East Coast Harbor - Safe and Inexpensive?

[spsell]

Pamlico Sound is a great place to store a boat. I had a 40 ft Catalina slipped in Ft Lauderdale, Savannah, Jacksonville, Charleston and in North Carolina. In the Sound near Oriental there are many marinas, where slips are reasonable, plus Oriental is considered a safe harbor, so anchoring for short periods while waiting for a slip to free up, is not out of the question. There are multiple creeks, like Broad Creek and Whittaker Creek, where individuals have slips available for very reasonable rates ($200 to $300 a month), with long term leases available. The advantage of being up in these creeks is that you are inland 30 or 40 miles and it helps buffer any heavy damage during a hurricane. Having just gone through Dorian in the Bahamas and having our boat destroyed, I can tell you the wind isn't the biggest problem you need to concern yourself with, it is the surge that hits you when you are on the coast or moored/slipped in the islands. Our boat was in Man-O-War Cay and withstood the initial winds of 185 with gusts of 225 mph, but the 25 foot surge is what broke the cleats and ripped bow off the boat, from the mooring and ended her functional life. I had my previous boat on Broad Creek just North of Oriental, NC for over 10 years (privately owned Boondocks Marina) and it withstood multiple hurricane hits, although none like Dorian of course. There are a lot of shoals in Pamilico, so having current charts is critical, but you are close to ICW, which is like lake sailing and having fairly easy access to open water through Beaumont Inlet down through Adams Creek. I always thought that NC was a perfect location, because even in the winter, you could keep the boat floating year around. I had the boat in Savannah for a short time, until I started getting tax statements for assessed values of the boat and I hate to pay tax on something I have already paid tax for with the original purchase. Double taxation in my mind, so that ruled out Georgia after that. Will never slip a boat there again. Florida is non-tax state, but can get very humid and hot in the summer. Advantage is close access to the Bahamas. Good luck with the search.

[RentDubaiYachts]

Hey man, awesome question!

So, just as Paul L said, all of east coasts get affected by hurricanes.

The Chesapeake is probably the best cruising area as Paul also said with having great weather and great to sail during spring and fall.

Btw, found a solution yet? Looking forward to hear.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by spsell

Pamlico Sound is a great place to store a boat. I had a 40 ft Catalina slipped in Ft Lauderdale, Savannah, Jacksonville, Charleston and in North Carolina. In the Sound near Oriental there are many marinas, where slips are reasonable, plus Oriental is considered a safe harbor, so anchoring for short periods while waiting for a slip to free up, is not out of the question. .....

Safe, but not immune from hurricane damage.