I'm just missing it. Our plan is to do a mixture of inside and outside depending on weather and the sites/stops.

Regards,
Jason
 
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