living in the midwest....boat in the gulf??

[Hoosiersailor]

You might want to weigh the pros and cons of just chartering. It will be a lot less headache (no maintenance or hurricanes or insurance or slip fees) but it isn't your boat. I am in Indiana and struggle with the same thing. I really really want to buy a boat but I don't have weeks of vacation to use every year. So I would be limited to a couple weeks a year and a few long weekends. Not sure buying is worth it yet for me. Sailing Florida out of St. Pete has a lot of nice newer boats and you can buy blocks of time from them (know nothing of them. just what I read on the net). Another positive on that is you can sail quite a few different boats and boat sizes to see what works for you. And you can charter in different locations such as the BVI or Exumas easily...

Sail's Manager Specials -

[joeelliott]

I'm new to south FL Delray Beach and would like to crew for you if you locate your boat on the east coast.

[EmeraldCoastSailor]

I am on the redneck riviera and sail my boat out of St. Andrews Bay which I think is very nice. Airports nearby are ECP (Panama City Beach) and VPS (Destin Fort Walton). But perhaps more importantly for your situation, it might be within driving distance, and there is deeper water that can handle a 50' boat. I have slip mates that don't live in the area and drive in to enjoy their boats. And you can always go further south once you cut ties to the Midwest.

[jeremiason]

Originally Posted by Dave22q

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Your setup works only as long as your airline stays afloat and retains it's strategy. Odds on that 100 to 1 or worse. New airlines have a limited shelf life.

You do know that Allegiant Air was founded in 1997, which isn't exactly new.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegiant_Air

[missourisailor]

IL1333
I live in Missouri and the boat is on Pamlico Sound in N.C..
18 hour drive or 6 hour flight to EWN.

I get to the boat at least once a month for long weekend's. And four times a year for one week stretches.

So long distance boating is very doable!

If I was you, I'd look at putting the boat on the Chesapeake. A lot closer than FLA. And pretty good sailing too.

[EmeraldCoastSailor]

I noticed you are in Columbus, OH. Southwest Airlines isn't going anywhere and one stop in Nashville gets you to the best beaches in the world and several places to keep a sailboat. Sorry but I like my new sailing grounds.

[roverhi]

I commuted to the boat long distance when I worked for an airline and flew for free. Got to the boat every month or two for a week to ten days for 4 years. Have a Bike Friday bicycle that packs into a suitcase that converts to a trailer. Could fly into Oakland unfold the bike, assemble the trailer and bike to the boat in Alameda, CA. Worked out no problem in California's mild climate.

In the Gulf would want to haul the boat during hurricane season.

Had two auto bilge pumps and kept the boat attached to shore power at first and then with solar panels to be sure that a minor leak wouldn't sink the boat. Thought about putting a cycle counter on the bilge pumps but never got around to it. Made friends with other dockmates who came down to their boats often. Made sure they had my phone number to call me if there were any issues but there never were.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Pick up an F31 trimaran, & keep or pre-position it where it'll get the most use. But with the knowledge that you can tow it anywhere within a couple of days, tops. And since you live on (or near) the Great Lakes then it's a win win. Plus if you want something bigger for a week's vacation, charter.

Trailer tri's are a blast, & fairly practical. Though the teenagers will keep wanting to borrow it... with or without permission (I surely do/did). So plan with that in mind

One other, similar, option is to buy a large (10m+) trailerable mono. Which, if you have a fair sized truck or SUV, "trailerable" includes a lot of boats.

[IL1333]

Some latest details:

Allegiant Air is actually more expensive than the first glance. I was drawn in seeing flights for crazy prices like "$59 one way to Tampa", but after completing the process, I learned about the fees!! Holy cow!! haha! Like they say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. As it turns out, Allegiant is only slightly lower than Southwest...but Allegiant is a direct flight and SW makes a connection. My thoughts of flying to the boat for $50 isn't going to happen. The more reasonable flight will cost about $250 round trip. I guess I'm OK with that...I really don't have much choice. Either drive or fly.

Moving on, I've booked some flights next month to check out the Sarasota, Bradenton, Tampa, St Pete area. This will be a dry run to see how the flights go. Heading down on Allegiant...and returning on SW. While down there, I plan to visit a couple marinas, talk to a yacht broker and see some boats.

Tomorrow I'm heading to the BVIs with 2 couples from our local sailing club.

Then in March, back to Tampa for our Mid-Winters regatta off Davis Island. Will be driving and towing for that event.

Now that I've type this out...I actually have a lot of sailing action this winter.