To Head South or Haul

[MicHughV]

Fernandina has two marina's.....the City marina and Amelia Island marina..the inlet is a wide and deep ship channel and there are no bridges to worry about...
Fernandina is an old time Florida town....you might enjoy it there...
There is also Tiger Point Marina on Egans Creek....and they have a travel lift if you want to haul your boat...

my advice....you can google Brunswick, Fernandina and St. Augustine inlets and marina's online and make up your own mind...none of those three have bridges to worry about....and all three have stores within walking distance.....a bike would be useful, and cars can be rented...

[hlev00]

I don't see where the boat is currently but since your address looks to be NH I assume that you are in New England. Three thoughts.


1. Having the boat south, even if not as far as Florida, will get you to where you won't experience the hard freezes of New England. If you store the boat in the water down there, that is especially true. I store my Beneteau covered outdoors in New England but am always worried about the toll our bitter winters take on the boat if any water has managed to get into small cracks here and there. For a Hylas, the value of the boat may justify that move, or even finding indoor heated storage in New England. As another alternative, a friend here has his 50' sailed to the Caribbean for the winter and flies down a couple of times during the winter to enjoy it. He's retired and has the pockets to be able to afford it all.



2. We are spoiled in much of New England with the awesome cruising grounds that are at our doorstep. Many of the locations south of the Chesapeake have fairly long trips just to go from the dock to the ocean. I suspect those advised earlier don't have that same issue but it is worth keeping in mind as you look. I have a friend that is in Masonboro NC and it looks quite nice and accessible. I would suggest Southport NC but they got wiped out in Hurricane Isaisis.



3. We went to the Bahamas two years ago. We took the boat to Savannah GA in mid-October and returned in January to continue the trip. We took two weeks to go from Buzzards Bay to Savannah which included a few days of putting thing away on the boat until January. Two weeks was just enough time to hop down the coast with a combination of offshore hops, occasionally waiting for a front to blow through, and the ICW between Norfolk and Beaufort NC. It can definitely be done in less time with the right weather window and crew. If your Hylas can't manage the 65' bridge restriction that should factor into your planning.



harry

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

I can spend all day here posting links and articles about the St.Augustine inlet.....for the local sailor, probably not so daunting, as they will likely know the area, but for someone new to the area coming in from offshore...it can be daunting....it's not a straight shot....definitely would not recommend a night time entry for a newbie to the area...especially so if it's rough outside...

I have been doing for the last 4 years from off shore. each time it has changed and the buoys have moved. It isn't a big deal using my Mark II eyeballs.

I would agree that you can not do it at night without a recent track to follow

[MicHughV]

that is the key difference locals have....they can follow a previous GPS track in and out the St. Augustine inlet....

I've heard about dem Mark II eyes....thought it was a rumor, but hearing you say it, finally confirms their existence...I'm jealous.....I had the Mark 0 variety...CSS eyes......can't see s**t eyes........recently had cataract surgery.....now I can count the hairs on a fly's butt at 1,000 yards...may have to give that inlet another go...

[tomrealest]

I am currently south of West Palm Beach and I do not see any reason not to come to South Florida because of Covid-19. Why freeze your butt off?

[Nicholson58]

Your boat is big enough to be trouble on the ICW, mast and draft. Salty Dawgs runs a rally to the Caribbean but some boats drop out in Florida or the Bahamas. They depart from Hampton, Virginia around November 2 or later depending on weather window. Most insurance permits travel south only after Nov 1. The Dawgs will help you with offshore planning and setting you up for Chris Parker as weather router. He can work a rout for your specific plans.

https://www.saltydawgsailing.org/

[gconley]

Thanks Emouchet - For sure not ICW friendly.

[gconley]

Thanks kysloc - we are indeed neighbors. I have heard of this marina before. I will look into it definitely. Being with a cadre of New Englanders cant be all bad.

[gconley]

Thanks Harry - Have thought about sailing with the Dawgs, I am a member but don't have any offshore experience. Whatever I do I will need a captain on board for the trip. Storing the boat on sticks over the winter simply does a boat no good, particularly in wet - freezing conditions.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by gconley

Thanks Harry - Have thought about sailing with the Dawgs, I am a member but don't have any offshore experience. Whatever I do I will need a captain on board for the trip. Storing the boat on sticks over the winter simply does a boat no good, particularly in wet - freezing conditions.

If you need crew the Dawgs can help. They have a crew list. Otherwise, post on CF and other places for help. I have a friend in Tampa who might like that opportunity. We did the rally in 2016, 7.5 days, 1500 miles to the BVI. They now run primarily to Antigua but cruisers also choose Bermuda, Bahamas, Florida, BVI, USVI as destinations. Most boats depart from Hampton, Virginia but some also join from Beaufort or parts north. As newbies in 2016, the personal instruction and other assistance was a great help.

[phorvati]

Originally Posted by kysloc

Hi,

I live in Amherst NH - right next door. I drove our 44 Coupe (power) to Florida last year, then back this spring. Our boating buddy has a 53 Oyster sailboat that they take down every winter.

I suggest Stuart Florida. Loblolly Marina. That's where our friends kept their boat every winter for 8 years, and where we kept ours. It's protected (on the ICW), but no bridges between it and the St. Lucie Inlet. Closest place to Bahamas that is not the much higher prices of Palm Beach and other points south. Lots of things to do in Stuart area. Dockmaster (Ray: rreganato@loblollyinfo.com) is great - it's very sheltered private marina, and they watch over your boat. Lots of New Englanders.

I think leaving after mid October is risky due to weather gets notably worse.
you can email me if you want a trip log that I made - we did do some sections on ICW, but a lot outside as well. rick@lcrsource.com

You need to be careful re: Covid...many marinas are closed for fuel, transient, or both. Plan carefully. there is a website that gives up-to-date postings for many of the marinas re: open/closed/etc.

Rick

That little marina has no bridges which is a +, but Jupiter (St.Lucie) inlet was a sh** show last time I went through there, around 2007. Has that changed? I ran aground (6.5' draft) smack in the middle of that 4 way intersection and i was traveling down from Ft.Pierce and headed to what was once South point anchorage. I didn't even dare entering from the sea at that inlet. I came from Ft. Pierce which is a commercial inlet.

[Boatguy30]

Halifax Harbor in Daytona is close to airport and a realively nice marina. If it's a cold winter will be much better than Georgia or SC and a lot cheaper than anywhere in south Florida

[frozenhawaiian]

as for timing a passage south. most insurance companies won't let you go into the hurricane box, functionally that means go of Hatteras until after the end of hurricane season on november 1st. as for when to leave new england. I usually don't start looking for a window to leave until around oct 15. as other have said the northeast gales do start to come in starting in late fall but on a normal year a 4-5 day weather window really isn't that hard to find.

[Fence Man]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

St. Augustine has several area marina's you can try....but the inlet there is iffy at the best of times....

What's so bad about the inlet at St. Augustine?

[LoudMusic]

I guess everyone's plans are disrupted, but we intended to go to Maine this year and have stopped short in the Chesapeake. We will be putting the boat on the hard at the north end of the Bay, and splashing in Spring to continue our journey north. The amount of time it takes to move the boat up and down the coast is not worth the effort to us when the eventual goal is to actually be north.

If your goal is to have the boat south, go south.

If your goal is to be north, haul and wait until next year.