2025 ICW Cruising Guide

What’s new? How to use the new Coast Guard Local Notices to Mariners Graphical Interface. Ever try finding Coast Guard notices for your next day’s cruise? The new graphical interface makes it easy. Coast Guard to Eliminate 351 Buoys in the Northeast, why? The rest of the East Coast may be next. Get the details here. Are you ready for a boat inspection in Florida? Florida has more requirements than the Coast Guard! See if your boat can pass an inspection by the Florida Wildlife Commission (FWC). 173 hazard charts have been updated. The one constant on the ICW is change! What’s still needed? ICW Navigation Requires New Skills. You may have been around the world or cruised for 40 years, but if it’s your first time on the Atlantic ICW, you need to read the article in Chapter 10. All your experience still applies, of course, but there are nuances to navigating the ICW that apply more so here than anywhere else. How to Read Bridge Height Boards. Sure, most have tic marks, but what about the ones that don’t? The ICW Cruising Guide has expanded to over 300 pages to provide essential ICW information with over 500 links to additional online sources. The links are active in the eBook and Waterway Guide versions. An active link list is available on the download site at bobicw.blogspot.com or by accessing the QR code icon on the next page. No more Googling the links! Technology never sleeps. All recommendations are updated to reflect the current state of the art. Split screen basics, display Aqua Map and Navionics side by side on your iPad or Android tablet. Crowd Sourcing Bathymetry comes to Aqua Map. Share your soundings with NOAA. Want to anchor in Key West instead of opting for an expensive marina? I interviewed Stan Loveday, a Key West Bight City Marina Dockmaster, for advice on where to anchor that won’t result in your boat up on land after a wind. Stan regularly rescues boats that dragged and knows the ground conditions and tackle required for all the anchorages in the area. Share in his knowledge. Max Parker of Zimmerman Marine continues his article on How to ICW-Proof Your Engine. Max Parker, head of yard operations at Zimmerman Marine, gives insight from 25 years of servicing ICW cruisers on maintaining our engines for trouble-free operation. I cover the weather models most valuable to boaters and the apps that best display them. Two examples show the differences in predictions from weather fronts and during summer thunderstorms. Aqua Map Master should be your first navigation app investment. You will find a coupon in the guide for 25% off the initial purchase price of Aqua Map charts, so be sure to take advantage of the offer if you don’t already have Aqua Map Contents Chapters 1 – 3: Cover getting your house and boat ready for the trip south and your affairs for an extended stay away from your land home. Chapter 4: Cooking on the ICW, what’s needed, what works Chapter 5: Staying informed. What apps and sources are most useful Chapter 6: Basic Knowledge of the ICW – the fundamentals for those new to the ICW Chapter 7: ICW University – Going beyond the basics for cruisers of all experience levels Chapter 8: How to ICW-Proof Your Engine by Max Parker of Zimmerman Marine – long distances at slow speeds are not best for your engine; how to compensate? Chapter 9: Introduction to Weather Apps by Bob423 – Some forecast better than others Chapter 10: ICW Navigation Requires New Skills – a must-read before you start your ICW adventur Chapter 11: Provides charts of shoaling areas by mile marker and shows how to avoid grounding. View Less