Too late to leave Nova Scotia?

[captain69]

It’s getting cold. I hear, but can’t confirm, that all?most marinas have shut down, and there may not be any place to dock, moor, or anchor along the route. Is it really no longer possible, until spring, to gunkhole down the coast of Nova Scotia, over to Maine, and down the coast of the USA into warmer climes, and have safe harbors into which to duck in case of foul weather or emergency?

[NYSail]

It’s cold but bet one could do it if properly prepared while on a capable boat. Marinas may be closed but anchoring should not be an issue and sure more places are open the further south you head……. Also places up north and along the way with a commercial fleet I imagine are open for at least fuel.

Good luck and send some pictures!

Greg
s/v Souleil

[Chotu]

It’s interesting how people think it’s impossible to exist in cold weather.

The crowds are gone. No place to anchor? You will have many, many, many more places to anchor. Moorings and docks? Sure. Those are mostly gone. They pull them out.

Places with anchoring restrictions? forget about them. There’s nobody to enforce them anymore, so it’s a wonderful time to anchor. Most of the water cops are ashore for the winter already thank god.

Finding fuel? Just call ahead. Find those commercial places, find a few recreational places that stay open. Plan it out.

Water? You might be hauling some jugs. You might even have to get water at the grocery stores in those big office water cooler type containers. That will be a bit of an issue. Or maybe you can run a hose from some buildings at various fuel docks. Who knows? But it will be hard. Unless of course you have a watermaker

Food? The grocery stores are still open.

When it comes to weather, just keep a good eye out. Make sure you know the forecast. Play it very conservatively because a lot of things are closed. Not as easy to get help in the winter.

Your main danger will be weather. And the lack of help. So just be careful.

The cold? Bring your skiing clothing and waterproof things. Hopefully you have a cockpit enclosure or dodger or at least something. You don’t want to be getting sprayed with any sea water this time of year.

Does the boat have heat?

All of the above applies to the dinghy as well. It can be very tricky not getting wet in the dinghy

[Kettlewell]

Sure, you could do it, but you might want to shorten things with an overnighter or two when the weather is calm, even if you have to motor. Once you get south of the Cape Cod Canal you gain shelter from northers and can keep going down Long Island Sound. The jaunt from New York City to Cape May is best made in one continuous run if you can get the weather since none of the inlets are particularly good for larger boats. Don't go up Delaware Bay in a norther. Once in the Chesapeake it warms up a bit, and south of Norfolk you can take the ICW all the way to Florida. Hopefully you have a well-sheltered helm position, proper outdoor clothing (think what you would wear skiing), a large fuel capacity, and waterproof gloves. As someone mentioned, go where there are fishing boats to get fuel. For example, Portland, Gloucester, and New Bedford will all have fuel docks open. Hours may be somewhat limited though, so ask a fishing or lobster boat what the scoop is.

[SailingHarmonie]

You know it will be cold, if you are good with that, you can deal. But the winter weather can be frightful. Especially on such a small boat. This would be a very challenging trip for an experienced sailor.

I’m not sure what you mean by “gunkholing”. Are you limiting yourself to day sails only? That will make it really hard to always be in good, safe anchorages every night. Can you make the 100 miles from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor in one go?

The lobster fleet in NS is out there almost everyday all winter. Ask them.

[Orion Jim]

The closer you remain to the coast the better your chance of coming to harm. At the very least I would look for favorable weather windows and make the longest hops possible down the coast.
Personally I would head offshore as I find it much safer for a singlehander.

[Mtnpirate]

One thing I DIDN'T think about when planning a late season motorcycle ride from Seattle to Texas...Daylight hours! It can limit the miles you can make in a day if you don't want to sail at night!

[captain69]

Thanks for all the helpful comments. I’m about 98.4% certain that the best call is to pack it in and wait for spring; meanwhile, spend the winter in the Bahamas raising my skillset. ��
It’s not the cold that worries me (I have some fantastic gear) but the near total lack of any support safety net, including lack of crew. Better safe(r) than sorry!
“Sometimes the only winning move is not to play the game.”

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by captain69

Thanks for all the helpful comments. I’m about 98.4% certain that the best call is to pack it in and wait for spring; meanwhile, spend the winter in the Bahamas raising my skillset. ��
It’s not the cold that worries me (I have some fantastic gear) but the near total lack of any support safety net, including lack of crew. Better safe(r) than sorry!
“Sometimes the only winning move is not to play the game.”

Very wise.