Bob Sherer, known as Bob423, has devoted a chapter in his ICW Cruising Guide to essential insights and practical advice for navigating the Intracoastal Waterway. Covering topics from dinghy protocol to adept boat handling in confined areas, here are his next 9 tips for cruising the ICW. (See the first 8 in 'Part One', here.)

9. Swing into a Dock

When we first started, we would approach a face dock parallel to the pilings. It was tough to estimate the best path and would invariably get a fender caught between a piling and the boat with something giving way and a lot of yelling. So now we come into a dock at a 30-degree angle and at the last minute Ann will swing the bow over and throw the engine in reverse causing the boat to stop and drift into the dock with no fore or aft motion, all without bow thrusters. This is known as the "Captain Ron Maneuver" for those who have seen the movie, "Captain Ron," which I highly recommend.

10. Put Strength Where Strength is Needed

This can be a sensitive topic with some boaters. When picking up a mooring, sometimes strength is needed to pull up the rope and tie it off on a cleat. Who's best able to do that? Most of the time for cruising couples, the stronger of the two should be on the bow, not at the helm. The one at the bow can give directions by pointing which way to go for a successful pickup of a mooring and when anchoring or picking up an anchor, but strength should be at the bow for best results. Many boaters don't follow this guide and do okay but some situations do require an added boost of muscle, which one of the crew may have. It's up to you to decide which one. The same comment goes for docking. On Fleetwing, Ann does all the helm work: anchoring, mooring, and docking. I haven't docked a boat in months?

11. Getting off a Dock when Pinned by Wind and Waves

We were at Fernandina at a face dock when the wind piped up to 20 to 25 kts with wave action pushing us directly against the dock with the wind at a right angle to the boat. The long face dock was packed and we had little space between boats. There was no room for any motion forward or backward along the dock; you had to leave at a right angle to the dock, no other way. We watched with interest as the dockhands helped four large powerboats get off the dock. None used their bow thrusters; the winds and wave action were too strong for their high bows. We copied their technique and exited the dock without a problem although we did turn the dinghy upside down. Okay, so what steps did they follow that we copied?

• Step 1: Tie a line to the forward cleat on the boat. Check to make sure the end of the line is NOT knotted (does not have a stopper knot).
• Step 2: Loop the line to a cleat on the dock about halfway down the length of the boat and lead it back to the same forward cleat on the boat and secure it, don't try to hold it by hand, as you won't succeed.
• Step 3: Put a large fender by the forward cleat on the lifeline so it can be moved by sliding it in case you misestimate the point of contact between the dock and your bow.
• Step 4: After being sure all other lines are off, power the boat forward and turn the wheel into the dock. This will cause the aft to swing out away from the dock.
• Step 5: Wait until the boat has swung out about 45 degrees, turn the wheel in the opposite direction and then power the boat in reverse as the forward line is released. If you have help on the dock, the line can be slipped off the dock cleat, or the crew on the boat can flip it off the cleat. If worse comes to worst, just let the line go, and since you already checked that it has no stopper knot in step 1, the line will slip through the cleat. This latter option is only to be used as a last resort but it does work; we saw one power boater use it when his crew couldn't get the line off the dock cleat in time. Be sure to retrieve the line quickly so it doesn't foul the prop!
• Step 6: Go out about twice as far as you think you need before powering forward, turning the boat away from the dock. It's surprising how quickly the wind and waves will blow you back towards the dock you just left so give yourself plenty of room! One large powerboat didn't go out far enough and his transom hit the dock as he looped back to the dock and turned.

This technique also works well at Marathon when at the water dock. They even have one piling placed several feet away from the concrete bulkhead for snuggling the bow up against when leaving by backing out.

In calm winds under 15 kts, it's easy to do the reverse by leaving the dock going forward using a line on an aft cleat on the boat to a forward dock cleat and put the engine in reverse. This causes the bow to swing out, but that technique will not work in 20 to 25 kts of wind and 2 ft waves against the dock on a boat with a high bow that catches a lot of wind. You need the power of a prop working in its most efficient direction, forward, to get the aft section to swing away from the dock. Every captain at the dock on that windy day, about a dozen with 40 to 70 ft boats, used this technique. We use it whenever we're in tight quarters and there's no room to go forward. It works every time. You should practice both techniques in calm conditions so you're ready to use either one under more stressful weather. This is an important skill you must know when cruising the ICW, especially at Fernandina where boats are packed tightly and high winds are possible against the dock.

12. Dinghy Etiquette

It is impolite to tie your dinghy to a cleat with less than 10 ft of line. Dinghy docks are invariably crowded and there is never enough space for all the boaters that want to dock at peak times. A 10 ft line allows other boaters to move your dinghy out of the way to reach the dock. When you return, you can then pull your dinghy in. If all the dinghy lines are tight to the dock, then the boater has no choice other than to climb over your dinghy on the way to shore. A bigger no-no than a tight line is two tight lines, fore and aft. That's even worse. While we're at it, the outboard must be in the water, not cocked up so it does not damage other dinghies. Most docks will even have this rule posted although it should not be necessary, it's only common courtesy

13. How to Import Routes Using GPX Data

For several of the shallow spots, it's useful to have waypoints to follow when the route is not well marked. It's best to use GPX data for the exchange of routes or tracks between programs or apps. The format was released in 2002 and is used by all charting programs on all devices including those on the PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android, and so on. The other advantage besides saving tons of time is the elimination of transcription errors. I maintain an updated list of routes and tracks that can be downloaded in GPX format at Bob423 Tracks and in many of the Waterway Guide Alerts. See "How to Download Tracks" for instructions.

14. Prevent the ICW Mustache

When traveling down the ICW you will run into water with a lot of tannins which will stain the bow of your boat forming the famous "ICW Mustache." In years past I've battled the affliction using Marykate On/Off which works quickly and does the job. However, it's better to prevent it in the first place. I had always used paste Fleetwax No 885 but still had the problem.

Then I discovered that if I put on two coats of Fleetwax with an added coat on the bow, it remained clean (I had help from my grandson, pictured)! Fleetwing survived the trip to Key West and was about halfway back before developing a light bow stain. Even paste wax eventually wears off. Fiberglass is porous and you need a coating that will close the pores. Wax will work if it's applied heavily enough so it doesn't wear off too soon. I imagine some of the chemical treatments that seal the fiberglass will also work, but I haven't tried them. It's nice to have a clean bow. I do know that liquid waxes don't last like a good paste wax, a $900 lesson I learned when I had a "professional' wax job done on Fleetwing one year. It didn't last halfway down the ICW.

15. Pass Dredges on the Side with the Diamond Shapes Displayed

You will likely encounter a dredge or two while traveling the ICW. The first question that comes to mind is which side to pass the dredge. The first choice is to call the dredge and ask, usually channel 13 but other channels may have to be tried if you get no answer (8, 16, 64, 65, 68, etc.)  As a last resort, the side of the dredge marked with two diamond shapes is the deep-water side as maintained by the dredge operator. Can you find the two diamond shapes in the photo? They are located above the white wheelhouse. The side not to pass on is marked with two ball shapes.

16. Traveling with Pets

There are lots of pets on boats. People like their dogs and cats, and there is no reason why they can't happily go with you. Hoolie is a Brittney which is a very active breed and yet on a boat when underway, he just settles down and mostly sleeps. However, he's all alert and active when we come into a marina or drop anchor! He's is also a breed that doesn't bark much. He's a bird dog and I guess they are bred not to bark so they don't scare the birds when out hunting until told to. That's handy on a boat so you can leave him in a marina when you go for groceries and know he's not going to drive the neighbors crazy.

We feed him dog food that we can buy at the local Walmart, nothing fancy. He weighs 45 lbs. and has for the last 12 years. Negotiating the ladder to the salon is not a problem nor is getting in the dinghy since we have a sugar scoop stern. He occasionally falls into the water and will swim to the nearest floating object and hang on for dear life. We have a harness for him with a loop on top so we can fish him out after such adventures with a boat hook. Hoolie wears a collar with a rabies tag, a dog license, a tick collar, and a metal tag with his name, our cell phone number, and the boat name. He was "chipped" as a puppy and we carry a list of his shots.

There has never been a problem at any marina. He is leashed when off the boat, and we clean up after him. Dog parks are his favorite places where he loves to chase a tennis ball. On a leash, Hoolie is like a thoroughbred before the derby, forty-five pounds of pure energy. Back on the boat, he stretches out and keeps an eye on the passersby. It's great to have a pet on board; it's part of the cruising lifestyle.

17. Kids on Board

This could be another whole chapter but I'll keep it short. A rite of passage in the Sherer family for grandkids is to spend time on Fleetwing for one of the legs going south. The tradition started with Matthew and was kept alive by Sarah, Finn, and Rowan. All five grandkids joined us for a cruise on Long Island Sound (talk about a high-energy cruise!! Photo at left).

You need a charging table with an ample supply of USB outlets for charging. The kids live by their phones and tablets. The Ravpower units are the best chargers available. You will still need some 120v outlets, not all the kids will have 12v USB chargers. A Foval 150W inverter is a good unit. It's efficient and doesn't use much idle current. I plug a six-outlet power strip into the output of the Foval inverter for lots of plugs. Keep in mind that it's only good for low amp uses but 150 watts is plenty for charging kids' devices and will also power an LCD TV.

You need a hotspot for kids to log into with their phones and devices. One might declare that all phones and tablets, etc., must be stored and not accessed while onboard so the full enjoyment of being on a boat can be experienced. Okay, after the total mutiny, you might want to reconsider such a strategy. The internet is part of their world now.  Recent cellular plans come with unlimited data nowadays so connectivity is usually not a problem.

Naturally, everyone has an assigned duty when docking and anchoring. They all want to be part of the action and the most popular activity is driving the dinghy when I take Hoolie ashore. One of their duties is to write their part of the blog every night while Ann and I enjoy wine in the cockpit. They all like to be in the water but along the ICW, we don't allow that due to the threat of alligators except in known safe waters like Marine Stadium in Miami. They all take part in boat chores and rotate through tasks like washing dishes. As for entertainment, they bring a lot of books and DVDs and I provide some nautical DVDs. The titles I've found the most popular with kids are Captain Ron (with the Captain Ron maneuver), Overboard, and Hot Pursuit. Unlike adults, the kids like to watch these movies over and over and over (ugh) but Captain Ron is by far the favorite.