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East coast adventure

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by marc foster, Jul 20, 2017.

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  1. marc foster

    marc foster New Member

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    I am currently cruising in the PNW and my wife is really interested in a change in scenery since she grew up in Maine. The question is, if I ship the boat to Florida, when do I start the trip North, how long should I stay up north, and how far south do I need to get before winter arrives. Up here on Canada's west coast the temperature rarely gets below freezing so winters are not a problem.
  2. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    What type of boat do you have? How often do you want to travel or how many days do you want to stay at each stop?
  3. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    It s hard to give you an intelligent answer without knowing what kind of boat we re talking about.... 30 footer or 100??

    That said, usually April is as early as you want to head north from FL as there is really no point getting to England before may or even June.. in the fall, most boats start south in October. It depends where you re going but most mooring field and marinas go into hynernation by October
  4. Ken Bracewell

    Ken Bracewell Senior Member

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    Best Months (particularly if you are used to a cooler climate in the PNW):
    Carolinas-Chesapeake: April/May, October
    Southern New England: June, September
    Northern New England: July, August

    We are a PNW boat, and are currently cruising the East Coast (although I've done this coast dozens of seasons)
  5. marc foster

    marc foster New Member

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    Regarding the size, we have a 62 ft west bay. Regarding the amount of time, given that I am a working stiff I can only get away for 10 to 14 day chunks of time. So I would imagine one week trips in the winter, spring and fall and two or three two week trips during the summer. I figure my lack of time will force me into having some of the repositioning travel distance done by a delivery crew. My wife won't want to spend all the time moving. One thing nice about the PNW is everything is so close that three hours a day at 10 knots gets you everywhere you may want to go. I expect that two years back east will give me enough time to visit a fair amount of New England. Only difficulty is having to go all the way south when the weather changes. I would love any advice on how to make this workout well.
  6. Ken Bracewell

    Ken Bracewell Senior Member

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    You could easily haul the boat and store it inside during the winter months. Or you can keep it in the Chesapeake or Carolinas during the winter.
  7. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Where are you actually going to be living?
  8. RER

    RER Senior Member

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    With owner and crew based out of San Diego CA we did three years of cruising the Bahamas and the east coast Key West to Boston on an 85' motor yacht from a home port of West Palm Beach, FL.

    With owners aboard, a typical trip north would be Palm Beach to Port Canaveral to St. Augustine to Savannah GA to Charleston SC. Then leave the boat for two or three weeks. Come back and head from Charleston to Southport NC to Beaufort to Coinjock to Portsmouth/Norfolk VA where we would leave the boat again for a couple of weeks or more. Then to the Chesapeake and leave the boat in DC, and so on. Combined running inside and outside and taking whatever time the owners wished as we stopped along the way.

    We all flew home to CA between trips.

    Getting back down south typically in late September was just point A to point B straight shot type deal without guest.
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2017
  9. marc foster

    marc foster New Member

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    Thanks for all of the advice.

    Reagarding the winter period there was a suggestion of staying in the cheasepeake. It the winter weather there good enough to avoid damage to the boat and possible winter visits? We really did enjoy cruising in the PNW this winter with temps between 26 and 34 degrees, as long as we could stay in marinas at various destinations and avoid dealing with the tender when there was ice on the decks.
  10. Ken Bracewell

    Ken Bracewell Senior Member

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  11. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Leaving a boat unattended and unwatched is not a good winter idea in the Chesapeake or many other places. However, a boat properly set up for the cold weather and managed well can be most enjoyable. We boated on the lake in NC over the winter in a runabout, not on 20 degree days but many warmer days over winter. If you're on the boat and have good heat, then the outside temperature isn't going to matter as much, just must take safety precautions. There are areas of the Chesapeake that freeze, shallow areas, but the majority does not.

    It really depends on how much use and how well watched the boat is when not used. Is it kept warm, everything protected? Is it monitored to protect against power outages and generator used if any do happen? If I lived in the area of the Chesapeake and had a boat there, I'd use it year round. However, if I was commuting from a distance, then I'd move the boat further south. Several degrees change with every couple of hundred miles.
  12. Just Cruisin

    Just Cruisin Member

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    Kept my boat in the Chesapeake last winter in Baltimore, in the water. Did winterize her mid December and re-commissioned her very early April. Many boats kept in the water and are used year round. Found the that some marina's will check your boat daily or weekly if you are away.
    You can get some ice build up at times but none last year. Some marina's have bubblers on hand if needed and some owners have them under boats. Again, no ice last year but some years in Baltimore you can get ice for a week or two.
    Had one snow fall of about 4" end of March. Gone in a day. Some years you can get a storm or two of several inches.
    There are a few marina's that have covered wells which is a great option. Also, some marina's have very well protected areas to winter in that will allow for year round use.
    Knew a couple of boaters that ran down to Atlantic Yacht Basin in Norfolk area. They did not winterize. Cruising is limited out of there.
    Just need to find a marina with onsite owners or staff that can monitor your boat. Then you can cruise on good days and not worry about boat when you are away.
  13. marc foster

    marc foster New Member

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    Thanks so much for all of the advice!
  14. ranger58sb

    ranger58sb Senior member

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    It depends. We're 10 minutes from the boat, so I can check whenever I want, and when our marina freezes in I can easily come down and turn on the deicer, etc. We winterize engines and water systems, though, and we have no easy onsite winter water or pump-out... so "visiting" is a dry affair, when sunlight is enough to warm the bridge and/or cabin.

    OTOH, there are some marinas, mostly in Baltimore to my knowledge, that cater to winter-time residents. Bubblers in place, in-slip pump-outs, in-slip water, etc. Something like that could work. I suspect that many who take advantage of that don't actually go anywhere in winter, they just enjoy time on the boat in the slip... in downtown Baltimore, which has some attractions. Probably similar in a couple places here near downtown (or close enough) Annapolis, since I'm aware of some liveaboards in this area and they have in-slip water and pump-outs...

    Exceptions, of course, but I suspect most of the winter on-water traffic around here is about sailboat racing.

    -Chris
  15. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    If you have no east coast land base, commuting from the west coast, then I'd keep the boat during winter as far south as feasible and not on the Chesapeake Bay. If I lived in Maryland, then I'd keep it on the Chesapeake.
  16. RER

    RER Senior Member

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    The furthest north we ever kept the boat in winter was Thunderbolt GA. If you are going to button it up between trips and maybe just have a local keep an eye on it, I highly recommend floating docks. Not always possible depending on where you are leaving the boat, but always preferable.
  17. marc foster

    marc foster New Member

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    I really appreciate the thoughtful responses. Looking at historic weather data I am surprised how cold things can get even in the Carolinas. I guess that explains the recent years with icy roads in Atlanta!

    It is sounding like a delivery team may be in my future! Perhaps I should start a new thread looking for part time crew.
  18. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I specialize in Yacht deliveries and Yacht Management.