Big problem with S. Cal is the years long waiting list for a marina spot
plus the short amount of time California allows you to be in the state
without paying a lot of taxes. Pass through rapidly and spend most of the
time at anchor. Getting a liveaboard space for longer duration in PNW is
still possible, the cheapest being in Oregon which also has the worst, by
far, sailing conditions. You don't go to Oregon to sail, it's a sailby
area. However the gem of the West is the San Juan Islands of both
Washington and British Columbia and the areas N. and S. of them. Too many
people traveling around the world head for the ho hum de riguer Panama Canal
when they could have gone by way of St. Lawrence seaway, Great Lakes (truck
the boat to/from Pac NW by truck (often far less expensive than the Panama
route) and opened up a whole new world of cruising. And the above didn't
include the route from St. lawrence to NYC, the Trent-Severn Waterway in
Ontario, the Apolstle Islands, or out west up to Alaska. Just for
starters. Far superior to the dry landscape string of marina bars featured
from S. Cal on South. From Pac NW you can go South and West out to Hawaii
or wherever.

M.

"Tom Dacon" wrote in message
...
You won't find much of anything around San Diego to go to or explore. It's
kind of a wasteland for sailing. Wind's generally light, except just off
the
entrance where there's often a little headland effect. The Mexican port of
Ensenada, Baja California, is a long day's motorsail south, with the small
and barren Todos Santos Islands off Ensenada bay but nothing else to the
south for a long way. Catalina Island (quite crowded during the summer) is
a
long day's motorsail north, and there's nothing in between those two
destinations. All the California and Baja coast's a lee shore to the
normal
westerly winds, and is only sparsely populated with marinas.

A slightly better choice in Southern California would be Ventura, about 75
miles north of Los Angeles. It has a nice small-town feel and is quite
uncrowded compared to Los Angeles or San Diego. The northern Channel
Islands, about 25 miles off the coast, are mostly uninhabited, and have
quite a few nice anchorages that are pleasant and uncrowded, although
sometimes untenable and dangerous during the fall Santana season. The
Channel Islands are the only cruising destinations near Ventura, however,
so
your range of choices is somewhat limited. Ventura and nearby Oxnard don't
have anything like a serious airport, so you'd have to fly in and out via
Los Angeles International (LAX). I believe there are feeder flights from
LAX.

Think about the Pacific Northwest - airline access through Seattle-Tacoma,
and a vast and wonderful cruising ground in Puget Sound and the inland
passage up the west coast of Canada to Alaska. A short sailing season,
quite
changeable weather, and water too cold to swim in are the only drawbacks
I've found. The Seattle region or Vancouver, B.C., might be good
locations,
with excellent air service to both.

Regards,
Tom Dacon


"just me" wrote in message
news:T36Oc.207896$Oq2.118275@attbi_s52...
I am planning to move my boat, a 40' Jeanneau, to the ocean (one of
them)
around the first of the year.
I'm trying to decide where and which one. I plan to fly to the boat
every
month or so. I expect I'll spend anywhere from a long weekend to ten
days
or so. Eventually, I'll retire and spend longer times aboard. Once
there,
I
would like to have places to go to, visit and explore. Choice A: San
Diego
area. Choice B: Atlantic side, Florida to North Carolina. Direct and
numerous daily flights by more than one airline are important. Your
thoughts, experiences and opinions are welcomed.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
----

You won't find much of anything around San Diego to go to or explore. It's
kind of a wasteland for sailing. Wind's generally light, except just off the
entrance where there's often a little headland effect. The Mexican port of
Ensenada, Baja California, is a long day's motorsail south, with the small
and barren Todos Santos Islands off Ensenada bay but nothing else to the
south for a long way. Catalina Island (quite crowded during the summer) is a
long day's motorsail north, and there's nothing in between those two
destinations. All the California and Baja coast's a lee shore to the normal
westerly winds, and is only sparsely populated with marinas.

A slightly better choice in Southern California would be Ventura, about 75
miles north of Los Angeles. It has a nice small-town feel and is quite
uncrowded compared to Los Angeles or San Diego. The northern Channel
Islands, about 25 miles off the coast, are mostly uninhabited, and have
quite a few nice anchorages that are pleasant and uncrowded, although
sometimes untenable and dangerous during the fall Santana season. The
Channel Islands are the only cruising destinations near Ventura, however, so
your range of choices is somewhat limited. Ventura and nearby Oxnard don't
have anything like a serious airport, so you'd have to fly in and out via
Los Angeles International (LAX). I believe there are feeder flights from
LAX.

Think about the Pacific Northwest - airline access through Seattle-Tacoma,
and a vast and wonderful cruising ground in Puget Sound and the inland
passage up the west coast of Canada to Alaska. A short sailing season, quite
changeable weather, and water too cold to swim in are the only drawbacks
I've found. The Seattle region or Vancouver, B.C., might be good locations,
with excellent air service to both.

Regards,
Tom Dacon


"just me" wrote in message
news:T36Oc.207896$Oq2.118275@attbi_s52...
I am planning to move my boat, a 40' Jeanneau, to the ocean (one of them)
around the first of the year.
I'm trying to decide where and which one. I plan to fly to the boat
every
month or so. I expect I'll spend anywhere from a long weekend to ten days
or so. Eventually, I'll retire and spend longer times aboard. Once there,
I
would like to have places to go to, visit and explore. Choice A: San
Diego
area. Choice B: Atlantic side, Florida to North Carolina. Direct and
numerous daily flights by more than one airline are important. Your
thoughts, experiences and opinions are welcomed.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
----

"just me" wrote:

I am planning to move my boat, a 40' Jeanneau, to the ocean (one of them)
around the first of the year.
I'm trying to decide where and which one. I plan to fly to the boat every
month or so. I expect I'll spend anywhere from a long weekend to ten days
or so. Eventually, I'll retire and spend longer times aboard. Once there, I
would like to have places to go to, visit and explore. Choice A: San Diego
area. Choice B: Atlantic side, Florida to North Carolina. Direct and
numerous daily flights by more than one airline are important. Your
thoughts, experiences and opinions are welcomed.

The Florida east coast has very little sailing (IMHO) except Hawk
Channel along the Florida Keys (where there's very little in the way
of protected anchorages for a boat with any kind of draft to her, and
on the other side it's very shallow and iffy - ditto on the draft),
and in some sections of the Indian River. Possibly also the St.
John's River (Jacksonville). Miami and the St. John's River and the
St. Mary's River are Class A inlets. There are so many power
boats....

The other problem is FL is VERY VERY EXPENSIVE. More expensive in the
south than the north of course.

If I were doing it, I'd pick North Carolina around Albemarle Sound or
Pamlico Sound. I don't know about airline flights though.

But best of all for sailing is the Chesapeake. Lots of places to go,
visit and explore - enough for a lifetime. Baltimore has lots of
flights and by more than one airline. It does have colder weather
than Florida of course, but not much colder than NC, especially on the
lower bay in Virginia. I guess in that case you'd want to come in to
Norfolk. I've never done that so I don't know what airlines go there.


grandma Rosalie

A very fine book on cruising California is Brian Fagan's "The Cruising Guide
to Central and Southern California." I highly recommend it.

--Alan Gomes


"just me" wrote in message
news:T36Oc.207896$Oq2.118275@attbi_s52...
I am planning to move my boat, a 40' Jeanneau, to the ocean (one of
them)
around the first of the year.
I'm trying to decide where and which one. I plan to fly to the boat
every
month or so. I expect I'll spend anywhere from a long weekend to ten
days
or so. Eventually, I'll retire and spend longer times aboard. Once
there,
I
would like to have places to go to, visit and explore. Choice A: San
Diego
area. Choice B: Atlantic side, Florida to North Carolina. Direct and
numerous daily flights by more than one airline are important. Your
thoughts, experiences and opinions are welcomed.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
----

I think this depends on what kind of sailing you think you will do in the
future. If you would like to go island hopping than the East coast would be
the choice but if you think you would like to do week-long or month-long
cruises that bring you back to home port I think the PNW is the place to go.
You can spend a lifetime exploring all the bays and inlets from Washington
to Alaska.
In Washington / southern BC I think the pleasant sailing season runs
something like May to October. Lots of people sail right through winter as
you can have some pretty mild weather. Last year I was sailing in January
in shirt sleeves.
The weather is changeable allright, and the forecasts don't seem to help
that much, but that's just part of sailing.
Water is cold for the most part but there are bays where it warms up. I've
been told that the tidal streams cancel themselves out in the Desolation
Sound area and this water becomes quite warm in the summer.
Lastly, I don't think California is a go unless you want to do the Mexico
tour one day.



"just me" wrote in message
news:T36Oc.207896$Oq2.118275@attbi_s52...
I am planning to move my boat, a 40' Jeanneau, to the ocean (one of them)
around the first of the year.
I'm trying to decide where and which one. I plan to fly to the boat
every
month or so. I expect I'll spend anywhere from a long weekend to ten days
or so. Eventually, I'll retire and spend longer times aboard. Once there,
I
would like to have places to go to, visit and explore. Choice A: San
Diego
area. Choice B: Atlantic side, Florida to North Carolina. Direct and
numerous daily flights by more than one airline are important. Your
thoughts, experiences and opinions are welcomed.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
----

(anchorlt) wrote:

Rosalie B. wrote in message . ..
"just me" wrote:

I am planning to move my boat, a 40' Jeanneau, to the ocean (one of them)
around the first of the year.
I'm trying to decide where and which one. I plan to fly to the boat every
month or so. I expect I'll spend anywhere from a long weekend to ten days
or so. Eventually, I'll retire and spend longer times aboard. Once there, I
would like to have places to go to, visit and explore. Choice A: San Diego
area. Choice B: Atlantic side, Florida to North Carolina. Direct and
numerous daily flights by more than one airline are important. Your
thoughts, experiences and opinions are welcomed.

The Florida east coast has very little sailing (IMHO) except Hawk
Channel along the Florida Keys (where there's very little in the way
of protected anchorages for a boat with any kind of draft to her, and
on the other side it's very shallow and iffy - ditto on the draft),
and in some sections of the Indian River. Possibly also the St.
John's River (Jacksonville). Miami and the St. John's River and the
St. Mary's River are Class A inlets. There are so many power
boats....

South Florida is NOT expensive, unless one has only a few sheckles in
pocket, and then anywhere is expensive. I live there. S FL has access

South Florida is way more expensive to keep a boat at a marina than
the Chesapeake or North Carolina. I have lived there, I have visited
there, and my daughter lives there. I'm sorry to disagree, but I
don't regard prices of $2.00/ft/day or $28 to $55/ft/month (plus tax,
and liveaboard fee) as inexpensive.

to Keys, Bahamas, Cuba (when embargo and Bush are gone), Turks &
Caiacos, and all of Caribbean islands, east and west. Nowhere else in
U.S. are there as many choices and good sailing waters and winds.

The problem here is that all those places you mention except the Keys
involve going to a foreign country. Thus NOT in the US. For the
Bahamas, the 40' boat will pay $300 every 3 months to go to the
Bahamas. Also the normal winds in the winter appear to be from the NE
which makes it a problem to cross the Gulf Stream.

Want flights? No more anywhere than into and out of Miami and Ft.
Lauderdale. If "it" exists for a boat, any boat, and cannot be found
easily and quickly in S FL, it does not exist anywhere.

The disadvantage to Ft. Lauderdale for a sailboat is that there are
too many bridges. And also too many power boats.

This is not say there are not other great sailing areas, i.e.,
Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound and nearby, Maine and N, Gulf coast,
far NW (Puget Sound and nearby) and some of Great Lakes (Ontario, Erie
and Huron are, in my experience, the better ones).

St. Johns River in N FL? You ain't goin' to do much sailing on this
river, except in northern reaches, and their ain't much even there. I
have motored all of navigable St. Johns River and very narrow channels
and shoaling in mid and southern areas are all too common for sailing.

I have not tried the St. John's River myself, but people have
recommended the sailing there and in St. Augustine where they say they
go out of the inlet and sail, and I do not think much of that inlet,
especially in a contrary wind.

The whole area from there north past Charleston has a great tidal
range (for the south east coast) which makes shoaling a problem. Plus
in Georgia one is not supposed to stay aboard more than 30 days a
year.


grandma Rosalie

A dock on the New River rents for $250-$300 per month. From my house to
the Port Everglades inlet there are 5 bridges. Unless it is between
7:30-8:30am or 4:30-5:30pm, I call about a half mile from the bridge and
usually it is open when I get there and I don't have to slow down,
except for the 17th causeway bridge. It opens on the hour and half hour,
so if your timing leaving is a little late you may have to wait. If your
mast height is less than 55' you don't have to have an opening.
We sail down to Miami, Biscayne Bay, Elliot Key, Pumpkin Key, Boca Chita
Key. Lots of spots to anchor. We don't do marinas.
The $300 for the Bahamas is good for a year, or if you leave and come
back to the states, a second entry if within 3 months. FLL to Bimini is
41 miles, FLL to West End, 68 mi. A 8-12 hr overnight trip. We have
crossed the stream in almost all the months of the year. You just have
to watch for the right weather window even in the summer.
Kelton
s/v Isle Escape

Rosalie B. wrote:
(anchorlt) wrote:


Rosalie B. wrote in message . ..

"just me" wrote:


I am planning to move my boat, a 40' Jeanneau, to the ocean (one of them)
around the first of the year.
I'm trying to decide where and which one. I plan to fly to the boat every
month or so. I expect I'll spend anywhere from a long weekend to ten days
or so. Eventually, I'll retire and spend longer times aboard. Once there, I
would like to have places to go to, visit and explore. Choice A: San Diego
area. Choice B: Atlantic side, Florida to North Carolina. Direct and
numerous daily flights by more than one airline are important. Your
thoughts, experiences and opinions are welcomed.

The Florida east coast has very little sailing (IMHO) except Hawk
Channel along the Florida Keys (where there's very little in the way
of protected anchorages for a boat with any kind of draft to her, and
on the other side it's very shallow and iffy - ditto on the draft),
and in some sections of the Indian River. Possibly also the St.
John's River (Jacksonville). Miami and the St. John's River and the
St. Mary's River are Class A inlets. There are so many power
boats....

South Florida is NOT expensive, unless one has only a few sheckles in
pocket, and then anywhere is expensive. I live there. S FL has access


South Florida is way more expensive to keep a boat at a marina than
the Chesapeake or North Carolina. I have lived there, I have visited
there, and my daughter lives there. I'm sorry to disagree, but I
don't regard prices of $2.00/ft/day or $28 to $55/ft/month (plus tax,
and liveaboard fee) as inexpensive.


to Keys, Bahamas, Cuba (when embargo and Bush are gone), Turks &
Caiacos, and all of Caribbean islands, east and west. Nowhere else in
U.S. are there as many choices and good sailing waters and winds.


The problem here is that all those places you mention except the Keys
involve going to a foreign country. Thus NOT in the US. For the
Bahamas, the 40' boat will pay $300 every 3 months to go to the
Bahamas. Also the normal winds in the winter appear to be from the NE
which makes it a problem to cross the Gulf Stream.

Want flights? No more anywhere than into and out of Miami and Ft.
Lauderdale. If "it" exists for a boat, any boat, and cannot be found
easily and quickly in S FL, it does not exist anywhere.


The disadvantage to Ft. Lauderdale for a sailboat is that there are
too many bridges. And also too many power boats.

This is not say there are not other great sailing areas, i.e.,
Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound and nearby, Maine and N, Gulf coast,
far NW (Puget Sound and nearby) and some of Great Lakes (Ontario, Erie
and Huron are, in my experience, the better ones).

St. Johns River in N FL? You ain't goin' to do much sailing on this
river, except in northern reaches, and their ain't much even there. I
have motored all of navigable St. Johns River and very narrow channels
and shoaling in mid and southern areas are all too common for sailing.


I have not tried the St. John's River myself, but people have
recommended the sailing there and in St. Augustine where they say they
go out of the inlet and sail, and I do not think much of that inlet,
especially in a contrary wind.

The whole area from there north past Charleston has a great tidal
range (for the south east coast) which makes shoaling a problem. Plus
in Georgia one is not supposed to stay aboard more than 30 days a
year.


grandma Rosalie

krj wrote:

A dock on the New River rents for $250-$300 per month. From my house to

You must have a smaller boat with a shallower draft than we do and
also smaller than what I think he is talking about.

Friends of mine that live aboard on a 44 (which is really about 50
feet) had to go almost up to Lake Worth to find a marina that they
could afford to live aboard. They were FROM Ft. Lauderdale, and could
find no place in that area..

And ... this guy isn't going to be close enough to check on his boat.
He's only going to be flying in every month or so. He will want to
leave it somewhere that someone will be looking out for it if
possible. Like during the hurricane season.

That would be something that he could count on at our marina, or in
Deltaville or places that people often leave boats in charge of marina
personnel. I don't know how a person who rented a private dock could
do that unless the owner was willing to do it for extra money.

the Port Everglades inlet there are 5 bridges. Unless it is between
7:30-8:30am or 4:30-5:30pm, I call about a half mile from the bridge and
usually it is open when I get there and I don't have to slow down,
except for the 17th causeway bridge. It opens on the hour and half hour,
so if your timing leaving is a little late you may have to wait. If your
mast height is less than 55' you don't have to have an opening.

It is true that for a mast height less than 55' you wouldn't have to
open the 17th St bridge, and if you have a mast that short you
probably could go all the way down to Miami inside.

That doesn't address all the power boats though, and fishermen
anchored offshore at night with no lights.

We sail down to Miami, Biscayne Bay, Elliot Key, Pumpkin Key, Boca Chita
Key. Lots of spots to anchor. We don't do marinas.

Biscayne Bay and all the spots that you mention on the bay side are
too shallow for us to get to. I don't know the draft of the Jeaneau,
but we have a shoal draft at 5 feet, and I know won't risk it. And on
the Hawk Channel side there are only about 3 places we can anchor -
Marathon (Boot Key Harbor or near there), Newfound Harbor, and Key
West. And possibly Indian Key (the one on the Hawk Channel side).
And we can't normally get all the way to Marathon from Miami in one
day. There's also only a couple of places we can get through from one
side to the other.

The $300 for the Bahamas is good for a year, or if you leave and come
back to the states, a second entry if within 3 months. FLL to Bimini is

Again - he's only going to be down at the boat for long weekends. He
doesn't have time to wait for the weather. So he's not going to be
there in the Bahamas for a year unless he leaves his boat over there,
and commutes back and forth.

41 miles, FLL to West End, 68 mi. A 8-12 hr overnight trip. We have
crossed the stream in almost all the months of the year. You just have
to watch for the right weather window even in the summer.

Yes I know all those mileages, and I agree - wait for the weather.
But Bimini is shoaled again and you can't get in except at high tide.
West End is (to my mind) horribly expensive and is also isolated, and
ditto for Chub.

Rosalie B. wrote:
(anchorlt) wrote:


Rosalie B. wrote in message . ..

"just me" wrote:


I am planning to move my boat, a 40' Jeanneau, to the ocean (one of them)
around the first of the year.
I'm trying to decide where and which one. I plan to fly to the boat every
month or so. I expect I'll spend anywhere from a long weekend to ten days
or so. Eventually, I'll retire and spend longer times aboard. Once there, I
would like to have places to go to, visit and explore. Choice A: San Diego
area. Choice B: Atlantic side, Florida to North Carolina. Direct and
numerous daily flights by more than one airline are important. Your
thoughts, experiences and opinions are welcomed.

The Florida east coast has very little sailing (IMHO) except Hawk
Channel along the Florida Keys (where there's very little in the way
of protected anchorages for a boat with any kind of draft to her, and
on the other side it's very shallow and iffy - ditto on the draft),
and in some sections of the Indian River. Possibly also the St.
John's River (Jacksonville). Miami and the St. John's River and the
St. Mary's River are Class A inlets. There are so many power
boats....

South Florida is NOT expensive, unless one has only a few sheckles in
pocket, and then anywhere is expensive. I live there. S FL has access


South Florida is way more expensive to keep a boat at a marina than
the Chesapeake or North Carolina. I have lived there, I have visited
there, and my daughter lives there. I'm sorry to disagree, but I
don't regard prices of $2.00/ft/day or $28 to $55/ft/month (plus tax,
and liveaboard fee) as inexpensive.


to Keys, Bahamas, Cuba (when embargo and Bush are gone), Turks &
Caiacos, and all of Caribbean islands, east and west. Nowhere else in
U.S. are there as many choices and good sailing waters and winds.


The problem here is that all those places you mention except the Keys
involve going to a foreign country. Thus NOT in the US. For the
Bahamas, the 40' boat will pay $300 every 3 months to go to the
Bahamas. Also the normal winds in the winter appear to be from the NE
which makes it a problem to cross the Gulf Stream.

Want flights? No more anywhere than into and out of Miami and Ft.
Lauderdale. If "it" exists for a boat, any boat, and cannot be found
easily and quickly in S FL, it does not exist anywhere.


The disadvantage to Ft. Lauderdale for a sailboat is that there are
too many bridges. And also too many power boats.

This is not say there are not other great sailing areas, i.e.,
Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound and nearby, Maine and N, Gulf coast,
far NW (Puget Sound and nearby) and some of Great Lakes (Ontario, Erie
and Huron are, in my experience, the better ones).

St. Johns River in N FL? You ain't goin' to do much sailing on this
river, except in northern reaches, and their ain't much even there. I
have motored all of navigable St. Johns River and very narrow channels
and shoaling in mid and southern areas are all too common for sailing.


I have not tried the St. John's River myself, but people have
recommended the sailing there and in St. Augustine where they say they
go out of the inlet and sail, and I do not think much of that inlet,
especially in a contrary wind.

The whole area from there north past Charleston has a great tidal
range (for the south east coast) which makes shoaling a problem. Plus
in Georgia one is not supposed to stay aboard more than 30 days a
year.

grandma Rosalie

We had a 45' Bruce Roberts, 6' 8" draft for several years. The River is
8' to 20' at low tide. My friend has a 42' Catalina, 5'5" draft at my
neighbors dock. He pays $250/month. Across the canal is a 48' Ameil.
Don't know the draft, but it must be 5-6 feet. The smallest lot with
dock space is 65' wide, so with the city required easement of 5', it can
accommodate a 55' boat.
Kelton

Rosalie B. wrote:

krj wrote:


A dock on the New River rents for $250-$300 per month. From my house to


You must have a smaller boat with a shallower draft than we do and
also smaller than what I think he is talking about.

Friends of mine that live aboard on a 44 (which is really about 50
feet) had to go almost up to Lake Worth to find a marina that they
could afford to live aboard. They were FROM Ft. Lauderdale, and could
find no place in that area..

And ... this guy isn't going to be close enough to check on his boat.
He's only going to be flying in every month or so. He will want to
leave it somewhere that someone will be looking out for it if
possible. Like during the hurricane season.

That would be something that he could count on at our marina, or in
Deltaville or places that people often leave boats in charge of marina
personnel. I don't know how a person who rented a private dock could
do that unless the owner was willing to do it for extra money.


the Port Everglades inlet there are 5 bridges. Unless it is between
7:30-8:30am or 4:30-5:30pm, I call about a half mile from the bridge and
usually it is open when I get there and I don't have to slow down,
except for the 17th causeway bridge. It opens on the hour and half hour,
so if your timing leaving is a little late you may have to wait. If your
mast height is less than 55' you don't have to have an opening.


It is true that for a mast height less than 55' you wouldn't have to
open the 17th St bridge, and if you have a mast that short you
probably could go all the way down to Miami inside.

That doesn't address all the power boats though, and fishermen
anchored offshore at night with no lights.


We sail down to Miami, Biscayne Bay, Elliot Key, Pumpkin Key, Boca Chita
Key. Lots of spots to anchor. We don't do marinas.


Biscayne Bay and all the spots that you mention on the bay side are
too shallow for us to get to. I don't know the draft of the Jeaneau,
but we have a shoal draft at 5 feet, and I know won't risk it. And on
the Hawk Channel side there are only about 3 places we can anchor -
Marathon (Boot Key Harbor or near there), Newfound Harbor, and Key
West. And possibly Indian Key (the one on the Hawk Channel side).
And we can't normally get all the way to Marathon from Miami in one
day. There's also only a couple of places we can get through from one
side to the other.


The $300 for the Bahamas is good for a year, or if you leave and come
back to the states, a second entry if within 3 months. FLL to Bimini is


Again - he's only going to be down at the boat for long weekends. He
doesn't have time to wait for the weather. So he's not going to be
there in the Bahamas for a year unless he leaves his boat over there,
and commutes back and forth.


41 miles, FLL to West End, 68 mi. A 8-12 hr overnight trip. We have
crossed the stream in almost all the months of the year. You just have
to watch for the right weather window even in the summer.


Yes I know all those mileages, and I agree - wait for the weather.
But Bimini is shoaled again and you can't get in except at high tide.
West End is (to my mind) horribly expensive and is also isolated, and
ditto for Chub.

Rosalie B. wrote:

(anchorlt) wrote:



Rosalie B. wrote in message . ..


"just me" wrote:



I am planning to move my boat, a 40' Jeanneau, to the ocean (one of them)
around the first of the year.
I'm trying to decide where and which one. I plan to fly to the boat every
month or so. I expect I'll spend anywhere from a long weekend to ten days
or so. Eventually, I'll retire and spend longer times aboard. Once there, I
would like to have places to go to, visit and explore. Choice A: San Diego
area. Choice B: Atlantic side, Florida to North Carolina. Direct and
numerous daily flights by more than one airline are important. Your
thoughts, experiences and opinions are welcomed.

The Florida east coast has very little sailing (IMHO) except Hawk
Channel along the Florida Keys (where there's very little in the way
of protected anchorages for a boat with any kind of draft to her, and
on the other side it's very shallow and iffy - ditto on the draft),
and in some sections of the Indian River. Possibly also the St.
John's River (Jacksonville). Miami and the St. John's River and the
St. Mary's River are Class A inlets. There are so many power
boats....

South Florida is NOT expensive, unless one has only a few sheckles in
pocket, and then anywhere is expensive. I live there. S FL has access


South Florida is way more expensive to keep a boat at a marina than
the Chesapeake or North Carolina. I have lived there, I have visited
there, and my daughter lives there. I'm sorry to disagree, but I
don't regard prices of $2.00/ft/day or $28 to $55/ft/month (plus tax,
and liveaboard fee) as inexpensive.



to Keys, Bahamas, Cuba (when embargo and Bush are gone), Turks &
Caiacos, and all of Caribbean islands, east and west. Nowhere else in
U.S. are there as many choices and good sailing waters and winds.


The problem here is that all those places you mention except the Keys
involve going to a foreign country. Thus NOT in the US. For the
Bahamas, the 40' boat will pay $300 every 3 months to go to the
Bahamas. Also the normal winds in the winter appear to be from the NE
which makes it a problem to cross the Gulf Stream.


Want flights? No more anywhere than into and out of Miami and Ft.
Lauderdale. If "it" exists for a boat, any boat, and cannot be found
easily and quickly in S FL, it does not exist anywhere.


The disadvantage to Ft. Lauderdale for a sailboat is that there are
too many bridges. And also too many power boats.


This is not say there are not other great sailing areas, i.e.,
Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound and nearby, Maine and N, Gulf coast,
far NW (Puget Sound and nearby) and some of Great Lakes (Ontario, Erie
and Huron are, in my experience, the better ones).

St. Johns River in N FL? You ain't goin' to do much sailing on this
river, except in northern reaches, and their ain't much even there. I
have motored all of navigable St. Johns River and very narrow channels
and shoaling in mid and southern areas are all too common for sailing.


I have not tried the St. John's River myself, but people have
recommended the sailing there and in St. Augustine where they say they
go out of the inlet and sail, and I do not think much of that inlet,
especially in a contrary wind.

The whole area from there north past Charleston has a great tidal
range (for the south east coast) which makes shoaling a problem. Plus
in Georgia one is not supposed to stay aboard more than 30 days a
year.


grandma Rosalie

On Sat, 31 Jul 2004 00:20:22 GMT, Rosalie B.
wrote:

there are only about 3 places we can anchor -
Marathon (Boot Key Harbor or near there)

==================================

Are you able to carry a 5 ft draft through the bascule bridge at Boot
Key Harbor and into the basin east of the bridge? The chart is a bit
sketchy regarding depths in that area.