We left our home port of Key Biscayne, Florida, in March 2021 with no plan other than to head al norte along the Intracoastal Waterway. With neither a destination nor a time frame in mind, we were free to make as many stops, detours and side trips as we desired.
The approximately 2,500-nautical-mile, six-month trip took us through mostly protected waters, including rivers, swamps, bays and bayous. We made it as far north as Massachusetts before deciding to head south, to join New York’s Hudson River and then the Erie Canal, to ready the boat for the westward portion of our return home along the Great Loop.
The Atlantic ICW affords tremendous diversity as it passes through large cities, small towns, secluded fishing ports and desolate anchorages. We tend to favor the off-the-beaten-path stops interspersed with the more popular anchorages and marinas. It is possible to run the length of the Atlantic ICW in a matter of weeks, or, as we did it, to linger for months. It is also possible
