The way you planned this trip, and explained it, and then giving all of the stats on fuel burn, etc. has made your video series one that I have saved for future reference as we plan to go up the east coast and back at some point in the future. What a great trip. Thanks for taking us along!
Wow Tom, Thank you so much for documenting all of this! I live in Orlando and I am 'moving up' to 260 Searay Sundancer soon and I am planning cruises from Sanford to Amelia all the way to the Keys and Sanibel. I have learned a lot from your voyage and now I am more excited than ever. Thanks and I look forward to more Happy Ours videos! Excellent work and seamanship!
I’ve been watching your whole trip from NY to FL. Thanks for doing these videos. They are so helpful for planning and knowing what to expect. I watched them knowing a Ian was coming, so it was good to see you are in good spirits. Having watched Ian live, I now plan to watch your reports of the experience.
I moved down to Florida last summer and yes ! Gas prices were horrible but like you guys it couldn’t be helped but dang I won’t forget those prices anytime soon !
I like your idea of a spreed sheet, I may do the same thing when I drive my 57 chevy up to New Jersey and back this summer from Sebastian Florida Tony K.
Great analysis. Thanks for taking the time. In Sept. I brought a new (to me) boat from Long Island to Baltimore, MD. I'm in agreement with almost all of your conclusions.
Hello from Port Charlotte Florida. I'm not much of a Boater but I've been watching since Hurricane Ian. I hope your House and Boat are doing better. Welcome to SWFL. Don't let Hurricane Ian discourage your plans for the future.
Well, I just finished your travel from New York City to Florida. It was a great adventure to go with you on your videos. I’m from Buffalo New York area. With a go fast boat. I will continue watching your videos to get caught up with you to date. I have one question, did anybody say anything about that New York on your registration in your travels? Good luck and keep up the good work.
Some people are curious about where boats are from in our travels. It said New Baltimore NY on the back of the boat, but my accent usually gives it away. Lol
Great video! Appreciate all the time you put into making these. I've been boating for over 20 years and still learned some things from watching. Can't wait for future vids, and best of luck in your retirement.
BTW: my favorite episode (other than y’all making it new your new home!) was episode 23 - Brigitt is back! That was too cool - she was soooooo happy to be in Florida on her boat (yes, her boat lol😂)!!
My wife and I are planning a similar trip, but from Mid-Chesapeake Bay. I GREATLY appreciate your videos and your experiences. Can't wait for our adventure! THANK YOU so much!
UPDATE: Got underway that Thursday afternoon at Urbanna, VA on board an untested 35 foot Albin. Made it to Portsmouth at 1930 in the evening. Departed the next morning and entered Dismal Swamp, we were the only boat. Exited the south lock at 1515 and proceeded to Lamb's Marina in Camden. (Best stop of the TRIP!) Had to lose a day to high winds at Albemarle Sound. Left Sunday morning, crossed a very bumpy Albemarle, passed Alligator River, ran aground for a brief minute, carried on to Oriental. Another great stop! Departed Oriental for Beaufort, missed a turn at Morehead City and wound up offshore! Made fast passage to Southpoint (Cape Fear). Next morning, we tried to go offshore at Cape Fear River inlet but southwest winds were way too much. Went back toward Southpoint and rode the ICW (and all the no wake zones) hoping to make Georgetown, missed our target due to bad Lat Long in Cruising Guide so we proceeded to Isle of Palms. Got under way next morning and went offshore at Charleston, made Amelia Island marina eleven hours later. Departed Amelia for Florida Yacht Club for lunch and returned to Palatka later that day. Five days passage, used 550 gallons of diesel. Bilge pump was inop, good thing I had a portable one as spare.
Your video helped me in so many ways in planning and executing my trip Southward. Literally able to watch your precise description of every leg and run my own trip based on your detailed style of editing many hours of video into usable information which enable a successful voyage. I only needed two ICW Guide books and new charts provided by Bluewater Charts of Fort Lauderdale. I spent about $208 on these charts which made all the difference along with notes I made from you videos. Many thanks for making these enjoyable video, you have my Gratitude.
I rarely comment in You Tube but wanted to say thank you for making these. As a fellow boater I enjoy you videos and I cannot wait for the time in my life when I can move from NJ to Fl Best
I grew up in Portsmouth , Va and have walked that seawall many times where you stayed. I actually went to school less than a couple blocks from where you stayed. Thank you for bringing back some good memories of my childhood. Living in Wyoming for the last 26 years, I would give just about anything to travel the ICW just once.....
Great channell, great trip, thanks for sharing it all. It's a bucket list item for so many people. You have a natural ability to include what's interesting and leave out the rest. Cheers
I’m a fairly new subscriber. I live in CT and boat in LI Sound and found your channel from your trip to LIS and Oyster Bay. I’m so glad that I did! Your videos are very well made and very enjoyable and informative too. Great work! 👍🏼👍🏼 This series on your trip from NY to FL was riveting. I had to binge watch 😂 But, I agree with Brigette you did a fantastic job… safely, calmly, and confidently piloting your boat during this long trip. Great job on making this bucket list voyage. 👏👏👏 Keep up the fun boating adventures and videos. I learn a little something new with each one. I know it takes a lot of work to edit and put these videos together. Thank you! You guys have a really cool channel. 😎
I watched every minute, and when you sailed past my house in Flagler Beach, it was so cool, as if I was part of it. I didn't watch any of the hurricane videos until I finished watching your trip, I wanted the continuity. You are officially a full Captain after going out to sea around Georgia. That scared me. You really did that. Respect! Thank you for doing this, it was very special.
AWESOME!!! I watched every video / episode! You did awesome with your boat handling, planning, etc!! It was an amazing adventure - seeing you and The Admiral (Brigitt) and your brothers enjoying the trip was so cool!! Used to have a Carver 350 Mariner here in DFW - almost bought one in CT and was planning to do what you did (would’ve gone to Houston then trucked it up) bought found a local one. Enjoyed living vicariously through y’all!! I’m going to watch your hurricane Ian aftermath videos - so sorry to see the damage. Devastating. Safe travels and keep on living the life!! Cheers!!
Thanks for watching! I had a 2000 carver Mariner that I lost to hurricane Sandy in NY. Not sure you saw that video. Was one of my earlier works. Lol. Loved that boat so much we nearly bought it again. The walk around top deck is a great feature.
I love you videos. We just moved to Cape also. And just bought a small , day yacht. So we're really interested in learning more about a new lifestyle. So, thank you.
Man! Great video. I enjoyed the entire ICW trip. Definitely a bucket list for me as well. It was awesome seeing you go through Norfolk, VA and knowing exactly where you stopped knowing I have been there. I probably saw you from one of those war ships in Norfolk and didn't even know it. Greatly appreciate you making that excel document. I'll be sure to use it in the future. Keep posting videos please!
I’ve made the trip several times from Mystic, Connecticut to Jupiter, Florida on my 52 foot Hatteras sport fish with a tower. I believe the captain made the correct decision to take the trip by water. The experience certainly off sets going by truck. The captain will remember the experience for ever. My only comment is that he should of done the trip more down the Atlantic Ocean. I would duck in at Norfolk and back to the Atlantic in Beaufort. Heading back to Connecticut another Captian suggested I go around Cape Hatters which I did. The weather was nice and I carried almost 1,200 gallons of fuel. It’s an awesome trip I’ll never forget. I’m glad the captain had a good time and didn’t have any issues. Gerald P. Rothman Captian
Hi Cap! Our plan was to travel outside from NJ to Virginia but we had a wicked south east wind so avoided that and went the NJ ICW and Chesapeake bay. Added some travel time but it was an enjoyable trip.
Just wanted to say I enjoy your videos and they did give me some helpful advice. I purchased a 1985 Chris Craft Catalina 350 located in Wildwood NJ and as you stated the cost to truck ship is out there so I went prepped the boat (2 days of work) at Schooner Island Maria then splashed her and 9 days later was in Elizabeth City NC where I live. We went up to the C&D canal like you did the got cought in the tropical storm. Sat at Harrington South Marina for 2 1/2 days which was very expensive. Then on to the Solomons then Norfolk and finally home. We were forced to take the Virginia cut due to a tree down in the swamp canal. So 9 days total from the boat being on the hard to her slip in Elizabeth City, less than 1000.00 in fuel and had a great time. Thinking about a Crystal River Florida trip in the next year or so, have family there. Thanks for the videos and Happy Boating!
Thank you for sharing the adventure! Much appreciated allowing me to go along for the ride albeit vicariously. I looked forward to each and every video. It always brightened my day. The scenery was always beautiful, even on the rainy and grey sky days. Congrats on the big check mark off the bucket list! I get into the Fort Meyers area every now and again. If I happen to run into you guys, the drinks are on me. Keep up the great video's and include First Mate Matey when you can.
Very Good Job, Glad to see good skills and preparation. The pumpout issue, my first thought about that town was they want money so badly and afraid of being ripped off, they made it a terrible chore for anyone that needs it in my opinion. Thanks for the software analysis.
What a great trip , I watched all the videos. superb job! I was at the boat yard near Ponce Inlet Fl. over the past weekend and seen another boat named "Happy Ours" Im sure there many. Thanks again
Great Video. I bought my boat in Anna Marie Island OCtober ‘21 and brought it back to Deltaville Va. Almost the same trip in reverse. It was about 1300 miles for me. You did an awesome job and you have great insights and comments. Very enjoyable.
I've been following you periodically ...from the Sanfrancisco California Bay area.....I will be moving to NW Cape Coral in approx 18 months...as I have land there already to build my home and DOCK ! I hope to meet you soon...and have the opportunity to " pick your brain" about boating....Thank you for sharing your ICW expérience and appreciate All your advice...look forward to more of your vidéos !
The segment from up the Bay into Portsmouth caught my because our family beach house is just a few miles east of the entrance to Hampton Roads. We're on the water on the Lower Bay quite a bit. That one episode hooked me and now I've seen the whole series. Your approach is inspirational and supports my own mantra which is "the planning and preparation are half the fun" . Looking forward to the next chapters!
Excellent vids. I said before I hope to do this in reverse. I do get nervous boating solo. That was one thing I kept worrying about with you. I overthink. Slip and fall and bang my head while underway, makes me anxious.
Thanks for documenting your trip. I really enjoyed the videos and your boat is beautiful. My only question for you is what line of work were you in to be able to afford the fuel????!!!????
It was a tough nut to swallow but going slow like we did kept the cost to a minimum as well as anchoring rather than docking. We looked at it as a vacation and bucket list item. Priceless! Thanks to viewers like you who watch our videos, You helped us pay for the cost of the trip. Thanks for watching!
I watched the whole trip. Very enjoyable. Thanks for the recap. It was all good except for the fuel cost. Sorry you had to get hit by hurricane IAN. Maybe I will cruise the ICW some day. I look forward to your future videos.
Awesome job Captain! I am thoroughly impressed with your boating skills, narration, drone videos etc. I am up and down the ICE in South Jersey...The Cape May Harbor where you anchored and the canal are we frequent. Did I see your boat on RUclips getting lifted from the back of the house? Keep up the good work!
Tom and Bridget, thank you for sharing your voyage with us. I am happy that I stumbled across your channel and I have been following you ever since. I was hoping you could share the file that you used so that I can use it when I take my trips on my Regal 42SC called Meridian. Again, thank you again for your awesome videos and I look forward to your next set of videos.
Thank you for posting this video. I plan on bringing my 1987 Sea Ray 410 Aft cabin from Long Island, NY to Florida next fall. Your videos have been extremely helpful. I would appreciate the spreadsheet I think it will be helpful. Big shock is the fuel cost, hopefully they will come down but I doubt it.
Go slow and save money! Spreadsheet link is in the description but here it is: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-GvnScNf08tuHH66W5rrFR6A16B5aLlk13dYcw8Sx7o/edit
The Navionics app was priceless as anchorages are marked by prior sailors with comments and recommendations. The waterway guide is also a good resource as well as icwfreedocks.com.
What is cost of gas now, versus the $6.00 you paid in 2022? How do you think your mpg would be, on your worst day, if you would have cruised only at 15 to 20mph, and nothing between 10 and 15? What year is your boat? Thumbs up to a great set of videos.
Gas prices have come down slightly. It’s about $4.85 a gallon on the water. If I ran my cruise speed more my average mpg would drop to .7 mpg or so, as opposed to the 1.2mpg average I got for the ICW trip with the Meridian.
Thank you for the spreadsheet! I am currently planning a pontoon boat trip from Estero FL to Stuart FL, and found your data on distances and time durations involved in the canals and Lake Okeechobee crossing as I cruise from Gulf to Atlantic coast to be very interesting.
thanks for sharing what a trip I would love to that myself one day but my 25' Cobalt cuddy may be a little small hoping to hit the mississippi this year for and overnight or two will see
We have a 25 foot Cobalt Cubby also. We have done the complete Eastern ICW twice and the Lower FL to Texas complete ICW once. We.plan to take on the Mississippi and.complete the circle next.year.
I assume you never ran aground once during the trip? That is a great achievement since most vessels taking that trip run aground several times. Great videos and smart move to get out of New York for the state of freedom. 👍
No hard groundings. In episode 17 we churned up the bottom in a really shallow stretch. A little soft grounding every so often cleans the props. Lol. Ep17 -ruclips.net/video/grCB2aWBJ0U/видео.html
I really enjoy watching your videos and this one is very informative. I’m actually downloading your spreadsheet. One day, I’ll do the trip, but my starting point is Montreal, QC ;) Daniel. (O Dorego)
Cape Coral is the boating capital of the world! At least a great place to have your boat behind your house and summer all year long relatively affordable.
I really enjoyed the videos of your trip and I showed my wife your videos. So we plan of doing something close to what you did. Not that long of a trip but maybe from NC back to GA in a boat I am buying. Not to get into your business but what industry did you retire from? Any future trips plan?
I worked for Verizon for 32 years. ( and it’s prior names - NY Telephone, NYNEX, Bell Atlantic) started as a technician and retired in operations management. Plenty of future trips planned. We’ve taken some already. Video coming.
Thanks Tom. You should be damn proud of both the trip and the documentary. Grandpa always wanted to do the loop or half of it. Wish he could’ve watched this, would’ve been the next best thing. I learned a lot myself from the series. 9th season of boating on Lake Erie with a 26’ Trojan FB I realize how little I know. You’re livin the dream down there. Always found the sheer number of waterfront restaurants/boaters in FL mind blowing. Best times were visiting some of them with grandpa. 🫡
I'm living vicariously through you guys.... so fun. Question.... what do you think took place in order to get your boat up on the land from the hurricane? Surge waters? Wind? I'm curious what you think. I'm also a former Upstate'r....from Troy. I live in Utah and am seriously thinking Bradenton, St. Petes area. How would you rate your transition to FL to this point? Thank you.
Storm surge rose about 6 feet above our dock. The boat floated over the 3 foot piling and broke free(pulling a piling or two with it). We love being in Florida. Even with the occasional hurricane.
Great videos. Lots of useful information. Hope to do a similar trip some day. I'm curious about your engines. Now that you have almost 1000 hours, when do you plan on rebuilding them? Or were they already rebuilt before? It's great that you were in fresh water but now being in salt is a whole new ballgame. Keep an eye on your manifolds and risers, and anything else that uses raw water.
No plan to rebuild. Just maintain. Gas engines aren’t like diesels. When gas engines die, replace them. Various components will be replaced like risers, pumps, etc but no rebuilding should be necessary of the block. I hope to get another 600 hours out of them. Running east like I do should extend the life considerably.
I have enjoyed you trek down the coast. I appreciate all your comments and experiences. We hope to do the same soon.
Hello David how are you 😊
I watched every episode intently. Loved your journey - I would love to buy a boat and do something similar one day. Keep up the great work.
Every single video has been great. The spreadsheet recap each time was always enjoyable. Thank you for sharing it! Can't wait to follow your trail
OUTSTANDING TRIP ENJOYED WATCHING THE VIDEOS
Excellent end to end...this is the way to plan, execute and document a trip. Great series!
The way you planned this trip, and explained it, and then giving all of the stats on fuel burn, etc. has made your video series one that I have saved for future reference as we plan to go up the east coast and back at some point in the future. What a great trip. Thanks for taking us along!
Thanks! Hope it helps. Good luck on your trip!
Hello how are you 😊
I wanted a boat like this till I realized how much fuel it really takes. Thank you for these episodes!!
It’s why we go slow. Lol
Wow Tom, Thank you so much for documenting all of this! I live in Orlando and I am 'moving up' to 260 Searay Sundancer soon and I am planning cruises from Sanford to Amelia all the way to the Keys and Sanibel. I have learned a lot from your voyage and now I am more excited than ever. Thanks and I look forward to more Happy Ours videos! Excellent work and seamanship!
I’ve been watching your whole trip from NY to FL. Thanks for doing these videos. They are so helpful for planning and knowing what to expect. I watched them knowing a Ian was coming, so it was good to see you are in good spirits. Having watched Ian live, I now plan to watch your reports of the experience.
I enjoyed your adventures. Thank you for sharing. That's what boating is all about. Stay blessed during your retirement.
I moved down to Florida last summer and yes ! Gas prices were horrible but like you guys it couldn’t be helped but dang I won’t forget those prices anytime soon !
I like your idea of a spreed sheet, I may do the same thing when I drive my 57 chevy up to New Jersey and back this summer from Sebastian Florida Tony K.
Thank you for making the videos. I am enjoying your trips very much. We are new boat owners, so this is helpful to us.😁
Great recap. The things you “liked” are many of the reasons I hope to be out on the water full time someday. Keep up the videos.
Join The Crew
Trailer the boat to FL? No way, you did it the right way. It was a fantastic trip, and I am so glad you shared it on YT.
Great analysis. Thanks for taking the time. In Sept. I brought a new (to me) boat from Long Island to Baltimore, MD. I'm in agreement with almost all of your conclusions.
Hello how are you 😊
Hello from Port Charlotte Florida. I'm not much of a Boater but I've been watching since Hurricane Ian. I hope your House and Boat are doing better. Welcome to SWFL. Don't let Hurricane Ian discourage your plans for the future.
It’s still paradise! We’ll never leave!
Well, I just finished your travel from New York City to Florida. It was a great adventure to go with you on your videos. I’m from Buffalo New York area. With a go fast boat. I will continue watching your videos to get caught up with you to date. I have one question, did anybody say anything about that New York on your registration in your travels? Good luck and keep up the good work.
Some people are curious about where boats are from in our travels. It said New Baltimore NY on the back of the boat, but my accent usually gives it away. Lol
Great video! Appreciate all the time you put into making these. I've been boating for over 20 years and still learned some things from watching. Can't wait for future vids, and best of luck in your retirement.
BTW: my favorite episode (other than y’all making it new your new home!) was episode 23 - Brigitt is back! That was too cool - she was soooooo happy to be in Florida on her boat (yes, her boat lol😂)!!
It’s fun to go back and watch those older episodes. I’ll have to revisit that one. Lol
My wife and I are planning a similar trip, but from Mid-Chesapeake Bay. I GREATLY appreciate your videos and your experiences. Can't wait for our adventure! THANK YOU so much!
I will be departing Urbanna, Va for Florida in next week, or so.
This Thursday...
UPDATE: Got underway that Thursday afternoon at Urbanna, VA on board an untested 35 foot Albin. Made it to Portsmouth at 1930 in the evening. Departed the next morning and entered Dismal Swamp, we were the only boat. Exited the south lock at 1515 and proceeded to Lamb's Marina in Camden. (Best stop of the TRIP!) Had to lose a day to high winds at Albemarle Sound. Left Sunday morning, crossed a very bumpy Albemarle, passed Alligator River, ran aground for a brief minute, carried on to Oriental. Another great stop! Departed Oriental for Beaufort, missed a turn at Morehead City and wound up offshore! Made fast passage to Southpoint (Cape Fear). Next morning, we tried to go offshore at Cape Fear River inlet but southwest winds were way too much. Went back toward Southpoint and rode the ICW (and all the no wake zones) hoping to make Georgetown, missed our target due to bad Lat Long in Cruising Guide so we proceeded to Isle of Palms. Got under way next morning and went offshore at Charleston, made Amelia Island marina eleven hours later. Departed Amelia for Florida Yacht Club for lunch and returned to Palatka later that day. Five days passage, used 550 gallons of diesel. Bilge pump was inop, good thing I had a portable one as spare.
Your video helped me in so many ways in planning and executing my trip Southward. Literally able to watch your precise description of every leg and run my own trip based on your detailed style of editing many hours of video into usable information which enable a successful voyage. I only needed two ICW Guide books and new charts provided by Bluewater Charts of Fort Lauderdale. I spent about $208 on these charts which made all the difference along with notes I made from you videos. Many thanks for making these enjoyable video, you have my Gratitude.
Quite the adventure! Great stops along the way! Hope you enjoyed it!
I rarely comment in You Tube but wanted to say thank you for making these. As a fellow boater I enjoy you videos and I cannot wait for the time in my life when I can move from NJ to Fl Best
Thank you! Don’t wait too long to fulfill your dreams!
Again, Great voyage but showing a picture of her on your front lawn brought a tear to my eye
You and me both!
I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed watching all your videos. Great job, stay safe and I can’t wait to watch some more.
I grew up in Portsmouth , Va and have walked that seawall many times where you stayed. I actually went to school less than a couple blocks from where you stayed. Thank you for bringing back some good memories of my childhood. Living in Wyoming for the last 26 years, I would give just about anything to travel the ICW just once.....
You don’t have to give much to live that dream. A small cabin boat and gas money. Cheaper than buying an expensive car.
Fuel cheaper in the US.
New Zealand cost $15.472.00 NZ litres .
Suppose the exchange rate balances things out. Very enjoyable videos.
Great channell, great trip, thanks for sharing it all. It's a bucket list item for so many people. You have a natural ability to include what's interesting and leave out the rest. Cheers
I’m a fairly new subscriber. I live in CT and boat in LI Sound and found your channel from your trip to LIS and Oyster Bay. I’m so glad that I did! Your videos are very well made and very enjoyable and informative too. Great work! 👍🏼👍🏼
This series on your trip from NY to FL was riveting. I had to binge watch 😂 But, I agree with Brigette you did a fantastic job… safely, calmly, and confidently piloting your boat during this long trip. Great job on making this bucket list voyage. 👏👏👏
Keep up the fun boating adventures and videos. I learn a little something new with each one. I know it takes a lot of work to edit and put these videos together. Thank you! You guys have a really cool channel. 😎
Thank you so much! And thanks for watching the vids. I’m still learning something new every day on the water and hope to bring it to all of you too!
Great job of recapping it all and I enjoyed your trip and the videos. Keep them coming and congrats on retirement and your new home.
Hello Lee how are you 😊
I watched every minute, and when you sailed past my house in Flagler Beach, it was so cool, as if I was part of it. I didn't watch any of the hurricane videos until I finished watching your trip, I wanted the continuity. You are officially a full Captain after going out to sea around Georgia. That scared me. You really did that. Respect! Thank you for doing this, it was very special.
Thank so much!
I enjoyed watching all your videos from, especially this trip. It is a bucket list of mine to travel from New England to Florida by boat.
Wow that’s a trip! Good luck!
Great video...very informative! It's like the icing on the cake! Thank YOU for bringing us along and we wish you well on your retirement! CHEERS!!🍻🥂
AWESOME!!! I watched every video / episode! You did awesome with your boat handling, planning, etc!! It was an amazing adventure - seeing you and The Admiral (Brigitt) and your brothers enjoying the trip was so cool!! Used to have a Carver 350 Mariner here in DFW - almost bought one in CT and was planning to do what you did (would’ve gone to Houston then trucked it up) bought found a local one. Enjoyed living vicariously through y’all!! I’m going to watch your hurricane Ian aftermath videos - so sorry to see the damage. Devastating. Safe travels and keep on living the life!! Cheers!!
Thanks for watching! I had a 2000 carver Mariner that I lost to hurricane Sandy in NY. Not sure you saw that video. Was one of my earlier works. Lol. Loved that boat so much we nearly bought it again. The walk around top deck is a great feature.
@@AdventuresofHappyOurs yes, I saw that. The Mariner has such a cool / useful layout. My wife loved the front seat / layout area!
Have heard of this possible excursion. Am fascinated with it.
I love you videos. We just moved to Cape also. And just bought a small , day yacht. So we're really interested in learning more about a new lifestyle. So, thank you.
Continue watching our vids! We chronicle exploring this new to us area regularly!
Man! Great video. I enjoyed the entire ICW trip. Definitely a bucket list for me as well. It was awesome seeing you go through Norfolk, VA and knowing exactly where you stopped knowing I have been there. I probably saw you from one of those war ships in Norfolk and didn't even know it. Greatly appreciate you making that excel document. I'll be sure to use it in the future. Keep posting videos please!
I’ve made the trip several times from Mystic, Connecticut to Jupiter, Florida on my 52 foot Hatteras sport fish with a tower. I believe the captain made the correct decision to take the trip by water. The experience certainly off sets going by truck. The captain will remember the experience for ever. My only comment is that he should of done the trip more down the Atlantic Ocean. I would duck in at Norfolk and back to the Atlantic in Beaufort. Heading back to Connecticut another Captian suggested I go around Cape Hatters which I did. The weather was nice and I carried almost 1,200 gallons of fuel. It’s an awesome trip I’ll never forget. I’m glad the captain had a good time and didn’t have any issues. Gerald P. Rothman Captian
Hi Cap! Our plan was to travel outside from NJ to Virginia but we had a wicked south east wind so avoided that and went the NJ ICW and Chesapeake bay. Added some travel time but it was an enjoyable trip.
Just wanted to say I enjoy your videos and they did give me some helpful advice. I purchased a 1985 Chris Craft Catalina 350 located in Wildwood NJ and as you stated the cost to truck ship is out there so I went prepped the boat (2 days of work) at Schooner Island Maria then splashed her and 9 days later was in Elizabeth City NC where I live. We went up to the C&D canal like you did the got cought in the tropical storm. Sat at Harrington South Marina for 2 1/2 days which was very expensive. Then on to the Solomons then Norfolk and finally home. We were forced to take the Virginia cut due to a tree down in the swamp canal. So 9 days total from the boat being on the hard to her slip in Elizabeth City, less than 1000.00 in fuel and had a great time. Thinking about a Crystal River Florida trip in the next year or so, have family there. Thanks for the videos and Happy Boating!
I’d love to do trips like that again. Visiting the small towns, staying here and there for a couple days. Glad you did it!
Thank you for sharing the adventure! Much appreciated allowing me to go along for the ride albeit vicariously. I looked forward to each and every video. It always brightened my day. The scenery was always beautiful, even on the rainy and grey sky days. Congrats on the big check mark off the bucket list!
I get into the Fort Meyers area every now and again. If I happen to run into you guys, the drinks are on me.
Keep up the great video's and include First Mate Matey when you can.
Thank you! If you like Matey you will love our next video! Matey is the star! 🐶. Stay tuned!
Very Good Job, Glad to see good skills and preparation. The pumpout issue, my first thought about that town was they want money so badly and afraid of being ripped off, they made it a terrible chore for anyone that needs it in my opinion. Thanks for the software analysis.
Wow, very interesting. I hope to do that from Michigan some day, when we move there. Thanks for sharing.
What a great trip , I watched all the videos. superb job! I was at the boat yard near Ponce Inlet Fl. over the past weekend and seen another boat named "Happy Ours" Im sure there many. Thanks again
Great Video. I bought my boat in Anna Marie Island OCtober ‘21 and brought it back to Deltaville Va. Almost the same trip in reverse. It was about 1300 miles for me. You did an awesome job and you have great insights and comments. Very enjoyable.
Loved following your trip south! Couldn’t believe how your boat ended up in Ian!
Thank you for another wonderful video! Love to see a fellow OCD brother 😅
Great Video! thanks for the reply, I am still catching up on the older videos..
I've been following you periodically ...from the Sanfrancisco California Bay area.....I will be moving to NW Cape Coral in approx 18 months...as I have land there already to build my home and DOCK ! I hope to meet you soon...and have the opportunity to " pick your brain" about boating....Thank you for sharing your ICW expérience and appreciate All your advice...look forward to more of your vidéos !
That was a great series. So many interesting things along the way. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Tommy. Excellent Recap! Welcome home.
Well done. Your videos were entertaining. Thanks for taking me along on this trip.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Good show.
Good job with the videos. Thanks for taking us long on your trip.
The segment from up the Bay into Portsmouth caught my because our family beach house is just a few miles east of the entrance to Hampton Roads. We're on the water on the Lower Bay quite a bit. That one episode hooked me and now I've seen the whole series. Your approach is inspirational and supports my own mantra which is "the planning and preparation are half the fun" . Looking forward to the next chapters!
So true! Fail to plan, plan to fail!
I have watched most of the trip and it looks like it was a great time, thank you for sharing!
Thanks for following along!
Excellent vids. I said before I hope to do this in reverse. I do get nervous boating solo. That was one thing I kept worrying about with you. I overthink. Slip and fall and bang my head while underway, makes me anxious.
Yes. I tread lightly but anything can happen.
Enjoyed your videos looking forward to your new adventures!👍⚓️
Thanks for documenting your trip. I really enjoyed the videos and your boat is beautiful. My only question for you is what line of work were you in to be able to afford the fuel????!!!????
It was a tough nut to swallow but going slow like we did kept the cost to a minimum as well as anchoring rather than docking. We looked at it as a vacation and bucket list item. Priceless! Thanks to viewers like you who watch our videos, You helped us pay for the cost of the trip. Thanks for watching!
Thanks a bunch. We spoke by email. I will be doing the same late spring early summer.
Thank you sir 😊
Your videos are amazing and seriously fun, informative just Great 👍💯😊🎉
Thank you for this very informative series of videos. 😊
Thanks for watching!
love traveling with you. thanks
I watched the whole trip. Very enjoyable. Thanks for the recap. It was all good except for the fuel cost. Sorry you had to get hit by hurricane IAN. Maybe I will cruise the ICW some day. I look forward to your future videos.
Great trip you did a awesome job it's a dream of mine to do someday love the channel
Thank you! Do it!
Wow. What a trip.
Great video. Enjoyed all your great comments and glad you made this trip safely. Cheers
Awesome job Captain! I am thoroughly impressed with your boating skills, narration, drone videos etc. I am up and down the ICE in South Jersey...The Cape May Harbor where you anchored and the canal are we frequent. Did I see your boat on RUclips getting lifted from the back of the house? Keep up the good work!
Thank you and Yes that was our boat being rescued after Hurricane Ian. Filmed the entire ordeal.
great video buddy look you up when i come to florida thanks for the bweautiful videos
Thank you for all of the information! The spreadsheet is very helpful too! Many thanks!
Great recap Tom! I've really been looking forward to it.
Tom and Bridget, thank you for sharing your voyage with us. I am happy that I stumbled across your channel and I have been following you ever since. I was hoping you could share the file that you used so that I can use it when I take my trips on my Regal 42SC called Meridian. Again, thank you again for your awesome videos and I look forward to your next set of videos.
Here is the link to the file. You can then save it to your device. docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-GvnScNf08tuHH66W5rrFR6A16B5aLlk13dYcw8Sx7o/edit
This is a great one as well 👍😀
Great series! Can’t wait to see the trip to the Bahamas…
Nice summary and great video. What an adventure!!
Thank you for posting this video. I plan on bringing my 1987 Sea Ray 410 Aft cabin from Long Island, NY to Florida next fall. Your videos have been extremely helpful. I would appreciate the spreadsheet I think it will be helpful. Big shock is the fuel cost, hopefully they will come down but I doubt it.
Go slow and save money! Spreadsheet link is in the description but here it is: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-GvnScNf08tuHH66W5rrFR6A16B5aLlk13dYcw8Sx7o/edit
@@AdventuresofHappyOurs Going slow for sure. In terms of planning your stops what resources did you rely on the most?
The Navionics app was priceless as anchorages are marked by prior sailors with comments and recommendations. The waterway guide is also a good resource as well as icwfreedocks.com.
Hello Larry how are you 😊
@@mariarusso1155 I’m good how about you.
Doc - This was great, thank you.
What is cost of gas now, versus the $6.00 you paid in 2022? How do you think your mpg would be, on your worst day, if you would have cruised only at 15 to 20mph, and nothing between 10 and 15? What year is your boat? Thumbs up to a great set of videos.
Gas prices have come down slightly. It’s about $4.85 a gallon on the water. If I ran my cruise speed more my average mpg would drop to .7 mpg or so, as opposed to the 1.2mpg average I got for the ICW trip with the Meridian.
Don't stop with the videos as I'm in the process of buying a house in either Cape Coral or Port Charlotte
We considered Port Charlotte also. It’s a little quieter but closer to fabulous beaches. You can’t go wrong with either.
Hello Stephen how are you 😊
Thanks for sharing all that info. It's very helpful, and interesting.
Congrats on the accomplishment and thanks for sharing it with us!
Thank you for the spreadsheet! I am currently planning a pontoon boat trip from Estero FL to Stuart FL, and found your data on distances and time durations involved in the canals and Lake Okeechobee crossing as I cruise from Gulf to Atlantic coast to be very interesting.
That’s a great trip. Watch for rough waters in Lake O though. And stop at the Boathouse for lunch!
I did the trip with you in my reaclina🎉 grey from Boston ma
thanks for sharing what a trip I would love to that myself one day but my 25' Cobalt cuddy may be a little small hoping to hit the mississippi this year for and overnight or two will see
We have a 25 foot Cobalt Cubby also. We have done the complete Eastern ICW twice and the Lower FL to Texas complete ICW once. We.plan to take on the Mississippi and.complete the circle next.year.
I assume you never ran aground once during the trip? That is a great achievement since most vessels taking that trip run aground several times. Great videos and smart move to get out of New York for the state of freedom. 👍
No hard groundings. In episode 17 we churned up the bottom in a really shallow stretch. A little soft grounding every so often cleans the props. Lol. Ep17 -ruclips.net/video/grCB2aWBJ0U/видео.html
I really enjoy watching your videos and this one is very informative. I’m actually downloading your spreadsheet.
One day, I’ll do the trip, but my starting point is Montreal, QC ;)
Daniel. (O Dorego)
That’s a whee bit longer than our trip but it’s done all the time by loopers.
@@AdventuresofHappyOurs One extra week through Champlain lake and the Champlain canal… ;)
St Paul 🤣
Great video, great channel. You inspire my to want to make a similar trip myself, we’re on Long Island so very close. What made you choose Cape Coral?
Cape Coral is the boating capital of the world! At least a great place to have your boat behind your house and summer all year long relatively affordable.
Hello Tim how are you 😊
I really enjoyed the videos of your trip and I showed my wife your videos. So we plan of doing something close to what you did. Not that long of a trip but maybe from NC back to GA in a boat I am buying. Not to get into your business but what industry did you retire from? Any future trips plan?
I worked for Verizon for 32 years. ( and it’s prior names - NY Telephone, NYNEX, Bell Atlantic) started as a technician and retired in operations management.
Plenty of future trips planned. We’ve taken some already. Video coming.
Would you consider doing more preventative maintenance videos 😊
Check some of our older maintenance videos. We did a lot of those.
Nice...
Great Recap! Thanks!
thx dude, very enjoyable!
Thanks Tom. You should be damn proud of both the trip and the documentary. Grandpa always wanted to do the loop or half of it. Wish he could’ve watched this, would’ve been the next best thing. I learned a lot myself from the series. 9th season of boating on Lake Erie with a 26’ Trojan FB I realize how little I know. You’re livin the dream down there. Always found the sheer number of waterfront restaurants/boaters in FL mind blowing. Best times were visiting some of them with grandpa. 🫡
I'm living vicariously through you guys.... so fun. Question.... what do you think took place in order to get your boat up on the land from the hurricane? Surge waters? Wind? I'm curious what you think. I'm also a former Upstate'r....from Troy. I live in Utah and am seriously thinking Bradenton, St. Petes area. How would you rate your transition to FL to this point? Thank you.
Storm surge rose about 6 feet above our dock. The boat floated over the 3 foot piling and broke free(pulling a piling or two with it). We love being in Florida. Even with the occasional hurricane.
Isn't your shirt on backwards? Btw, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey. Super jealous. Hit me up for the next one.
Guys, loved your videos and experience. Anyway, why not selling the Happy Ours in NY and buying a new, fresh, start buying a new boat in Florida?
We just loved the boat to want to part with it. I know what we have and the condition it’s in plus I wanted to take the trip down with it.
Nice recap!
Great videos. Lots of useful information. Hope to do a similar trip some day.
I'm curious about your engines. Now that you have almost 1000 hours, when do you plan on rebuilding them? Or were they already rebuilt before? It's great that you were in fresh water but now being in salt is a whole new ballgame. Keep an eye on your manifolds and risers, and anything else that uses raw water.
No plan to rebuild. Just maintain. Gas engines aren’t like diesels. When gas engines die, replace them. Various components will be replaced like risers, pumps, etc but no rebuilding should be necessary of the block. I hope to get another 600 hours out of them. Running east like I do should extend the life considerably.
Thanks for this it was great!
Thanks for posting this. I'm curious to know how much you ran the generator while you were at anchor.
You must have missed it in the video we discuss generator usage. 132 hours for the gen over the 5 weeks.
Thx, enjoyed the trip & information.
Sanibel? Would you go all the way to key west? Those are my two favorite locations. Thank you for sharing! I love your content!
Yes we are planning a key west trip this year.