Mooring Fees

[Bluewaters2812]

Hi folks, I'm sure this topic has been covered previously but I have searched and not come upon it.

Can anyone share their experience of mooring fees around the Caribbean, East Coast USA and Gulf of Mexico with me? I am looking at a rough idea for a budget ie:

1.What is the lowest price per foot/night (and where)?
2. What is the highest price per foot (and where)?
I am trying to get a rough idea of an appropriate budget and perhaps an average price per foot across the regions I have mentioned.
3. Are there discounts as a rule for longer mooring/shorter mooring periods of say 1 week/1month or does this make no difference?

[Dockhead]

To give you the roughest idea, you'll find that mooring fees in Florida are similar to or even higher than the S Coast of England, something which amazes many Brits since otherwise everything is so cheap there. For example, houses in Florida cost probably 1/5 what they cost in comparable areas in the UK.

I cruise a 37 foot boat in SW Florida a couple of weeks every year. A night in a marina is typically $100 or even $120, similar to what I pay for a 54 foot boat in the UK, in nice places like Poole, Cowes, or Plymouth.

For this reason, US cruisers typically anchor out much more than one does in the UK - often sailing from anchorage to anchorage and coming into a marina just once or twice a week to take on water and do laundry. Another reason for this is ports and marinas are much further apart than they are in the UK, and there are a lot of great anchorages.

I think it's more or less the same in the Carib, although my experience is limited to the Windward Islands and Bahamas, but in those places, at least - few marinas and quite expensive.

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

To give you the roughest idea, you'll find that mooring fees in Florida are similar to or even higher than the S Coast of England, something which amazes many Brits since otherwise everything is so cheap there. For example, houses in Florida cost probably 1/5 what they cost in comparable areas in the UK.

I cruise a 37 foot boat in SW Florida a couple of weeks every year. A night in a marina is typically $100 or even $120, similar to what I pay for a 54 foot boat in the UK, in nice places like Poole, Cowes, or Plymouth.

For this reason, US cruisers typically anchor out much more than one does in the UK - often sailing from anchorage to anchorage and coming into a marina just once or twice a week to take on water and do laundry. Another reason for this is ports and marinas are much further apart than they are in the UK, and there are a lot of great anchorages.

I think it's more or less the same in the Carib, although my experience is limited to the Windward Islands and Bahamas, but in those places, at least - few marinas and quite expensive.

Thanks for that info. That is very expensive indeed and so I guess moorings will be the thing to avoid as far as possible.

[sailorboy1]

in the Northeast transient moorings will run from $35-75/night

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

in the Northeast transient moorings will run from $35-75/night

Thanks for the info: Which is regarded as the southern point of the "NorthEast"? Do you know what the charge is on average per foot? Thanks.

[gts1544]

Bluewaters2812, I can only speak for the Virgin Islands, Spanish / US / British. In the Spanish Virgins of Culebra and Vieques, PR, the moorings are provided by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources and are free, if you can find a vacant one. It seems that the locals have appropriated most of them as permanent moorings, which is against the unenforced rules. In the US Virgin Islands, particularly St. John, most of the moorings are owned by the U S National Park Service and are $15 per night unless you have a Senior's Golden Age Card issued by the Park Service, in which case they are half price. In the British Virgin Islands, most of the moorings are owned by Moor Seacure, but administered locally, and charge between $20 and $30 nightly, with the preponderence being $25. I highly recommend Saba Rock Resort's moorings in Gorda Sound as they throw in a free bag of ice and up to 300 gals of water with each night's stay. They also have $2.50 "Pain Killers" during Happy Hour between 1600 - 1800. Hope this helps!

[WebWench]

Four or five years ago mooring balls in the BVI were averaging 30 dollars per night. Don't know what they are right now.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Bluewaters2812

Thanks for that info. That is very expensive indeed and so I guess moorings will be the thing to avoid as far as possible.

Well, cruising is different in the U.S. In Florida, in particular, you don't cruise for the sake of the interesting cities or charming ports -- they aren't very interesting or charming. You cruise because of the wonderful nature and wild places you can see from the water. So make sure you have good ground tackle and good anchoring technique, because you will spend a lot of time at anchor. You will want to be pretty self-sufficient in terms of power, and have decent water tankage. Enjoy.

[gts1544]

Bluewaters2812, I neglected marina slips in the Virgin Islands. They tend to run between $1.00 and $1.50 per foot per night with discounts available for weekly and monthly stays. Electricity and water are billed separately. Definitely note your beginning and ending meter readings to check their billing! It is much easier to head off trouble than try to resolve it later with sketchy information.

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by Bluewaters2812

Thanks for the info: Which is regarded as the southern point of the "NorthEast"? Do you know what the charge is on average per foot? Thanks.

This may be one of those situations where our language diverges (UK vs. US). Don Lucas was writing about a "mooring" which is a permanent anchor with float, usually available from local town government or from private yacht clubs that welcome paid visitors. It is often provided with use of shore-side facilities (showers, toilets, dinghy dock and launch service). In the US a "dock space" or "slip" is different from a "mooring". Dock space is usually anywhere from $2-$4.50 per foot in the Northeast.

To answer your other question: "Northeast" is defined as roughly Delaware to Maine. Middle Atlantic is roughly North Carolina to Maryland. Southeast is South Carolina to Florida. (I'm a little fuzzy about whether NC is part of the SE or not, but I'm sure someone will correct me.)

The best online resource for current prices is http://www.activecaptain.com membership is free and they won't sell your email if you join. They do put out a newsletter but you can unsubscribe if you choose. It's a great site where boaters review the facilities and update data about anchorages and marinas, hazards and other relevant info for cruisers. You'll want to use the interactive guidebook.

[Dockhead]

P.S., you should also be aware that attitudes about black water disposal in the U.S. are very, very different from those in the U.K. and France. You will need to have a good holding tank, and use it! Or else a treatment system like a Lectrascan. You can't just pump straight overboard everywhere like we do in Europe, and you can get in a lot of trouble. The good news is that unlike in Europe, there are pumpout facilities everywhere, so using a holding tank is practically possible, unlike here.

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

P.S., you should also be aware that attitudes about black water disposal in the U.S. are very, very different from those in the U.K. and France. You will need to have a good holding tank, and use it! Or else a treatment system like a Lectrascan. You can't just pump straight overboard everywhere like we do in Europe, and you can get in a lot of trouble. The good news is that unlike in Europe, there are pumpout facilities everywhere, so using a holding tank is practically possible, unlike here.

Note that a Lectrascan is not legal in waters designated as a NDZ (no discharge zone) which is stupid, but is what it is. Some large areas of the Northeast are NDZ's so plan on using your blackwater tank mostly.

[skipmac]

Hi Bluewater,

Not sure since I'm not completely fluent in Brit-speak but maybe we should clarify terms.

In the states when you say mooring that generally refers to hooking up to a permanent anchoring system out in the harbor. I think over there mooring may mean or at least include as one option, tied up to a dock at a marina. Yes??

For docking at a marina rates are hugely variable depending on location. General rule of thumb, higher around big cities or high demand tourist locations, cheaper when you get to more out of the way locations. The highest rates tend to be New England (anything north of New York City) and south Florida (West Palm Beach south to the Keys). For transient rates for my 42' boat around New England it was typically USD$3.00 per ft per night. South Florida overnight rates will be about the same. Either area fancy resort marinas in the center of town could be even higher.

When you get away from the high rent areas the rates are much better. One night transient rates $1-$2 per ft per day are common. There are even places where you can get a night or a few nights free. On the ICW you can find restaurants on the water that let you spend the night if you eat dinner there. Some small towns have a small free dock area to encourage travelers to stop for a day or so to spend money in the area.

Mooring as in picking up the line attached to a permanent anchor is cheaper but you will have to dinghy or take a launch to shore. New England moorings are mostly around the $25-$35/night but at some fancy resort areas expect $50-$75.

Dropping your own anchor is free, at least in most places.

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by gts1544

Bluewaters2812, I can only speak for the Virgin Islands, Spanish / US / British. In the Spanish Virgins of Culebra and Vieques, PR, the moorings are provided by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources and are free, if you can find a vacant one. It seems that the locals have appropriated most of them as permanent moorings, which is against the unenforced rules. In the US Virgin Islands, particularly St. John, most of the moorings are owned by the U S National Park Service and are $15 per night unless you have a Senior's Golden Age Card issued by the Park Service, in which case they are half price. In the British Virgin Islands, most of the moorings are owned by Moor Seacure, but administered locally, and charge between $20 and $30 nightly, with the preponderence being $25. I highly recommend Saba Rock Resort's moorings in Gorda Sound as they throw in a free bag of ice and up to 300 gals of water with each night's stay. They also have $2.50 "Pain Killers" during Happy Hour between 1600 - 1800. Hope this helps!

Now that is a really informative response, thank you.

[cburger]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

P.S., you should also be aware that attitudes about black water disposal in the U.S. are very, very different from those in the U.K. and France. You will need to have a good holding tank, and use it! Or else a treatment system like a Lectrascan. You can't just pump straight overboard everywhere like we do in Europe, and you can get in a lot of trouble. The good news is that unlike in Europe, there are pumpout facilities everywhere, so using a holding tank is practically possible, unlike here.

Unless your British Petroleum.