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ICW 2016

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Ed Criscuolo:
Well, I thought I'd get the forum rolling with this post.

Joan and I are planning to take Dolce Vita down the ICW this fall to Florida.  We will then "jump off" from just South of Miami to Bimini, Bahamas, spending as much as 3 months making a big loop through the Bahamas, including Nassau, the Exumas, Eleuthera, the Abacos, and Grand Bahama. In the spring we will cross back to Florida and make our way back up the ICW to the Chesapeake.

Our general timetable is to head South from the Patapsco on Oct 1, and spend about 6 weeks getting to Florida.  We're leaving a little earlier than is usual in order to stay as much ahead of the cold as possible, and don't plan to do an excessive amount of sightseeing on the way down for the same reason.  We'll plan on doing that on the return trip North in the Spring, where the longer we dawdle, the warmer it gets!

We would seriously love to have some "buddy boats" on the way down, so anyone who is interested should please let us know.

Bob Morrow:
Ed,  I know we talked about it at the brunch, but I thought I'd reply to your post to make it official. Also I wanted to play around with the new website to see how it worked. I would like to be one of those "buddy boats" if I get all the work done on my boat that needs done before I go on a long trip like that. Mostly creature comforts, nothing affecting seaworthiness. In fact the boat could make the trip fine without me, as long as I could steer by remote control from a video screen like a drone. As far as timing, I've always heard its best to start south of Annapolis either a week before the boat show (October 6 to October 10 this year I believe) or two weeks afterward, to avoid competing for slips &/or anchorage space with all the OTHER snowbirds heading south after stopping at the boat show on the way down. Bob Morrow

Susan Jones:
Hi Ed, I've been reading several posts on the Sailing & Cruising Facebook page regarding anchorage issues in Florida. I'm curious how this will affect boaters hoping to go to the Bahamas. I am also interested in how you prepare for your trip--I hope you guys will consider a blog or either keeping us updated on this forum as you prepare for the great launch! It was great meeting you yesterday! We are anxious to learn what we can!  Susan

Susan Jones:
Hi Ed, I found your website!! Just had to dig a little deeper!  ;D

Ed Criscuolo:
Just a little update on our preparations.

I've completed two of the four major boat projects we want to have done before we leave.  Dolce Vita's engine now has a 125 amp alternator, controlled by a Balmar MC-612 smart regulator.  This gets us several benefits:


* Will minimize the daily engine run time needed to recharge the batteries while at anchor in the islands
* Has a "float" mode which will keep it from overcharging the batteries during the long motor runs on the ICW
* Although the 125 amp alternator only puts out about 60 amps on our engine (due to the low RPMs), it runs cooler because its loafing at half its capacity
We also now have a pair of 100 Watt solar panels mounted over the bimini, and a Midnite Solar "KID" MPPT smart controller to make maximum use of them in charging the batteries. http://www.midnitesolar.com/productPhoto.php?product_ID=531&productCatName=Charge%20Controllers%20-%20KID&productCat_ID=43&sortOrder=2&act=p

I'm hoping that this, plus the wind generator we already have, will further minimize, if not eliminate, the need to run the engine to recharge while at anchor for an extended period.

So, now I'm off on my next project: Beef up the insulation on our icebox/refrigerator so the compressor doesn't run so much and consume so much power.

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