Snowbirds on a Sailboat ?

[Sailorgirl60]

IMy husband & I live in Wisconsin & have a Hunter 34 sailboat but sailing season is short on Lake Michigan. It has always been my dream to be a snowbird for 1-3 months in winter and live on a sailboat someplace warm. (after we retire of course) Is that even a possibilty? Do people rent out their sailboats for people to live on like they do housing? We can't afford to buy another sailboat. Chartering for that length of time would be really expensive. And it would take too long to take our boat down and back. Does anybody who does this? or if it is even a possiblility or just a pipe dream?

[maxingout]

The Bahamas make a great place for snowbirds. Join the fleet and head down to Georgetown in the Exumas with about five hundred other yachts and enjoy a winter in the sun. Then when hurricane season rolls around, have the boat hauled out of the water for the duration of hurricane season.

The next year do the same thing all over again.

Georgetown is a Mecca for people who want to winter over in their yachts. It's easy to get to and quick to get back. They have lots of social activities in Georgetown as well.

You can make it happen.

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by maxingout

The Bahamas make a great place for snowbirds. Join the fleet and head down to Georgetown in the Exumas with about five hundred other yachts and enjoy a winter in the sun. Then when hurricane season rolls around, have the boat hauled out of the water for the duration of hurricane season.

The next year do the same thing all over again.

Georgetown is a Mecca for people who want to winter over in their yachts. It's easy to get to and quick to get back. They have lots of social activities in Georgetown as well.

You can make it happen.

This is excellent advice that Dave is offering, Sailorgirl60, except that it hasn't been that crowded for the past couple of years. From Skip Gundlach in his "Hooked on George Town" thread:

Back to the anchorage and the harbor, for all that description of "crowds," this year, with only a mid-200 count, has been lighter than last year's 327, which was lighter than the typical 500 boats in Elizabeth Harbour in past peak years...

So, whether it's the recession / depression or some other reason, it isn't nearly as crowded, now.

TaoJones

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Sailorgirl60.

You stumbled upon a common limitation; 1 boat, in 1 general location.
The good news is, that it’s your choice where to sail her. You could spend your short northern summer boatless, and enjoy your longer winters in southern climes (I also endorse Bahama winters).

Take your boat and husband south, after retirement.

[Joli]

Family has done that. Sailed from the Great Lakes to the Caribbean. They left the boat there, on the hard, during the summer and came back home. This worked well since the boat had to be hauled for huricane season anyway.

Originally Posted by GordMay

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Sailorgirl60.

You stumbled upon a common limitation; 1 boat, in 1 general location.
The good news is, that it’s your choice where to sail her. You could spend your short northern summer boatless, and enjoy your longer winters in southern climes (I also endorse Bahama winters).

Take your boat and husband south, after retirement.

[clockwork orange]

A boat the size of yours ,with the right preperation is trailable behind a 1 ton pickup truck so you can use it in both locations although i would look for something more suitable, say, an F31.
Steve.

[feelsgood]

I have heard of a site where people swop their boats for vacations all over the world but I am afraid I dont know what the site is called. Perhaps someone on this sit does?

[slomotion]

Towing a Hunter 34 is not a trivial task. Even with a flatbed tractor trailer rig, it's a big boat:

[Sailorgirl60]

Thanks for all the info but I guess I didn't make myself clear. We are not interested in moving our boat. We want to spend a month or two someplace warm in winter. But instead of renting a house or condo to stay in, we want to rent a sailboat to stay on. Do you know if or how this can be accomplished? Does anybody rent out sailboats for this purpose without costing thousands of dollars per week?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Sailorgirl60

Thanks for all the info but I guess I didn't make myself clear. We are not interested in moving our boat. We want to spend a month or two someplace warm in winter. But instead of renting a house or condo to stay in, we want to rent a sailboat to stay on. Do you know if or how this can be accomplished? Does anybody rent out sailboats for this purpose without costing thousands of dollars per week?

There you go.. great business idea... here in Europe quite a few folks do house swops on assorted sites so they can see other countries for a fraction of normal holiday costs... they post where they're looking to visit and what they have to offer in exchange.. then pick through the responses... know a couple or three who've done it and thought it was great..
Start your own web site where Northerners can trade winter months in the sun to Southerners who'd like to sail during the Hurricane season...
New waters for both to explore... nothing like a bit of mutual back scratching...