ICW Quick Reference Cruising Guide

Stop Rebuilding the Same List Every Night

The ICW Cruising Guide is a fast-lookup reference for the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway from Norfolk, Virginia to Miami, Florida, organized first by what you need to find and then by location, north to south by mile marker. Cruising the ICW runs on a nightly ritual: once the anchor is down, you plan tomorrow. Which bridges, and when they open. What tide window clears the shallow spots. Where to fuel, find a pumpout, and anchor with protection from the forecast wind. This guide does that work for you, putting the answers in scannable tables so you build the next day's plan in minutes instead of cross-checking apps, books, and notes by hand. The same tables work again at the helm the next day, when you need the next bridge's schedule right now.

It is a supplement to your charts and chartplotter, not a replacement: the fast-answer layer for the questions you ask most. Anchorage names match Active Captain, so what you read here overlays directly onto the navigation app you already use. It is not a chartbook and carries no lengthy descriptions, just tables you scan.

Bridges and Locks: the Timing That Runs Your Day

On the ICW, bridge timing sets your schedule. Many bridges open only on a restricted schedule, and missing a window means holding station in a current until the next opening, sometimes half an hour or more. For taller rigs, the guide also flags bridges known or suspected to be under 65 feet, so you can plan your passage around the tide. The Bridges and Locks tables list every bridge and lock in order with the facts you need to time it:

• Clearance and the tide at that location
• Opening schedule and restrictions, with bridges known or suspected to be under 65 feet flagged
• VHF channel and contact number to hail the tender
• Notes on each crossing

Anchorages by Wind Protection

The Anchorages and Mooring Fields tables are built around the decision you make every afternoon: where can I sit safely tonight in this forecast. Protection is broken into separate N, E, S, and W columns, so you run your eye down to the wind direction you care about and stop at the anchorages marked for it. No reading through paragraphs. Each entry shows:

• Protection by direction (N / E / S / W), with depth at mean low water, tide, holding, and current
• Wake exposure and dog-walking access
• Storm hole as its own column, so you can find a place to tuck in when heavy weather is coming
• Active Captain name for every anchorage, for overlay on your nav app, plus directional notes

The storm-hole column is the kind of detail that is genuinely hard to find laid out this way: when a system is forecast, you can scan for protected spots to shelter in rather than piecing it together from scattered sources.

Services, Free Docks, Inlets, and More

• Services: for each stop, VHF, phone, and depth at the fuel dock, plus coded columns for diesel and gas, slips, moorings, laundry, showers, restaurants, groceries, water, pumpout, and marine supply. Propane refill locations are called out in the notes.
• Inlets: each inlet rated for ease of use (from all-conditions down to not recommended), with tide, current, distance to all services, and clearance notes for vessels over 65 feet of air draft, so you know where you can safely duck outside or come back in.
• Free Docks: location, name, depth, tide, and notes including time limits, maximum boat length, and dock specifics.
• Navigation Alerts: caution areas and shoaling spots that change constantly along the ICW, with notes explaining each hazard.
• Haulouts and Boat Yards: phone, depth, travel-lift capacity, maximum beam and length, whether DIY is allowed, whether you can stay aboard, and notes including other restrictions.

The guide also includes quick-reference extras for life underway: a Dredging Operations section on how to pass a working dredge safely and which side to take, and a Horns and Whistles reference for sound signals between boats.

Every Edition Fully Re-Checked

Every entry is fully re-verified for each new edition, not just reprinted from the last one. Information is confirmed through firsthand cruising experience, company websites, charts, verified reports from other boaters, and direct phone calls to marinas, boatyards, stores, and bridge tenders. Because the ICW is the most likely of any route to get a last-minute change, the door stays open for late corrections right up until the edition uploads to the printer, so nothing known to be out of date goes to press. This matters most for the time-sensitive data: a bridge schedule or restriction is only useful if it is current. A banner on the cover shows when the information was last confirmed, so you can see at a glance how fresh your copy is.

Formats

• Spiral-Bound Print: 8.5" x 5.5", lay-flat design with bright section tabs for fast flipping. Approximately 0.6 lb.
• PDF Download: available immediately after purchase, no shipping address needed. Includes clickable section tabs, a searchable bookmarked table of contents, and clickable links for phone numbers and marina websites. Loads onto multiple devices on the same boat, so one person can plan on a tablet while another reads the cockpit copy. Best on a tablet or computer.
• Print + PDF Bundle: both formats together, with the PDF discounted 50%.
• Also available in a Kindle edition.

Details

• Coverage: Atlantic ICW, Norfolk, VA to Miami, FL, organized by mile marker, north to south
• Organized by: category first (bridges, anchorages, services, and more), then location, for fast lookup
• Sections: Anchorages & Mooring Fields, Inlets, Free Docks, Bridges & Locks, Services, Navigation Alerts, Haulouts & Boat Yards, Dredging Operations, Horns & Whistles
• Anchorage data: protection by N/E/S/W, depth, tide, holding, current, wake, dog walking, and storm hole, with Active Captain names for nav-app overlay
• Print dimensions: 8.5" x 5.5", spiral-bound, lay-flat
• Print weight: approximately 0.6 lb
• Edition: 2025 (4th edition)
• Updated: every entry re-verified for each new edition; cover banner shows the last-confirmed date
• Formats: spiral-bound print, PDF download, print + PDF bundle, Kindle
• Made in the USA: designed and printed in the USA, with minimal packaging
• Best for: cruisers who anchor out, plus those relying on marinas and shoreside services; sail and power; first-timers and veterans; used alongside a chartplotter and Active Captain