Connecticut to Florida

[clockwork orange]

I have recently bought a boat in Connecticut and would like to move it to Florida in late summer/fall by the ICW. When would be the best time to leave connecticut, i know there are folks who do this regularly. The boat is a Gemini cat without the sailing rig so i will be motoring and would plan on about a 5 knot cruise. I really only need to get far enough south to escape the impending doom of winter then i can finish the trip at my leisure.

Steve

[captainKJ]

the best time to leave is when you want to. if doing the ICW it makes no difference. in sept and oct you will find more people heading south from up north but the timing does not matter. just watch the weather

[osirissail]

Just remember the "6-months of use outside Florida" for any boat purchased outside Florida - if you wish to avoid paying the Florida Sales/Use Tax.

Routing wise - I would suggest, considering that you do not have a mast, that you head down the Long Island Sound to Manhattan then down the East River to New York Harbor to Atlantic Highlands in New Jersey.

When the weather permits, head back up and around Red Hook and down the Atlantic coastline to Manasquan Inlet and the Pt Pleasant Canal south down the New Jersey ICW. That will take you all the way to Cape May and consume a fair amount of time.

From Cape May Canal you enter the Delaware River and head north to the C&D Canal - maybe with a diversion to Philadelphia. The C&D Canal will take you to the Chesapeake Bay and a lot more places to spend time until you get to Norfolk and the Atlantic ICW. From there to Florida there is no end of great and interesting places to stop and explore. However, you will be sucking up months working your way south if you take advantage of a lot of the great places to visit.

Leave a month before the Annapolis Boat Show and then you can take in that event before it gets too cold to remain in the Chesapeake. When to leave is really dependent upon how many places you want to stop and explore. You can rough out your time by adding a day or two for exploring ashore every other day of underway running. But it is highly variable.

[Vasco]

After Labour Day is a good time to start. Check with your insurance, a lot of policies stipulate that you cannot be below a certain latitude e.g. Cape Henry or Beaufort before November 1st.

[Waterway Guide]

I've not much to add to the great advice above but to add emphasis to one point: if you have the time, take the time to explore and enjoy it...it's a rare boat with so little water or air draft! October is the best month for for the Chesapeake in my opinion, and your insurance may or may not dictate when you can be south of Hatteras and still be covered for tropical storms/hurricanes. Late Oct. and November is awesome for the rest of the trip... the bugs are (almost) gone but it's still warm enough to anchor and not freeze. Have a great time...maybe we'll see you on the Chesapeake!