Talbot emailed me and asked me to respond to your posts.
I live in Merrit Island, and use Diamond 99, in Melbourne, FL as my marina. The good
captain is correct, any marina on the mainland is in fact a Lee shore, but.... it's only applicable in a
hurricane category 3 or above. Any winds less than that can easily be handled by any marina or
mooring in the area. As for the banana river...ummmm no, too shallow. However, south of Mather's bridge to Dragon point is excellent but ususally full.
As for the Cocoa Beach or Patrick shores canals, they will do just fine, just make sure your
mast height is less than 42 feet or you will have a very short sailing itinerary.(520 and Pineda , bridge height)
If you moor, reduce the fetch by
mooring on the east side of the
Lagoon. If you are getting a
catamaran, tie the bow to shore. If you'd like an up to date chart of the area, I believe I have them in jpg or pdf format. All depths are marked.
For hurricanes there are options. The first is check at Waterline marina, as it's on the Eau Galle river and is a
hurricane hole. Last time I checked they didn't have a slip wide enough for my cat.
Second option. Regardless of where you dock your
boat,
head for any marina on the barge
canal when we receive a hurricane warning. They have a spotless
record during our tough season and are open to any and all boats.... for a fee of course... Last hurricane I paid $200.00 for a 3 day visit. It was
money well spent.
Third option. Moor out, but know what you're doing.
Fourth option -- run from a hurricane
If you have any other questions, post them tonight and I'll answer immediately, or they'll have to wait til monday.
Rick in Florida