Hi everyone. We are planning taking our boat to the Chesapeake this summer. We
would like to leave the first week of May from Palm Beach and make our way
North through the ICW. We are not in a hurry and would like to enjoy the cruise
without any kind of schedule. Our concern is that if we really take a very slow
approach we may be increasing our chances of being in the path of a hurricane
and secondly that we may miss a lot of the great cruising grounds in the
Chesapeake by running out of time. We would like to start heading back the
first week of October. One approach we have began to discuss is to try to get
to the Chesapeake by mid to June and then take our time coming back. Does any
one have any suggestions which one may be the better approach?
Thanks
ALCCA

x-no-archive:yes

(ALCCA) wrote:

Hi everyone. We are planning taking our boat to the Chesapeake this summer. We
would like to leave the first week of May from Palm Beach and make our way
North through the ICW. We are not in a hurry and would like to enjoy the cruise
without any kind of schedule. Our concern is that if we really take a very slow
approach we may be increasing our chances of being in the path of a hurricane
and secondly that we may miss a lot of the great cruising grounds in the
Chesapeake by running out of time. We would like to start heading back the
first week of October. One approach we have began to discuss is to try to get
to the Chesapeake by mid to June and then take our time coming back. Does any
one have any suggestions which one may be the better approach?
Thanks
ALCCA

You can do both. Go up and the places you don't have time to visit on
the way north, do on the way south. There's no point in trying to
second guess the hurricanes - there is just as much chance of having
them in the Chesapeake as anywhere. Check what your insurance says.

We leave from the Potomac in mid to late October. We like leaving
later because there aren't as many boats clogging up the marinas since
most of them leave earlier. Depending on the weather, this can be a
warm trip or a cold trip. If the weather is cold, we tend to hurry
more and stay in marinas more (for heat). We also like to go north
earlier when the weather is not as hot, but I'm sure May will work
fine.

The first time we did it, we left Nov 1st laid over 2 days for weather
3 or 4 times, spent a week in Charleston, and got to Palm Beach
December 16th. The weather was quite cold.

The second time we left Oct 24th and promptly got weathered in for
several days at the first stop. We left there Oct 28th, and arrived
in Ft. Pierce December 6th. On this trip the weather was warm, and
after the first stop, we stayed a couple of days in 8 places along the
way.

This time, we left October 31, and arrived in Ft. Pierce on Dec 3rd
(we don't go inside south of Ft. Pierce anymore). We stayed 2 days in
Elizabeth City, Belhaven (because of fog), Swansboro (because of
rain), and a week in Charleston, a couple of days in Fernandina, a
couple of days in St. Augustine (over Thanksgiving), a couple of days
in Daytona and a couple of days in Titusville.

On the way back the first year, we left Lake Worth March 12th, and
were in Norfolk by April 14th. We stayed a couple of days in
Fernandina, visited our son for a week in Charleston, and had the
worst weather of all in the Chesapeake in April.

The second year we came back from the Bahamas to Ft. Pierce on March
12 (and stayed there a day), and got to Norfolk April 15th. Spent a
couple of days in St. Augustine (weather), Fermandina, and a week in
Charleston.


grandma Rosalie
http://www12.virtualtourist.com/m/4a9c6/

x-no-archive:yes

(ALCCA) wrote:

Hi everyone. We are planning taking our boat to the Chesapeake this summer. We
would like to leave the first week of May from Palm Beach and make our way
North through the ICW. We are not in a hurry and would like to enjoy the cruise
without any kind of schedule. Our concern is that if we really take a very slow
approach we may be increasing our chances of being in the path of a hurricane
and secondly that we may miss a lot of the great cruising grounds in the
Chesapeake by running out of time. We would like to start heading back the
first week of October. One approach we have began to discuss is to try to get
to the Chesapeake by mid to June and then take our time coming back. Does any
one have any suggestions which one may be the better approach?
Thanks
ALCCA

You can do both. Go up and the places you don't have time to visit on
the way north, do on the way south. There's no point in trying to
second guess the hurricanes - there is just as much chance of having
them in the Chesapeake as anywhere. Check what your insurance says.

We leave from the Potomac in mid to late October. We like leaving
later because there aren't as many boats clogging up the marinas since
most of them leave earlier. Depending on the weather, this can be a
warm trip or a cold trip. If the weather is cold, we tend to hurry
more and stay in marinas more (for heat). We also like to go north
earlier when the weather is not as hot, but I'm sure May will work
fine.

The first time we did it, we left Nov 1st laid over 2 days for weather
3 or 4 times, spent a week in Charleston, and got to Palm Beach
December 16th. The weather was quite cold.

The second time we left Oct 24th and promptly got weathered in for
several days at the first stop. We left there Oct 28th, and arrived
in Ft. Pierce December 6th. On this trip the weather was warm, and
after the first stop, we stayed a couple of days in 8 places along the
way.

This time, we left October 31, and arrived in Ft. Pierce on Dec 3rd
(we don't go inside south of Ft. Pierce anymore). We stayed 2 days in
Elizabeth City, Belhaven (because of fog), Swansboro (because of
rain), and a week in Charleston, a couple of days in Fernandina, a
couple of days in St. Augustine (over Thanksgiving), a couple of days
in Daytona and a couple of days in Titusville.

On the way back the first year, we left Lake Worth March 12th, and
were in Norfolk by April 14th. We stayed a couple of days in
Fernandina, visited our son for a week in Charleston, and had the
worst weather of all in the Chesapeake in April.

The second year we came back from the Bahamas to Ft. Pierce on March
12 (and stayed there a day), and got to Norfolk April 15th. Spent a
couple of days in St. Augustine (weather), Fermandina, and a week in
Charleston.


grandma Rosalie
http://www12.virtualtourist.com/m/4a9c6/

ALCCA wrote:
Hi everyone. We are planning taking our boat to the Chesapeake this
summer. We would like to leave the first week of May from Palm
Beach and make our way North through the ICW. We are not in a hurry
and would like to enjoy the cruise without any kind of schedule.
Our concern is that if we really take a very slow approach we may
be increasing our chances of being in the path of a hurricane and
secondly that we may miss a lot of the great cruising grounds in
the Chesapeake by running out of time. We would like to start
heading back the first week of October. One approach we have began
to discuss is to try to get to the Chesapeake by mid to June and
then take our time coming back. Does any one have any suggestions
which one may be the better approach? Thanks ALCCA

This seems to boil down to when you actually want to arrive at Chesapeake
Bay. Fall cruising on the Bay is considered by many as the ideal time, with
early spring second, and mid-summer a dead last. If I were doing this as a
one-time event, I'd try to get on the Bay no later than mid-May. If you
figure about 2 weeks from Fernandina to Norfolk (which is not really a bad
estimate), and then factor in the miles from Palm Beach to Fernandina, and
the miles from Norfolk to, say, Baltimore, you can get at least some idea of
a possible schedule.

Many folks prefer to get out of Norfolk not later than mid-October, but I
have left there as late as November 1 without too many problems. I think
the real downside to a cruise such as this is having to endure a typical
August on the Bay. It _can_ be done, but sometimes not very pleasantly. In
any case, once you leave Norfolk southbound, you can luxuriate on the way
back to Florida without too much worry. As Rosalie indicated, don't waste
time "scheduling" hurricanes. Just have a plan, keep an eye on the
weather, and get an idea of the various "holes" on the route.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.tripod.com

ALCCA wrote:
Hi everyone. We are planning taking our boat to the Chesapeake this
summer. We would like to leave the first week of May from Palm
Beach and make our way North through the ICW. We are not in a hurry
and would like to enjoy the cruise without any kind of schedule.
Our concern is that if we really take a very slow approach we may
be increasing our chances of being in the path of a hurricane and
secondly that we may miss a lot of the great cruising grounds in
the Chesapeake by running out of time. We would like to start
heading back the first week of October. One approach we have began
to discuss is to try to get to the Chesapeake by mid to June and
then take our time coming back. Does any one have any suggestions
which one may be the better approach? Thanks ALCCA

This seems to boil down to when you actually want to arrive at Chesapeake
Bay. Fall cruising on the Bay is considered by many as the ideal time, with
early spring second, and mid-summer a dead last. If I were doing this as a
one-time event, I'd try to get on the Bay no later than mid-May. If you
figure about 2 weeks from Fernandina to Norfolk (which is not really a bad
estimate), and then factor in the miles from Palm Beach to Fernandina, and
the miles from Norfolk to, say, Baltimore, you can get at least some idea of
a possible schedule.

Many folks prefer to get out of Norfolk not later than mid-October, but I
have left there as late as November 1 without too many problems. I think
the real downside to a cruise such as this is having to endure a typical
August on the Bay. It _can_ be done, but sometimes not very pleasantly. In
any case, once you leave Norfolk southbound, you can luxuriate on the way
back to Florida without too much worry. As Rosalie indicated, don't waste
time "scheduling" hurricanes. Just have a plan, keep an eye on the
weather, and get an idea of the various "holes" on the route.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.tripod.com

We did the traditional ICW trip a few years ago. This site includes a day by
day log.
http://www.sv-loki.com/The_Trip/the_trip.html

West Palm to Norfolk is about 25 travel days, so you'll need 50 days. You've
given about 180, so you have 130 days left for playing tourist, and cruising the
Chesapeake. As you can see from our log, we sometimes traveled 2 or 3 days in a
row; other times we stopped for a few weeks. Only you can say which places you
want hang out in for extended stays.

As for hurricanes, aside from last year, the upper Chesapeake is a safest place
on the East Coast. The standard strategy is to head south after the Annapolis
Boat Show on Columbus Day.

-jeff





"ALCCA" wrote in message
...
Hi everyone. We are planning taking our boat to the Chesapeake this summer. We
would like to leave the first week of May from Palm Beach and make our way
North through the ICW. We are not in a hurry and would like to enjoy the
cruise
without any kind of schedule. Our concern is that if we really take a very
slow
approach we may be increasing our chances of being in the path of a hurricane
and secondly that we may miss a lot of the great cruising grounds in the
Chesapeake by running out of time. We would like to start heading back the
first week of October. One approach we have began to discuss is to try to get
to the Chesapeake by mid to June and then take our time coming back. Does any
one have any suggestions which one may be the better approach?
Thanks
ALCCA

We did the traditional ICW trip a few years ago. This site includes a day by
day log.
http://www.sv-loki.com/The_Trip/the_trip.html

West Palm to Norfolk is about 25 travel days, so you'll need 50 days. You've
given about 180, so you have 130 days left for playing tourist, and cruising the
Chesapeake. As you can see from our log, we sometimes traveled 2 or 3 days in a
row; other times we stopped for a few weeks. Only you can say which places you
want hang out in for extended stays.

As for hurricanes, aside from last year, the upper Chesapeake is a safest place
on the East Coast. The standard strategy is to head south after the Annapolis
Boat Show on Columbus Day.

-jeff





"ALCCA" wrote in message
...
Hi everyone. We are planning taking our boat to the Chesapeake this summer. We
would like to leave the first week of May from Palm Beach and make our way
North through the ICW. We are not in a hurry and would like to enjoy the
cruise
without any kind of schedule. Our concern is that if we really take a very
slow
approach we may be increasing our chances of being in the path of a hurricane
and secondly that we may miss a lot of the great cruising grounds in the
Chesapeake by running out of time. We would like to start heading back the
first week of October. One approach we have began to discuss is to try to get
to the Chesapeake by mid to June and then take our time coming back. Does any
one have any suggestions which one may be the better approach?
Thanks
ALCCA