Favourite places to live on the hook

[SY Kelpie]

Currently we have a 33ft boat that would probably have been feasible if there were only two of us, but the arrival of our third crew member has prompted us to reconsider. So we're actively seeking out a bigger boat, leaning towards a 37-40ft centre cockpit type. Haven't ruled out going with a modern aft-cockpit design but these generally have 2m draft which seems a little restrictive to me... I might be worrying over nothing on that front.

As to how far we will get- who knows! We certainly want to at least be away for a couple of years, ideally much longer, but it depends on how the wee guy takes to it all (he absolutely loved our fortnight cruise this year so the initial signs are good).

Rias, Algarve sound promising, and the Rio Guadiana is a strong contender for our first winter stop. I like the sound of the Canaries but it sounds a bit marina-heavy for us.

If we make it across the pond, how is the cruising to the west of Grenada and T&T? Viable when the rest of the area is battened down for hurricane season?

[Cherod]

i have been up the Guadiana and very nice it is too, but interestingly the Kittywake couple said it was quite cold for living there last year , about a boat , have you considered a catamaran , it opens up so many more posabilities , , some one mentioned staying over in Culatra ( S Portugal ) , on the google maps page there are over 20 catamarans / tris in the lagoon, many of them actually right up on the beach,, how cool is that ..

[SY Kelpie]

Any decent cat is going to be beyond our budget- I'm aware of their advantages but it would mean several more years ashore to save up for one!

[sailcrazy]

While it's a long way away, I would very highly recommend Asia! We cruised the Philippines for almost 10 years, have visited Viet Nam, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand...all highly recommended. Closer to home, the 3 months we spent in the Adriatic was way to short-truly a fabulous place! We've crossed, and now spend our time in the eastern Caribb. All 3 areas are very different, all very much worth going to. Of the 3, Asia is by far the most friendly and inexpensive, the water is the clearest and the coral is alive, the people are the friendliest, and the cruising community is the tightest....can you tell we really liked it-alot! The Turkish coast is also a very fine place, and highly recommended. We moved onto our 43' boat for a couple of years before we went cruising....just to get the hang of long-term living aboard, and now we're doing just a 6 month stay at a time. The 43' monohull works well for the 2 of us, although when family/friends come to visit it gets a little tight. But life is good.....lots of places your boat can take you!

[SY Kelpie]

Yes ideally we would like to move aboard prior to setting off- it would help financially as we could carry on working whilst letting out our house.
Unfortunately we don't think it's a viable option. The choice of moorings available locally are all somewhat exposed. Our home mooring is about as good as it gets and there are still several days each summer where it would be impossible to get any sleep, or even to get on and off the boat safely (remember we have a small child in tow).
If we were cruising, the answer would be simple- move to a more sheltered spot. But that's not really an option when you have full time jobs and nursery to attend to, and you have two cars parked ashore.
If we had a viable all-weather anchorage or a marina within commuting distance of our jobs we would be considering it, but in reality it's not an option to move aboard until we have quit our jobs.

[grantmc]

Originally Posted by SY Kelpie

Nice! I think my max visa would be 6 months but I might be able to hop over to NZ and/or Pacific Islands...

In NZ you can also live on the hook in many places. Bay of Islands, Auckland, Wellington, Marlborough Sounds, Nelson to name a few.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by hpeer

You guys are making me jealous. This is a great thread. I may make an Atlantic circuit yet.

I love Newfoundland, great sailing, by all accounts some of the best in the world. And as an added bonus you get St Pierre/ Miquelon thrown in.

And yes you can acclimate to the heat. My marina in Delaware was a stop on the great circle route. It was funny to hear folks coming up from the Bahamas complain about the Delaware heat as compared to the Bahamas.

Being a lucky sod we have two boats, one in Newfoundland, and are now in the Carribean. It’s a though life, but I’m surviving.

Fear of the heat is one of the reasons we’re lingering in Newfoundland. I just don’t do well with heat and humidity. But I’m sure I’d climatize if/when we do go south.

Funny thing though, this summer in Western Newfoundland was a record breaker for heat and humidity. Maybe I’m ready .

[PMac456]

Water Island in the US Virgin Islands....great place!!

[dwedeking2]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Fear of the heat is one of the reasons we’re lingering in Newfoundland. I just don’t do well with heat and humidity. But I’m sure I’d climatize if/when we do go south.

Go south in the winter time so you can work into summer. I went from Mexico to N Florida in August. The change in humidity plus heat that first year almost killed me.

[CookiesnTequila]

Originally Posted by Cherod

i think it is quite a long way from ( our native ) Scotland to some of these exotic places mentioned and you may have to find some ( many ) places to drop the hook before you are even anywhere near them !! ,, however in a more practical level there are a few crews who have left the UK shores and made their way down to the Med mooring over in some very nice places along the way,, crews like Kittywake , Bora Bora , Knots Viking etc have YT channels and give some very sensible and relevant advice / start rather than focusing on the other side of the world.. enjoy ,, btw., what type of boat are you using ? . R

We are Canadians and found and bought our boat in Tunisia, January 2015 and moved aboard full time that April. Our plan was to stay in the Med for a year maybe two and then head to the Caribbean. We just finished our 4th summer here in the Med and will be her all of next year too.

The Med is fantastic. It has everything a sailor could want - great (free) anchorages everywhere, lots of wind (some say a bit too much, not us!), culture, great food, history, very low/non-existent crime, incredibly friendly people, lots fo service facilities, great wintering communities, and the list goes on.... The only reason we are leaving is because we want to see the whole world before we get too old!!!

From Scotland, the Med has to be your first option. It's also the jump-off point for the reat of the world for you, and anyone this side of the Atlantic!

If you want any advice on sailing in the Med, check out the Med Sailing Facebook page. It's been invaluable to us.

Ps - My wife is dying to go to the Canadian East coast! After living for morenthan 50 years in Canada, I now start ahivering at any thought of low temps!!!

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by SY Kelpie

Nice! I think my max visa would be 6 months but I might be able to hop over to NZ and/or Pacific Islands...

Pretty sure you can get visa extensions to 12 months easily enough and possibly longer.

[Alberg30Shill]

Good timing to head to the Chesapeake Bay on the East Coast of the USA. At least a couple of years of cruising all in protected water and all the anchorages you'd ever want! From UK right? Bay of Biscay to the Azores then head to Bermuda :-) Norfolk is only 5 days from there!

[motion]

[QUOTE=Cherod;2749572]i think it is quite a long way from ( our native ) Scotland to some of these exotic places mentioned and you may have to find some ( many ) places to drop the hook before you are even anywhere near them !! ,, however in a more practical level there are a few crews who have left the UK shores and made their way down to the Med mooring over in some very nice places along the way,, crews like Kittywake , Bora Bora , Knots Viking etc have YT channels and give some very sensible and relevant advice / start rather than focusing on the other side of the world.. enjoy ,, btw., what type of boat are you using ? . R[/QUI'mOTE]

[motion]

Originally Posted by SY Kelpie

We're two or three years away from setting off on our liveaboard adventure, and starting to get quite excited at possible destinations and itineraries.

As our budget will probably be quite tight we hope to spend most of our time living on the hook. But I am aware that there are areas of the world where this simply isn't possible, due to lack of natural harbours, or anchoring fees, congestion caused by moorings, etc.

Our home cruising ground is the wonderful west coast of Scotland. Abundant islands, inlets, anchorages; stunning scenery; shelter and good holding to be found never more than half a day's sail away. I won't mention the weather- nowhere is perfect!

Given that this is the sort of cruising that we are used to, what other parts of the world should we be getting excited about? I know it's a very open question but it would be great to compile a rough list of places/areas where it's feasible to live on the hook.

Thanks in advance

Kelpie can you get a mooring at the isle of Arran?

[bobnlesley]

Anywhere you want really Kelpie.
We left North Wales in 2003 and have been pretty much 'on the hook' ever since. For extended stays there are some areas which'll prove challenging, of those which we've been through NW France, Atlantic Portugal and mainland Italy spring immediately to mind, though short-term in settled weather, we found a few spots to anchor-up even there.

The Mediterranean can be very unpleasant in the winter and is probably a whole lot colder than you're perhaps expecting (Algarve & Southern Turkey are probably best on the Med's north coast). The Eastern Caribbean and Bahamas have their Hurricane Season, but the southernmost islands aren't too bad, or run west to the ABCs or north to the east coast of the USA - up around Maine and Nova Scotia the scenery's much like you're used to though in our opinion the Western Isles have a slight edge and the water in Maine's freezing cold too.