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Cruising in Poverty
On 03 May 2004 21:22:21 GMT, (Location29) wrote:
Original poster here,
Thanks for the responses to my question, very
much appreciated. I probably should have said
that my lifestyle is a simple one and I'll be single handing about 80% of the
time. I realize marinas
are not going to be the norm and anchoring/mooring
will be my lot in life. With that in mind any recommendations on boat type??
Shallow draft would be an advantage I suppose. My plan is to
sail mostly the Florida area, any areas with cheaper
marinas? I know the keys are high priced.
Shallow draft is a lot easier to live with along the SW Florida coast
and the keys. A lot harder to live with offshore. Also generally poor
performance to windward. It's all a tradeoff. As a rule of thumb, a
5-1/2 ft. draft (what ours was) cuts out half the places you can go
with a 4-1/2; a 4-1/2 ft. draft cuts out half the places you can go
with 3-1/2.
Yes, the keys are high priced, but you _can_ find some reasonable
marinas there if you look. Mostly small fishing ones that have some
slips. Mostly anywhere, transient fees are way up there but paying for
a month is not too bad every now and then. Actually, with your income
you could afford to spend all the time you want at monthly costs.
Well, until you get down about halfway.
Be advised that plenty, if not most, of the "traditional" South FL
anchorages are no more. Seems the rich yankees want a clear view and
push the local governments to do away with them.
Rick
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