Crew Wanted: Help Chesapeake - South Carolina (Jan)

[sveinung]

We're three buddies with a bucket list project this winter of sailing my Pearson 303 down from the Chesapeake Bay to the Bahamas for some months of cruising this winter.

Since the time will be pretty limited (2 weeks) for two of the trip members we were looking to maximize our time in the Bahamas by hiring a delivery captain for some of the trip down the ICW, as far as budget and time allows, to where a shorter offshore leg can be done.

Norfolk, VA to Charleston seems to be some 420 miles along the ICW route which I assume will take quite some time. What daily average can be expected on the ICW, 50 miles?

I'd say that our budget for the help will be around $1000 for fuel and captain pay & expenses, but we're flexible on how far of a "headstart" this gives us, further the better. Are we in a realistic ballpark here or will this just give us a trip around the marina and back?

The boat is in great shape and is being prepared for the trip now. Yes, we are aware of January not being ideal, but the life calendar and weather calendar didn't align perfectly but would rather make _a_ trip than no trip so we'll set out expectations accordingly for weather and tan lines. The plan is to head south along the coast until we have a good window then cross the stream and head south.

Thanks for any input, both in general on the trip and for recommendations or availability.

(Long time reader, first time poster, great forum!)

[pesarsten]

I think you are going to run afoul of you two week time limit. After looking at the pilot charts for January, winds are predominantly out of the north to northwest. Great for running south, unless you are in the Gulf Stream, not so great for beating back north especially in the Gulf Stream. So option 2, ICW. A very realistic goal for travel on the ICW is 50 miles per day. And there will be days when you won't want to go anywhere due to weather.

I would suggest, a two week cruise around the southern Chesapeake , with frequent overnights in marinas to run that electric heater.
Or, fly to the Bahamas and charter locally.

[sveinung]

Originally Posted by pesarsten

I think you are going to run afoul of you two week time limit. After looking at the pilot charts for January, winds are predominantly out of the north to northwest. Great for running south, unless you are in the Gulf Stream, not so great for beating back north especially in the Gulf Stream. So option 2, ICW. A very realistic goal for travel on the ICW is 50 miles per day. And there will be days when you won't want to go anywhere due to weather.

I would suggest, a two week cruise around the southern Chesapeake , with frequent overnights in marinas to run that electric heater.
Or, fly to the Bahamas and charter locally.

It probably wasn't clear in the original post, but the two week limit is only for making it to the Bahamas. For me it'll be open ended (2-3 months), and either returning with the boat or leaving it on the hard so pretty flexible. They'll book flights in and out of JFK and will have jobs that require them to return back on time.

[Suijin]

If it were me I would go inside Norfolk to Beaufort and then do outside hops from there to get to Charleston, avoiding some areas festooned with bridges, shoals, etc. THEN I would hire a captain to take the boat to Fernandina or points south, or just do it myself. Hoping down the coast is not a huge issue if you wait for good windows. You'll do 120 mile days vs. 50 miles max on the ICW in this vanishing daylight. Good time for it too with the north westerlies settling in.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by sveinung

We're three buddies with a bucket list project this winter of sailing my Pearson 303 down from the Chesapeake Bay to the Bahamas for some months of cruising this winter.

Since the time will be pretty limited (2 weeks) for two of the trip members we were looking to maximize our time in the Bahamas by hiring a delivery captain for some of the trip down the ICW, as far as budget and time allows, to where a shorter offshore leg can be done.

Norfolk, VA to Charleston seems to be some 420 miles along the ICW route which I assume will take quite some time. What daily average can be expected on the ICW, 50 miles?

I'd say that our budget for the help will be around $1000 for fuel and captain pay & expenses, but we're flexible on how far of a "headstart" this gives us, further the better. Are we in a realistic ballpark here or will this just give us a trip around the marina and back?

The boat is in great shape and is being prepared for the trip now. Yes, we are aware of January not being ideal, but the life calendar and weather calendar didn't align perfectly but would rather make _a_ trip than no trip so we'll set out expectations accordingly for weather and tan lines. The plan is to head south along the coast until we have a good window then cross the stream and head south.

Thanks for any input, both in general on the trip and for recommendations or availability.

(Long time reader, first time poster, great forum!)

You wrote up above Norfolk to Charleston.

Another possibility would be to have a Delivery Captain and Crew take your boat all the way to Miami, then you and your friends join the boat there and take it over to Bimini or Bahamas.

FYI:
ICW INSIDE
Nortfolk to Miami = 947 miles

COASTWISE (Outside)
Norfolk to Miami = 770nm

Either would get you the boat in a closer location to where you really want to go (Bahamas) and since your time is limited, it seems that would give you more time in warm water area rather than colder places.

But, having only a budget of $1,000 does not sound like enough to me.

IF the captain takes the boat INSIDE it might take 20 days (@ 50 miles per day).

IF the captain goes OUTSIDE and assuming sailing overnight offshore with no stops and 100 miles per day average, it would take about 7 -8 days or more (depending upon weather). Very likely MORE days.

Either way, $1,000 is not a lot of money to pay a good Professional Captain to do that at this time of year (cold weather).

My Suggestions:
Increase your delivery budget.
Move the boat further south using the Professional Delivery Captain (and crew).
Have more days of fun in the warmth of warm waters and air temps with your friends, minimize the days spent in cold air/water whether sailing or motoring.

[sveinung]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

You wrote up above Norfolk to Charleston.

Another possibility would be to have a Delivery Captain and Crew take your boat all the way to Miami, then you and your friends join the boat there and take it over to Bimini or Bahamas.

FYI:
ICW INSIDE
Nortfolk to Miami = 947 miles

COASTWISE (Outside)
Norfolk to Miami = 770nm

Either would get you the boat in a closer location to where you really want to go (Bahamas) and since your time is limited, it seems that would give you more time in warm water area rather than colder places.

But, having only a budget of $1,000 does not sound like enough to me.

IF the captain takes the boat INSIDE it might take 20 days (@ 50 miles per day).

IF the captain goes OUTSIDE and assuming sailing overnight offshore with no stops and 100 miles per day average, it would take about 7 -8 days or more (depending upon weather). Very likely MORE days.

Either way, $1,000 is not a lot of money to pay a good Professional Captain to do that at this time of year (cold weather).

My Suggestions:
Increase your delivery budget.
Move the boat further south using the Professional Delivery Captain (and crew).
Have more days of fun in the warmth of warm waters and air temps with your friends, minimize the days spent in cold air/water whether sailing or motoring.

Really appreciate the long and informative response Steady Hand!
We actually want to a few days of overnight sailing ourselves so it'll feel more of an accomplishment, so it's more paying our way out of a time concern. We don't really mind the cold as we all met as active divers up north in Norway where we would go several times a week through the winter (amazing conditions in the winter!).

It seems like you do similar deliveries (profile) yourself, if you had to price it (no commitment of course) for a similar route and leaving a 2-3 day sail for us, what would you suggest in terms of budget? Are we off by 2x or 5x?

[pesarsten]

Sorry for the confusion on my part. From my experience, with several delivery captains, the cost for a delivery captain will run $200 to $300 per day plus expenses. That doesn't mean you can't find someone qualified for much less but perhaps this is a number for planning purposes.

Perhaps you should consider running the ICW down past cape Hatteras then picking up hired help for a gulf stream crossing before heading south to the Abacos. Of course weather will be the big issue, but in the event that you have poor weather for the crossing you can continue with 24 hour passages south until you have a weather window taking advantage of your paid crew.

I think that the passage of fronts in January is almost weekly, and may result in a weekly window of 2 days or so to get across the stream. Lay in a good stock of fiskeboller and reindeer meatballs for those chilly nights!

[David Sandowich]

All very good advice and suggestions. Have done the Chesapeake to Bahamas many times in the Fall.. only winter trip was Maine to the Bay in January....Cold...
My added thought and agreement... no matter when you go it alway takes more time then you figured on. Sounds like an adventure. As they say.. it will be either good times or good stories.. or both
Sail on...

[laika]

5 of us shoved off from NYC to Bahamas in Jan a couple years back. It was cold cold cold but was the adventure that got me hooked. Recall that a cold snap greeted us crossing into FL a few weeks down the line and we noticed we wearing still the same cloths we left NY in

Lobby your buddies to take as much time off as possible. It takes however much time you have..and if the boat hasn't been well shaken down (and even if it has) there's probably going to be setbacks. We got stuck in NJ with engine trouble and again in NC when we blew out our jib. Make sure your budget has some breathing room in it for the unforeseeables.

In a 30' in the winter on the ICW, you'll be hard pressed to make 50 miles a day. The days are short and you can't fly by night like you can on the outside. Luckily, we saw some favrable stretches on the outside to make some good runs.

Have fun and godspeed!

[Dave22q]

Figure a captain, no crew 50 mi/day outside. Short days need to anchor for the night when still light so a 6A- 3:30P day= 9.5 hr @ 6 Kt = 57/day max. Going outside could take a full 2 weeks assuming no weather delays. A captain with 1 crew could get you 100/ day and could do it in about 8 days. At best 200 for captain, 100 for crew, 50 for expenses says you need closer to $3000 than 1000. I respectfully think you need to reconsider chartering in Florida or the Bahamas or doing something entirely different with your very limited budget.

[scottydaum]

I would like to talk to you about this. I will try to PM you but if you do not get the PM (have had issues with that before) then PM me

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by Dave22q

Figure a captain, no crew 50 mi/day outside. Short days need to anchor for the night when still light so a 6A- 3:30P day= 9.5 hr @ 6 Kt = 57/day max. Going outside could take a full 2 weeks assuming no weather delays. A captain with 1 crew could get you 100/ day and could do it in about 8 days. At best 200 for captain, 100 for crew, 50 for expenses says you need closer to $3000 than 1000. I respectfully think you need to reconsider chartering in Florida or the Bahamas or doing something entirely different with your very limited budget.

Good post. I think this is accurate and important to consider.

[Don1500]

From Hampton VA, via the Virginia Cut (Great Bridge Lock) , to Georgetown, SC @ 50 miles/day is 12 days (And a beautiful trip.) I did it solo over Christmas and New Year 2011. That was my first trip down the ditch (Hell, it was my first solo trip anywhere). I was in a 34' Aloha with a 5.5' draft. I did take longer than 12 days since I stopped here and there. But it was 12 days on the water. If you push hard you can do it in less. Yes, YOU can do it alone and when you're done you will know how to navigate the ICW.
Here are the stops:

Start from Salt Ponds Marina (Hampton)
Steel bridge (Norfolk - Top Rank Marina, it's free if you eat at the restaurant)
Coinjock
Aligator River (anchor in East Lake)
Bellhaven
Orient
Morehead City
Mile Hammock (Anchor)
Wrightsville Beach
Southport
Little River
Ospray Marina (Socastee) (Look for a 47' Marine Trader named "Nomad", I'll be there)
Georgetown

There are places you can anchor near most of these stops, but there are also marinas.

BTW, make sure you have TowBoatUS tow insurance.

[sveinung]

Thanks everyone for your great information, it looks like we'll revisit our budget (was always open for that). The piggy bank can always be healed, harder to get time back or a missed opportunity so we still want this to happen.
A few delivery captains have reached out too, so I'll follow up when I get a breather from work!

[Badsanta]

The east ICW is pretty easy. Do it yourself. Get towing insurance and add a bus heater your motoring the whole way and you will enjoy the heat. Enjoy the trip. After your crew leaves just stay in Florida. It always takes more time and money than you plan.