Jess,

I have done the ICW from Norfolk to Ft. Lauderdale. Some of it many times.

Jon Eisberg who frequents this board is far more experienced on the ICW. Maybe he will add some wisdom. He wrote an article in Cruising Worls a couple of years back - find it and read it.

Find an ICW waterway guide. A recent one is just as good as the current one. The only thing that changes is the advertising.

Plan your legs for daylight only. Pick your ending point before you start your day.

There are some places where it makes sense to go offshore to make better mileage - especially in Florida.

Plan for any bridge opening schedules as part of your days run. I think there are still a few opening bridges.

You can pretty much ignore the charts - follow the markers and use the waterway guide for planning.

There are often silted in areas that no chart or waterway guide will identify. I have run aground (6 ft draft) smack in the middle between two markers. If the water is getting thin SLOW DOWN so you don't get stuck too hard.