Best locations to learn to liveaboard?

[dannc]

Originally Posted by Airway

This is exciting for us because we just got back from a trip down to the Ft. Lauderdale area for interviews and we weren't totally thrilled. Not completely turned off either but just didn't have that feeling of belonging really.
...

I used to live in South East Florida. Hated the place and could not wait to leave. It is crowded, expensive and full of people with bad attitudes. Having to drive to work down there was stressful, time consuming and expensive. Not fun at all. If the freight and passenger trains start running to/from Miami as is planned, it is gong to get real interesting if you live on one side of the RR tracks and need to get to the other side.

South West and Florida was night and day different compared to SE Florida. At least it was decades ago when I used to live down there.

Surprised nobody has mentioned NC. Don't come here. It is awful.

Later,
Dan

[AlwaysFORSAIL]

SW Florida is a great place to sail. Predominate SE winds usually leaves the seas calmer than Florida's East coast. Plenty of anchorages within a day sail. Less expensive than the East coast. Easy access to the Bahamas, Cuba, Mexico, etc.

[Cruiseycatter]

think outside the box, whangarei in New zealand fits your requirements perfectly, and you both would fit it's requirements too. The bay of islands would make a perfect spot to learn to sail, and the amount of "creatures" is much smaller than the US. Like no snakes(of any sort) for a start. when you want to go back to the US Auckland is just down the road

[Airway]

Originally Posted by AlwaysFORSAIL

SW Florida is a great place to sail. Predominate SE winds usually leaves the seas calmer than Florida's East coast. Plenty of anchorages within a day sail. Less expensive than the East coast. Easy access to the Bahamas, Cuba, Mexico, etc.

When you say SW Florida, where exactly are you referring to? Naples?

[Airway]

Originally Posted by Cruiseycatter

think outside the box, whangarei in New zealand fits your requirements perfectly, and you both would fit it's requirements too. The bay of islands would make a perfect spot to learn to sail, and the amount of "creatures" is much smaller than the US. Like no snakes(of any sort) for a start. when you want to go back to the US Auckland is just down the road

I have a dream of making it by boat back to New Zealand. I actually lived in Dunedin for 6 months for University. Cherished every bit of that time. Gave away my car to some kiwis when I left. Wasn't too far from you in Invercargill! But I don't plan on working abroad just yet. They do have a great healthcare system in Oz/nzed and I still have some contacts from over that way, including a mentor of mine who I trained under here in NY. Maybe someday!

[Goosebumps]

Go liveaboard in real survival conditions to prepare fir serioys liveaboard, come to Africa.

[Drift Woods]

If you can set your own hours south of downtown Miami is great place to live. I took this short video today coming back from Key Largo on Biscayne Bay. 84 degrees and the water temperature was around 80.

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[Drift Woods]

Sorry, can't load a video. You would of loved it.

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[dw5055]

Dont' come to Florida: Roaches, bugs, hurricanes, bad schools, lots of traffic, bad tempered people, snakes, alligators, sharks, high food cost, expensive docks space, locals don't like liveaboards, lightning capital of the world, shallow water to sail in, cops hassle you, unbelieveable heat, coconuts falling on your heads, bad restaurants, hard to find good mechanics need I say more.......................even with all that people still come...lol.

[a64pilot]

Panhandle is completely different than South Fl, your from NY if I remember, so you may fit right in in South Fl though.
Panhandle is way more laid back, it's the South. It does get cold in winter compared to South Fl, but it is very liveaboard friendly, I keep our boat in PC and unless I'm mistaken all the Marina's welcome liveaboards, contrast that to a couple of Marina's I have visited further South and when I asked, got the response, "we don't allow that kind of thing here, we are a nice marina"
But it is a long way to the Bahamas from PC, like maybe two weeks. Lot of cruising though, if you like out of the way places and gunkholing, but terrible if you want to travel to another "nice" Marina, more fishing villages type of towns.


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[Magnawake]

I like the Stewart area. Manatee pocket near port Salerno to be exact. Fort Meyers is good too. Fort pierce isn't bad either. The winters are a hoot at fort pierce. Farmers markets and stuff going on all the time. Happy people from the north (snow birds ) tickled pink not to be in the snow. The summers on the Fl. Coast are surprisingly cooler than Charleston. The fishing is great and water clear. The cost is a problem though at some marinas but others reasonable. SC has a 6 percent property tax if you stay over 180 days so beware. NC is the cheapest of all with Rock bottom prices for living aboard. You can find small towns to get away from people but sail the pamlico or albemarle out to the outer banks. We have been working and cruising Florida for two years but excited to get back to the Carolinas.

[RKsailsolo]

Originally Posted by Airway

So yea we'll have to check out the west coast of FL and panhandle.. I have an interview in Pensacola next week. Will work on interviews in Clearwater/St. Petes/Sarasota for next month.



Speaking to that point, anyone have any more detailed info on living in those areas? Would you recommend one over the other in terms of quality of life or boating culture?

A64 pilot can give you good perspective on FL Panhandle. I used to live there, he does now. Great cruising grounds with Deep South culture that grows on you. I miss it. Beautiful water with many protected sailing areas. Three seasons. Low cost of living with high quality of life.

I personally am headed to Stuart in a year, which will be great as I will be on hiatus and not fighting traffic. Someone posted that SE FL is tough and I'd agree that working and sailing could be complicated. I lived in FT Laud from 74 to 95 and it's way crowded back then. So north of Broward and even Palm Bch counties is preferable. Even better quality of life towards St Augustine and west coast.

When you visit P Cola, rent a center console fishing boat and do a fast cruise east to Ft Walton and west to orange beach, Alabama to get a feel for the place.

[CHM]

Check out the the central coast of Florida. St Augustine to Fort Pierce. Reasonable dockage. Lots of live aboard folks. Excellent sailing year round.


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