Hello, Thinking of moving my Sabreline 36 Aft Cabin South next winter From New England. Would probably liveaboard (we already do JUN-SEPT up North) but need to make trips back to Boston every couple of weeks. We are retired. What we are looking for is a place to put the boat in a slip that has clean head facilities, safe, decent docks, power and water and an area that is relatively flat for walking or biking, accessible to at least a grocery store by foot or bike, low pressure kind of place accessible to other areas by dinghy and nice people. Cost is an issue, not looking to pay Trump prices, nor do I need a full service marina (I do most all of my own work). Thinking Charleston or Savannah, or a little further South, but don't know if that is warm enough (mid 70's or so) Suggestions? Thank you in advance.
Lots of nice choices in those areas and nice cruising inland and easy ocean access. Of course, north of Palm Beach you might experience frost so don't throw away that heavy jacket. I've hit snow and teens as far south as Myrtle Beach. If you're looking for steady 70's during winter days you're talking south Florida. The areas you've mentioned tend to be pretty good for boating year round although the locals don't come out to play too much after Labor Day. Instead of rattling off every marina on the east coast, might I suggest that you pick up a cruising guide for the area, take a drive down and look around. Within a days cruise from Savannah you have Jekyll Island and Fernandina Beach to the south; Hilton Head, Beaufort and Charleston to the north. North from Charleston within a day gets you to Georgetown & Myrtle Beach. Of course there are numerous smaller destinations in between and lots of rural areas where you'll barely see a house. With you being from Mass I should also mention that the Charleston & Savannah areas are teaming with history. (A friend from Florida, upon visiting New Bedford, suggested that we need a good war like the south had in the 19th century so we could get everything new. He was jealous of all the history up north.)
come on down,the waters nice. i am from new england as well and have been running boats up and down for awhile now.so many choices here all i can say is south of jupter/stuart are in fla prices double or more and it gets alot more crowded.like the other good capt said,buy a cruising guide and before heading down have a look online.most places have info,prices,pics online these days.i cany say enough good about harborage yc in stuart.cheap,nice town,quiet.but lots of places just like that from there north.st simons isle,st augestine,no shortage of choice.south of west palm beach turns into city though. good luck,you will not be alone in a migration like you are thinking of. cw
melkal, I'm in south florida too, but would suggest you find a place anywhere from Savannah to St Augustine. That should keep you south enough where any cold weather will give you a chill but not bust a hose. Also gives you a nice range for winter cruising. Head north on the ICW when you have a good weather window like NY Cap said or head south for some nice cruising by Cape Canaveral and further into St Lucie county and such. Come on down south of Stuart to Palm Beach County to see the real traffic and excitement.
I tend to think that the cost of keeping a boat is less in the area from Fernandina Beach up to Georgetown. The cruising is also extremely diverse, from the beautiful southern charm in Savannah & Beaufort to the more trendy places like Hilton Head & Charleston. Great inlets and the curve make the outside a great short cut, and very interesting low country winding creeks on the inside. Weathers very tollerable as well.
i don't find much of the area between Fernandina and Miami to be very appealing. not much to do besides the ICW and it's hardly a scenic section. either you stay north of Fernandina which as others mentioned has a lot more intersting cruising grounds and very nice towns, or you come all the way down to biscayne bay which i find to be an incredible body of water offering year round swimming, blue (not brown) water, good snorkekling, shelter etc in addition to being the gateway to the Keys and the bahamas.
Except for St. Augustine (one of my favorite ports) it's slow speed zones, low docks, McMansions and fishing (small boats on the inside and the bigger ones congregating near the few inlets till you get to Palm Beach). Very few back channels to explore. Once you get to P.B. at least there is a good selection of restaurants if you can put up with idle speed and bridges. Not much between Savannah & Fernandina Beach either, but it's a nice ride. Ft Lauderdale is interesting with it's canals (particularly enjoy the loop from the New River to the Dania Cutoff Canal but that's for small, low boats only), yachts, restaurants and easy ocean access. Miami is a bit crowded for my tastes (especially up towards Haulover), but great running areas south and east. My choice would definitely be where the OP is considering, but they do get some cool weather and lots of big hungry flies.
If you pass Miami and get into the Keys, are marinas even more expensive, the same or do prices start falling?
Prices come down. I have some friends who ran a 110' that was kept in Marathon in the winter. The price of a slip was close to half what they would have paid in Ft. Lauderdale as I recall.
Cold/ Snow In The South "Temperatures in the Sunshine State were expected to dip into the upper 30s, but with wind chill, the real feel will be lower, even in normally balmy Fort Lauderdale. " http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40530789/ns/weather/
Don't pack your coat. It's a balmy 35* right now with about a 20kt wind. Thinking about lighting the fireplace.
Have you looked at the Daytona Beach area? Halifax Harbor is a beautiful marina, fuel, dockmaster which averages from 8-10 per foot. They don't have haul out services, but the Aqua Marina (old Daytoan Marina and Boat Works)right next door does. ICW, Ponce Inlet 6 miles south, St. Augustine 60 miles to the North (nice 1/2 day trip). Close to a lot of activities, the beach, the Bandshell, nice restaurants (Chart House, Blue Grotto) car shows, etc. There are a few others in the area as well. Approximately decent 6 marinas from Ormond Beach to Ponce Inlet. Just a thought.
