Live aboard Snowbirds - Toronto to Florida yearly migration. Is anyone doing this?

[Mahayana]

Originally Posted by SailFastTri

Hi Paul. I think your memory might be a bit fuzzy on this. Published "standard" for minimum bridge height on the ICW is 65'. Even if a few are slightly less, 56' should be no problem.

New Jersey has bridges that are 55'. We just sailed outside for the NJ portion.

[rdthoms]

Ann and Bob Sherer have done this for several years (from New York) - they update a blog nearly daily while they are traveling. Check it out at: Cruising Down the ICW 2017

[icemate]

I've done it a few times from BUffalo,NY to Daytona, Fl and have taken both the ICW and outside. ICW is ok if you have a lot of fuel and money and time. I only hit bottom 10 or 12 times but had 6' draft. Going outside was much better for me as I enjoyed sailing and stayed outside of the Gulf Stream. Weather is the most important part of the trip. A nice 10 day window is what you need. Their are many places you can hide if bad weather arises so be prepared and plan for every kind of weather. Have a safe trip and enjoy.

[hamburking]

Add my vote for 1 boat down south and another on Lake Ontario. Its a long trip back and forth by sailboat...but pretty easy by airplane. You really don't need much on Lake Ontario...fin keel racer/cruiser 30 years old would be fine...cheap enough too.

Perhaps summers in Toronto could become summers travelling, or doing airbnbs, or chartering in Toronto? Consider the cost and time involved with each migration.

[PuttingDoctor]

Yup! Two boats make it easy. I have a friend who keeps one at Toronto Island Marina and has another here at Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach.

He spends six months up north and six down south. This keeps all sides happy especially him.

[John_Trusty]

Todd, just thinking out loud ... Do you want a sailboat or a displacement hull motorboat like a trawler (I can't believe I am writing this!). If the majority of your boat time is going to be motoring up and down the ditch, why not get the vessel that is designed for that purpose? Other than the big annual trips, how do you plan to use this boat - day sailing, Bahama trips, overnight anchoring/marinas, etc.? Most of the issues with ICW transits are caused by mast height and draft, both of which you can avoid by not sailing at the ends.

[a64pilot]

A sailboat will burn probably half or less fuel than a comparable sized trawler, the sailboat can sail once in a while too, life is not all the ICW, they may get adventurous and do the Caribbean one year.
I was thinking Hudson's OI 41, big enough to be comfortable and with a barely over 4' draft, can go almost anywhere a trawler can, except fixed bridges of course.
I can't think of many better boats to run up and down the ICW and occasionally the Bahamas than an OI 41.
Of course for his stated purpose is a good engine, one that parts can be found for readily, and a generator for those buggy nights or anytime you had just rather run the AC than sweat

[icemate]

It is probably cheaper to have one in Toronto and one in Florida. I have a friend who was just diagnosed with cancer and has decided to sell his boat that is docked at Halifax Marina, Daytona, Fl. If you need info ask at Halifax or contact me @ icemate@yahoo.com

[Captain Denis]

I assume like most who answered your query that you will be living permanently on your boat. So, why going back all the way to Toronto? Just go north for the hurricane season maybe around the Chesapeake Bay. I was a snowbird for 16 years but I had a house to Canada that I could got to and get back to making some $. I always left my boat in dry dock if I had to leave her for more than a month. I was in Marina Hemingway for many years refitting my boat. I also heard that the docking fees have gone up substantially. Cuban Coast Guard will not allow you to live at anchor. Happy retirement,

[naitaka322]

Todd
there is many members in the WYC who have done this trip. You may want to look them up
Jim:

[rosatte]

i never understand this u have a sailboat y not go down st lawernce river out to east coast and sail it down hell if u wanna go icw buy a trawler and motor down..we made the trip 2yrs ago down to newfoundland and tend to go again this yr...except a lot further u just gotta watch for weather windows..and prep boat for heavy weather sailing

[seaman-lew]

we live in fla
lots of Canadians here

[Nickodemus]

Your questions prompted me to join CF, because although I have been reading for a while, I never bothered to sign up till I saw your concerns. We are in the Exumas right now. We left Youngstown, NY in early September 2016 and traveled all the way down - Lake Ontario to Oswego Canal, Erie Canal, Hudson River, out into the Atlantic, into the Delaware River, into Chesapeake Bay, and then all the way down the ICW, coming out at Lake Worth (West Palm Beach) and crossing to West End on Grand Bahamas. We have a Beneteau 49 and draw about 5'9". Our "aerial draft" (new cruising lingo that I just learned!) is 63.5 feet. In the ICW, we had a few harrowing moments because of the hurricane and the high tides due to the Supermoon. But we made it through all of them without hitting our mast - just scraped our VHF antenna a few times! But with your aerial draft, you should have no problem at all. In the Bahamas, we have been in Grand Bahama, the Abacos, Eleuthra, New Providence, and the Exumas. Depth has not been a problem as long as you follow your charts and your tides. As far as the engine goes, I can't directly speak to that issue, but I can tell you that approximately half of the boats in the anchorage with us right now are from Canada, and the majority of them go back and forth every year. Hope that helps!

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Captain Denis

I assume like most who answered your query that you will be living permanently on your boat. So, why going back all the way to Toronto? ...

Perhaps, to maintain Canadian Healthcare coverage (OHIP)?

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Nickodemus.

[rwidman]

We have a trawler an cruise up and down the AICW. In the "snowbird season", we see many sailboats making the north/south or south/north trip. We often meet the people in marinas and restaurants along the way.


My take on the ICW vs. off shore route is, if you're just delivering the boat or in a hurry, off shore is your best bet if your boat is capable of making the trip off shore.


If you like to visit interesting towns and cities or if you like to anchor in beautiful secluded anchorages, the Chesapeake Bay and the AICW is the way to go. The New Jersey ICW would be a bitch in a sailboat, don't try that.