Cruising the Great Loop in Florida
Completing all or part of the Great Loop is a lifelong dream for many cruisers. It is no small trip down the river. The route spans thousands of miles and dozens of waterways. But for many boaters, the Great Loop in Florida is where the adventure truly begins. Florida’s section of the loop requires planning, research, calculations, and local knowledge.
What do you need to know about cruising the Great Loop in Florida? Let’s find out so you can tackle this section of your long-awaited journey. Since the primary complications along the route are bridge clearances, most of what you read here will pertain to sailboats.
Can You Traverse the Great Loop in Florida?
Well, of course you can do it. But before you raise those sails and start cutting your way south, consider the primary limiting factor: mast height. To stay in the protected waters of Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway, you have to be able to pass under not one, but two, very inconvenient bridges.
Julie Tuttle Causeway Bridge in Miami
This bridge is only 56 feet tall. If your mast is 56 feet or taller, you will have to go outside into the ocean to avoid it. In this case, it’s no big deal. You can do it in less than a day. Just go out the Lake Boca Raton Inlet and come back into Miami Harbor. The ocean here is pretty predictable when conditions are calm. My word of advice is to time your entrance into Miami Harbor before dark. It gets crazy over after sunset. Massive cruise ships and container ships are the native boating species in this harbor. The lights and traffic can be incredibly discombobulating at night.
Port Mayaca Railroad Lift Bridge in the Okeechobee Waterway
The other bridge poses a more complicated workaround. This bridge offers only 49 feet of vertical clearance when fully lifted. But unlike Miami’s bridge, it requires sailing outside around the entire southern tip of Florida, including the Florida Keys. If your mast is under 49 feet, then you can sail the entire Great Loop in Florida inside the ICW’s protected waters.
Great Loop in Florida Clearances and Depths
Any boat with a mast height under 65 feet can travel Florida’s Atlantic section of the ICW all the way south to Miami (except for the 56-foot bridge in Miami). The depths are maintained to 10 to 12 feet, although shoaling is a real possibility. Keep an eye on the charts and your depth meter in North Florida sections near and south of St. Augustine, where shoaling is common and ever shifting.
Getting Around the Tip
Many sailors on this loop will likely be carrying more than 49 feet of vertical mast height. Exceptions would be sailboats generally under 30 feet. A mast height taller than 49 feet will require sailing in the ocean around the south tip of Florida and the Keys, which is quite an adventure. Or you can have your mast stepped in Stuart, where the ICW begins to head west across the state. Indiantown Marina is the most common place to have this done.
Going Out
The ICW (heading counterclockwise/south along the Gulf) stops at East Pass/Carrabelle. From here you can hop in and out along patchwork sections of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) or head offshore. Florida’s land mass blocks the trade winds, so the conditions are generally calm.
Jumping Back on the ICW
The ICW resumes in the Florida Keys. From here, you are generally “protected” behind the reefs in Hawk Channel, all the way to the Miami Bridge, unless a south wind persists. If you head to Key West from Carabelle, the entire journey outside is about 500 nautical miles.
Is There an ICW on the West Coast of Florida?
Technically, yes. But it’s not as straightforward as the rest of the ICW on the Great Loop in Florida. It weaves through bays, rivers, sounds, and dredged waterways from Tarpon Springs to Fort Myers. This section is about 150 nautical miles. At Fort Myers, boaters will have to head offshore to the Keys or all the way around to Miami, or go inland across the state on the Okeechobee Waterway (OCWW).
Inside Florida’s ICW Route
If you are cruising on a smaller boat with a short mast or have had your mast stepped, you can travel inside Florida’s ICW route on the OCWW. The route begins to head west across the state (from the Atlantic side) at the mouth of the St. Lucie River in Stuart. This route is 154 miles and ends south of Cape Coral at San Carlos Bay in the Gulf of Mexico. The Okeechobee Waterway shortcut will save you hundreds of miles of offshore sailing.
What You Need to Know About the OCWW Shortcut
Locks
This inland shortcut has no fewer than five navigation locks:
- St. Lucie Lock and Dam
- Port Mayhaca Lock and Dam
- Julian Keen Jr. Lock and Dam
- Ortona Lock and Dam
- W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam
The locks of the OCWW are different from other locks in the country. They don’t use valves to let the water in. Instead, the front gates on the high side of the canal are opened as water pours in. It can be eyebrow raising the first time you experience this!
Depths
You can expect the depths on the OCWW to be charted around 7 to 11 feet mean low water. Most sailboats shouldn’t have a problem navigating 7-foot depths. Always check your waterway guidebook for any unmarked shoals or hazards along the way.
Bridges
While you may be taking a shortcut through the middle of Florida, you will still have to wait for a number of bridges—20 is that number—on this route. Make sure you are familiar with the bridge (and lock) schedules before you embark.
The Great Loop in Florida Journey
The Great Loop is for travelers who swapped the destination for the journey. What happens between ports and harbors is where the memories take root. Whether you sail around the tip of Florida or cruise inside the protected waters of the Okeechobee, the Great Loop in Florida will captivate you on this journey of a lifetime.
Olivia de Soria
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