Lake Champlain to Florida

[bertryane]

We're just making a wishlist right now for a trip probably two years away - there must be a 'normal' time of year to make the passage down the Champlain canal and then down the ICW to avoid the storm season. Does anyone have a general timeframe/timeline for something like this? We're in a Precision 28, 3'8" draft. 42' awl. Thanks for any thoughts. . .

[Vasco]

When we used to go from Toronto which is not much different from your trip we used to start right after Labour day. Taking it easy we'd be in Miami about Christmas time. We always took our time and had a lot of "lay" days. Speed was about five knots. Chesapeake in October, take in the boat show, get to Mile 0 at Norfolk towards the end of October.

[Pblais]

Today is a good example. Hanna just left our house about noon and she started in Fl yesterday and she is in New York now with New England tomorrow. As Rick says starting after Labor day still leaves the north end in decent weather and jumping off in Portmouth, VA about October when your insurance allows affords lots of time to do the whole trip. Leaving sooner and lingering longer works as well.

The calendar is the most dangerous piece of equipment on the boat. If it makes you in a hurry you are clearly doomed. Today proves you are about 3 days away from a storm on any given day. You choose your time wisely and you restrain yourself from being in a hurry. To be in a hurry is to court disaster. To have all the time in the world is to cruise in comfort and not miss the even the lessor attractions along the way.

[Terry Burrows]

Thanks Paul; we're planning to leave around the 30th of Sept. this year...yikes...soon! Hoping that's a reasonable time to do it weather-wise, avoiding hurricanes and taking our time down. Gotta wait out the insurance pitfall anway on VA/NC border.

[Pblais]

Gotta wait out the insurance pitfall anyway on VA/NC border.

At least the insurance company is going to slow you down. We had club members that just got back from a trip to Canada and the locks and all that. The leg to Cape May you have to be patient for the weather and then hitting the tide for the Delaware River and the C and D canal. The Chesapeake is only an issue with weather as you can get strong NW winds and you don't want to be in the big part of the bay with the heavy chop. Lots of places to explore and hole up in along the way. Get a Chesapeake Bay Guide as they have about the best guide made for any place. Covers all the anchorages and what is on shore in exceptional detail and cute 3D sketches of how to navigate the anchorages. We have decent weather until mid November when it can be spotty. Just be sure to make the weather work for you and don't try to fight with it. It's a lot of miles and you can't possibly have that much fight in you.

In the fall all these small towns are vacant and you get them all to yourself. The odd festival or two adds even more excitement. You just need to be looking in those off the beaten track places. Lots of really nice folks that talk funny.