Looking at charts - where to go to next

[Rippy]

Sitting here on the boat this morning with a second cup of coffee and reading some of the threads. Like the one by Wheels on mast bending. We have wintered over in North Carolina and I have been working in a canvas shop and building a new dodger for our boat (Tin Cup) after hours. Time to get back to a little cruising. Thinking of heading down to Georgia for the summer; a little concerned about hurricanes although they seem to miss GA most of the time (famous last words). Also thought about going up and cruising around the Chesepeake but my better half doesn't like it much up there (heat and fluky wind in the summer). Being in Georgia would cut down my running time to get to the Bahamas in the Fall and the State is not as crowded with boats as Florida. Seems real hard and pricey to hang around South Florida for long anymore. Just some random thoughts......
Roger

[SailWiz]

Roger, St. Simons Island is a very nice, quaint place to spend some time. Just a littel farther south is Brunswick. Brunswick has a very nice, well kept municipal marina just a few blocks from the downtown area. Downtown brunswick is no thriving metropolis. There are a few stores, nice little cafes and that is about it. I personally like the town. It really is "old" southern charm. St. Augustine is even better. Lots of great anchorages and marinas up the St. John's river. Good Luck.

[Rippy]

Thanks SailWiz! We are leaning toward Brunswick, GA for the summer. Still need to check it out a little further. Do you recall whether the grocery stores are close by the municipal marina? I imagine that it is pretty hot during the late summer but then most places are. We could avoid most of the hurricane threats by going up to the Chespeake, but that just does seem as appealing. Thanks again for the feedback.
Roger
SV Tin Cup

[SailWiz]

Roger, I'm not sure but, I think there was a grocery store downtown. i think it was an off brand store. Food lion and the like are only a few miles away. It does get hot in Brunswick in the summer and I should warn you, they have Gnats! Skin so soft seems to help but they are really pesky critters. Fine mesh screens are definitely in order. I just like the downtown marina because of its serenity. Sitting by the dock and looking out over the marshes is pretty cool. Here is a good website for the town:
http://www.brunswickgeorgia.net/ This is a link to the local grocers. The Southland market seems to be the closest:http://yp.yahoo.com/py/ypResults.py?...=y&stx=7766835

Best of luck. P.S. If you need any assistance while there, let me know. Brunswick is also the home of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) although many people don't know it. I have several sailing buddies who live in the area on St. Simmons and they would be glad to help out a fellow sailor.

[Alan Wheeler]

Yeah well, don't come down here. It sucks. No view, weather is terrible, sand flies, Australians only a few km's away, people are just plain nasty and will rip you off, the water is polluted and there are no fish. Nup, just not worth the trip




Wheels...from the land of where three on a beach is a crowd.

[By Invitation]

Alan,

You paint such a rosy picture - I will show up one of these days and meet you and you can show me first hand how terrible it is.

[Rippy]

Yea Wheels, that NZ land sounds real bad! Ha! I seriously wish I had get-up-&-go to head down there and get to the truth.....Ha! As it is, we have been in North Carolina for over a year and it is hard to get moving again, but we need to do it. After a while, even at a good spot things get a little too routine. This winter has been good from the standpoint that I have been working as an apprentice in a canvas shop and have made all new canvas for SV Tin Cup at the shop during after hours. But it is time to see some new places and faces....... Now we are hoping for a more normal hurricane season as we make plans to head further south. Cheers..........Roger aboard SV Tin Cup

[Euro Cruiser]

Roger, it sounds like the critical issue for you two is whether the summer season is about sailing and see new places or about moving from one roost (NC) to another.

If you like the idea of mixing the two, so that at least some of 2006 gives you more exposure to cruising, I'd suggest you mix the two objectives by including a few not-long offshore coastal runs inbetween Spring and Summer. E.g. I agree with your wife about Chesapeake Bay in the summer (tho' I'm ready to go again) but what about Spring? And with the time that remains before Spring up N, have you visited Roanoke Is., Silver Lake, and 'done' Norfolk (either while on the hook at Hospital Point or at the downtown Waterside marina)? Putting together a diverse set of Spring cruising goals on the Bay can provide a lot of interesting cruising even inside a month or two. E.g. you can add in the York River for the Mariner's Museum, idyllic Sarah's Creek, Jamestown, Williamsburg et al. and a single overnight run up the Bay opens up 3 vastly different cruising experiences to choose from: interesting big city visits with public transportation (Baltimore's Inner Harbor or anchoring on the Mall or berthed at the YC in DC), the time-machine experience of the Eastern Shore, or the gorgeous, deep, interesting rivers on the Bay's west side.

When the heat builds, only a couple of along-shore runs and you can pull into Port Royal Sound and begin picking a spot like Hilton Head (any destination is possible by bike there, it seems) or further S and up St. Mary's River, which gives you the wonders of Cumberland Is. before settling in at e.g. Green Cove Springs, Fernandina Beach, St. Augustine or one of the other interesting if hot/muggy attractions.

Good luck no matter what you pick; hope you have a great season.

Jack

[Alan Wheeler]

How the heck does one have a "more normal hurricane season"

[Jon D]

Roger

We've been based on the Chesapeake for the past 10 yrs or so. While July and August are typically hot, humid with minimal wind as Jack said May, June, Sept, Oct are normally great sailing months. If you have never cruised the bay I would strongly suggest you give it a shot. We normally started cruising mid-April and go through Thanksgiving.

This year we're heading further north mid-june and will be back sometime in Sept than further south for the winter

[Rippy]

Thanks Jack (as always), Wheels, and Jon. Wheels, a normal hurricane season is around 4 or 5 with 2 0r 3 threatening landfall and nothing like last year. I grew up on the Gulf Coast and hurricanes just come with the territory, but last year was a hum dinger! Jack, how are things in Portugal? After another cup of coffee this morning, I will discuss the Chesapeake Bay (again) with Marie and give it another serious look. The idea of going down to Georgia in a few weeks was that we could actually get a reservation at a marina and that we could leave a car there while we slipped down to the Abacos for June. Since I was stationed at the Marine Corps base at Quantico, VA, we have seen the DC area, but not the Baltimore area. Good memories, since I retired from that Base in 1987 and we went cruising with our daughter (then 7 years old) for a year and a half on a Victoria 30. Jon and Jack, you have given food for thought and I will drop you a line and let you know how it goes. Hope the crew of Whoosh has a great day............Cheers, Roger Rippy SV Tin Cup

[Euro Cruiser]

Roger, we'll 'stand by' for a report on the results of the Coffee Conference.

I can tell you that Lisbon is in the 50's and rainy; I can also tell you I don't care, since I'm in St. Pete.<g> Fly back in 3 weeks after a long Stateside visit; can hardly wait.

Jack

[Rippy]

Well Jack..........as of 0927 hours the jury is still out. We have laid plans for Georgia in the spring but we are seriously looking at going up to the Bay. Will probably throw the dart at the dartboard by tomorrow since we are getting a little short on time. Did not know that you were still at the FL condo; thought you had headed back. Sounds like you are anxious to get back. Think I will head off to the canvas shop this morning; just bought some Stamoid material for a new awning. This winter I have sewn a new dodger, wheel/pedestal cover, lee cloths, and windlass cover; things are looking good topside on SV Tin Cup!

Later................Roger Rippy

[Rippy]

Well Jack. The jury forman has asked for more evidence. Leaning toward a slow cruise to GA and then a month in the Abacos before the hurricane season really cranks up. Pulled out my old copy Cruising the Chesapeake, A Gunkholders Guide and checked out some of the good spots that we have heard about but no one on board got too excited about it. We have visited Annapolis, Norfolk, Solomons, the Potomac, and a few west side anchorages in the past and they were fun. Hope you are doing well today and we'll catch you later on one of the boards.
Regards,
Roger
SV Tin Cup

Cost of services, marinas, etc. is also a factor and the Chesapeake is getting up there in price. NC is doing OK, but Florida has gone crazy as a result of hurricane damage, dockominiums, and the like. Later.........

[GordMay]

Have you seen Tom Dove's free online ICW guide?
http://mysite.verizon.net/tomdove/icw.html