Landlocked & Leaning

[croaker]

Hey all.

Thanks for allowing me onto your boards, hope you're having a good week!

I'm on the verge of making some life changes in which sailing factors strongly into what I choose, but I've been at an impasse for almost two years in this decision. Maybe it would help me to hear suggestions from others.

Currently living in Texas. I'm in a strong place in my career and ready to buy my first home. I have been fully remote for 10 years, and do not see that changing.

I picked up several ASA certifications over the past two years. I'm wanting to buy a house somewhere that I'd eventually also be able to own a monohull, or at the very least be involved in the sailing community in some way. I have two dogs that I wouldn't introduce to boat life. If I didn't, I might even consider a liveaboard situation.

Places I've been looking at lately include multiple locations in FL (Sarasota, St. Pete, Ft. Lauderdale, Destin, and Pensacola). I believe these types of places offer a practical opportunity where I can have a decent yarded-house somewhere, not be too far from a marina, and keep normal business hours for my work. I also don't mind the idea of potentially being somewhere within reasonable / seasonal sailing distance to the Caribbean (I was just sailing in the BVI's in May and enjoyed it).

This is where things get tricky for me though. I look at all this area along the FL coastline, and I just...am not really drawn to it. I don't like crowded places. I'm spoiled after having been visiting Hawaii somewhat regularly my entire life, and have long had my sights set on moving to the islands someday.

Now, the practical side of me says "You can't maintain mainland business hours in Hawaii because of the time difference." There's basically no such thing as an affordable yarded-house in Hawaii for my dogs, just tiny condos. And if I am understanding my research so far, it sounds like sailing in Hawaii (outside of just tours) is very difficult due to consistently strong winds coming off the mountains / volcanoes, as well as over-regulation from the state government on sailors. So...Florida it is, it seems.

But will I regret it?

Where would you all recommend a new, mid-life sailor, settle down to follow their dreams?

Cheers

[thomm225]

Somewhere along the Chesapeake Bay!

There are busy places to live and very rural places.

Pictures are from The Eastern Shore of Virginia where I grew up except for the container ship which is headed out to sea from Norfolk, VA. It's in the Thimble Shoal Shipping Channel about to cross over the south side tunnel. Tunnel area also pictured with Carrier exciting the Bay

I'm in a very busy area now for my job. We maintain flight simulators. Computer systems, electronics, cyber security etc.

The Bay is a sailors paradise. Annapolis Maryland is a prime sailing location and a busy area. I'm on the lower end near the mouth of the Bay.

Florida is simply too hot.

I lived and raced sailboats (beach cats) for many years in Pensacola. We also had about 8 hurricanes while I was there one being Cat 3/4 Ivan which came in at Cat 5 and dropped down some just before it hit.

The Bay is 30 mile wide at it's widest point and at least 150 miles long. Then if you live on the southern end you have access to the Atlantic Ocean

[croaker]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Somewhere along the Chesapeake Bay!

The Bay is a sailors paradise. Annapolis Maryland is a prime sailing location and a busy area.

Thanks Thomm

My girlfriend would probably like that choice, she's from the north east. To me, it's a little alien. I grew up in the southwest (new mexico) and otherwise have always gravitated to tropical areas, outside of skiing in the mountains during winter. I'll research it a bit.

[Adelie]

Welcome to CruisersForum!

I would suggest updating your profile with your general location and your boat make & model or “Looking” in the "Boat" category. This info shows up under your UserName in every post in the web view. Many questions are boat and/or location dependent and having these tidbits under your UserName saves answering those questions repeatedly. If you need help setting up your profile then click on this link: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3308797

I would happily help more if the link above is not enough.

[gonesail]

define crowded. most decent ocean or gulf access property .. along with marina access .. in Florida is fairly intense. North Florida less so than South or Central. then there is the hurricane thing every year. the last few years have witnessed a massive influx of people and increase in real estate prices. not saying you can't find a place but it may be a compromise

[JPA Cate]

So, there are more than just one person's wishes to consider, here. You will like somewhere further south than your girlfriend, especially if it is tropical waters (and the attendant hurricanes) that is what you want. [Nobody really WANTS hurricanes, but it is part of the package the weather gods give us, and although fewer, we are expecting them to be more severe, for the whole future, just like the wild fires.]

Is there somewhere in Texas that would work for you? or South Carolina? You might be able to find a compromise location with little snow and low enough population for a little elbow room. You're perhaps looking for a harbour with a barrier island

I'm thinking the whole picture may need some more research before you take steps. You know what kind of a community you will want to settle in. You know if the girlfriend is a keeper. We don't. How you envision your future, and it's sequelae, should be the determining factors.

Beware, though, boats are $ sinkholes, and should not ever be financed, because they are rapidly depreciating assets. It is very easy to get in trouble. The cost a lot to maintain, or you're working on them more than you're playing in them. They must be insured to be allowed to stay in a marina, you'll have also to carry liability insurance, and many States require also that you have insurance to cover the costs of disposal should it become derelict, or become an environmental hazard. My sense of it is that unless you find out all this stuff for wherever you might consider being, and including berth availability and/or waiting list length, you won't have the data you want for decision making.

As to Hawaii, some people we know have managed to keep sailboats on the Big Island, but Oahu is very difficult.


Ann