Monterey Bay, CA or Chesapeake Bay, MD ?

[imagine2frolic]

Yep,

The San Andreas will probably do that, and it's only 18 months away........i2f

[bloodhunter]

Have sailed in SF, New England and the Chesapeake and choose the Chesapeake hands down. Granted this last month has been unusually hot but once out on the water its usually not that bad. Last weekend was about as bad as it gets but once we got out on the water the 5-10 kt breeze made it pleasant under the bimini. Usually we have 5-15 knots of wind though it is variable. We get squalls but the blow over quickly. And spring and fall on the bay are beautiful beyond belief.
You could sail the bay for two lifetimes and not explore all the coves and rivers and little towns.
If you want something different Bermuda is only 700 miles from the mouth of the bay and Cape Cod si closer. Used to sail up there with our kids every summer .
To top it off we have the Chesapeake Bay blue crab, IMHO the best of the best and also Rockfish (nothing better than fresh;y caught and clean rock grilled whole.
BTW I like sailing in New England but the season is hort and the winters more severe.
If you live aboard in the bay area you will need heat and AC but just as important a good bimini and wide awnings to keep the sun off while at anchor

[Windgeist]

Chesapeake Bay hands down, don't get me wrong, I love Monterey but

[SaltyMonkey]

Im from the east coast and grew up and lived in the Chesapeake and now live on the west coast near SF. For cruising, hands down the Chesapeake and east coast.

[SkiprJohn]

I've lived and sailed in both areas. All the plus and minus have been brought forward. If I were going to move from here and were a liveaboard I'd choose Chesapeake. If I were living aboard in PNW I'd stay.
kind regards,

[daddle]

Cruising advice on CF: Priceless.
Tax advice on CF: Worthless.

[BlueSeas]

Didn't vote either because I don't have enough sailing experience to matter, but I have spent considerable time on both coasts.

I think you need to consider how long you think this next stop will be as well. I love the CA Bay Area and there is a lot to see and do on land, but the incredible wealth of history and easy access to so many sites and cities on the East coast could be of great benefit to the kiddos. At 2 and 4, the west coast weather might be all they need, but as they grow, their needs and interests will change.

Growing up on the Gulf Coast, the water is just too darn cold for me in any part of CA, so that would push me more East as well. Really just comes down to what the priorities are for your particular family.

[GeoPowers]

Thanks for all the great opinions!! I think we will be happy in either location, and we like the current consensus are kinda leaning toward the Chesapeake Bay area, maybe around Deale. I grew up in NE North Carolina, and I remember how much milder the winters were there compared to just a little ways north (along with the typical snow line!). We also lived in Stafford, VA so kinda know what to expect in terms of weather. Of course, we already have a great heater onboard.

The big bennie (get it, "bennie" hahaha!) of Monterey Bay for us is no trucking the boat, which scares me a lot more than sailing it down to Monterey, and also the fact I can keep my current position, which is a great job and comes easy to me. On the other hand, I'm used to getting a new position every two or three years, which has actually worked out well for me professionally. It is taking a tough evaluation of all the pluses and minuses, but in the end I have the feeling we'll do our typical and head to the place that seems the most fun and rewarding for the family.

Maybe it is time to start researching bug screens, A/C units, and interstate regulations on shipping.....real beer from the PNW!

P.S. bloodhunter, while agree with you on stripers, I'd take dungeness crabcakes any day over blue crabs. Now softshell bluecrab vs. dungeness crabcakes- THAT's a toss-up!

[Auspicious]

Sailed in both places. Chesapeake Bay hands down.

[bloodhunter]

Geo you mentioned one of my favorite foods -- beer. If you do get down to my part of the world we have a few really good ones. My choice is a brew called Resurrection from Brewers Art. Hard to find even around here but IMHO as good as anythign else you can get. I'll grant your point on the crabcakes

[sandy daugherty]

I was born in Marin. I have retired in Annapolis. My house is in a water privileged neighborhood; I pay the property owners, association $360 a year for my deep water slip four blocks away. The house is appraised for little more than $250K. The snow this year was heavier than any in the last two decades, but it was over in a month. July and August have little to offer any outdoor activities, but we sail anyway. A breeze on the water makes it endurable. There is public transportation and some liveaboards commute to DC, a truly magnificent World Capitol, with endless museums, theaters, restaurants, and events to meet every taste. New York is a 4 hour drive or train ride, and a 45 minute flight.
I have visited 17 different historical ports or waterfront villages within a weekend of sailing, and there are many more. Every manner of sailing is practiced here, from mature clubs to X-treme idiocies. If you look at almost any America's Cup entry, you will find at least one crewman who grew up here.
A word of caution; with less than 3 feet of draft on my Cat, MY Chesapeake Bay is more than twice at big as a vessel with 6 1/2 of draft. Don't bring a deeper draft boat! A shoal draft boat can get into more protected anchorages surrounded by beautiful settings and complete solitude than anywhere else I know of.

[Hiracer]

Originally Posted by GeoPowers

Of course a lot of other factors will play into our decision, but we love our current lifestyle so much that sailing and local cruising is a very important piece of the puzzle.

How long you gonna be there?

If long enough, I would check out the school systems and let that be the deciding factor. In my world view, that's way more more important than sailing venues.

[SkiprJohn]

If you are able to take a vacation and spend a few days in each area your mind should be made up pretty quickly. Watch for personalities that are compatible with yours and the way people act toward you in eateries, stores, marine outlets, etc..

I find the two areas very different in those respects.

kind regards,

[zeehag]

be real. the west coast has no easy access islands and the same stuff gets tiring --chessy at least has many many places to visit and many states around it--more to learn and more to do --i prefer the gulf coast--but it has been ruled out for a while--chessy has stinkbad winters--is why the gods made the caribean and other warm water spots to sail to....and, if your mast is short enough and your draft shallow enough, the icw is waaay cool--i did the gulf coast side as much as we could--mast tall--lol---but is incredibly gorgeous--hands down, chesapeake..LOL....i love monterey, but...i love sailing much more...

from experience, there are waaay better schools in the east coast--lol-is still a no brainer...remember, sailboat racing was invented in the east and so most of the original boatbuilders are there and ....lol....kali is waaay over rated as a sailing grounds except san fransisco bay. dago bay is BOOOORINGGG. and san francisco bay is very varied---exciting, even.....backeast has the history of the tallships and such....