To Head South or Haul

[gconley]

Greetings Fellow Sailors - I am trying to decide if I want to haul my boat (54 Hylas #56 total refit 2018) for the winter or take it south to a marina where I can continue to sail and have the boat looked after when I need to go home for family events, etc. I am able to work from my boat.


Would appreciate suggestions from people who choose this approach rather than simply winterize and put up on stands.


Recommendations for places to go - Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, etc. and marinas friendly to what I am trying to accomplish.



It seems a shame to put the boat away for 6 months when I could be using it and can work from the boat.



Thanks
Gary

[LLCoolDave]

First off, what does your insurance say? Secondly, this is a very active hurricane season and I wouldn't bring a boat south of the Chesapeake.

[gconley]

Originally Posted by LLCoolDave

First off, what does your insurance say? Secondly, this is a very active hurricane season and I wouldn't bring a boat south of the Chesapeake.

Thanks for the response - I wouldn't be looking to leave before the end of October and would obtain whatever insurance riders necessary.

[Chotu]

St Augustine and South of that are the only places warm enough through the dead of winter.

Past Vero Beach is where consistently warm weather with less cold fronts starts.

You should definitely wait until it’s freezing in NH to head down. Watch those late season hurricanes. If you do go while the hurricanes are active, have a plan. A waaaay upriver, inland, away from the ocean plan.

Being a snowbird is much better than sitting around waiting for winter to go by.

Do it!

Edit: Halloween or Nov 1st is good timing, hurricane wise. Being a NH person, you already have the necessary clothing. Lol

[CarlF]

As others have said, to find a place that isn't below freezing in January and February you have to go way South to St. Augustine.

I have a friend from Gloucester who stored his 55ft boat in Norfolk last year. While it gets cold in Norfolk the water is warm enough to leave reverse cycle heat on. It's only an 8 hour drive so you could go down and work on the boat for a week without the risk of flying with Covid. Only January and February are uncomfortably cold.

But I'll be storing in the water on Cape Cod. Lots of marinas south of the Cape and in RI offer in-water storage. Again, except for January and February it's almost always warm enough to work on the boat. Through December it's quite nice and by middle March it's good again. It's typically cheaper than storage on land. And my insurance company doesn't charge differently between in-water and hauled storage.

[CarlF]

If you are going South, I would go soon. While there's a small hurricane risk you get plenty of warning these days to find a safe place.

The bigger problem are the start of the winter gales. These seem to come earlier with climate change. The coast of NJ becomes impossible in a 40kt Northeasterly gale.

I have a friend who two years ago stayed in RI until Oct 15 waiting for the yard to finish some work. By the time he was ready he couldn't find a weather window of 3 days to get out of there. One storm after the other. He finally got a window and left December 20 with ice on the decks and an air temperature of 22. Fortunately his boat had inside heated steering.

[gconley]

Thanks for the response. I wouldn't plan on leaving until early to mid November. Should be past hurricane threats. I would plan the trip offshore - my boat is not ICW friendly in any way. I have had people mention the Chesapeake somewhere. As stated I can use reverse cycle for heat and the drive is not multi-day and can avoid the flying.

[MicHughV]

Brunswick, Ga, is a very popular place to keep a boat..large liveaboard community, etc, etc...google "Brunswick Landing Marina"...

You may get the odd winter freeze there, but the marina is well protected, and the inlet there can accommodate deep draft ocean going vessels..no mast height restrictions either

[ohdrinkboy]

I would expect domestic marnias to be crowded this year with fewer venturing out of the US due to COVID. If you go, I would go sooner rather than later.

[MicHughV]

St. Augustine has several area marina's you can try....but the inlet there is iffy at the best of times....

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

St. Augustine has several area marina's you can try....but the inlet there is iffy at the best of times....

you just follow the buoys, what is so hard?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by gconley

(54 Hylas #56 total refit 2018)

in that case you should go south











Really I think you should just do what YOU want to do. But I don't think I have ever seen a southern sailor decide to spend the winter on his boat in NE.

[MicHughV]

I can spend all day here posting links and articles about the St.Augustine inlet.....for the local sailor, probably not so daunting, as they will likely know the area, but for someone new to the area coming in from offshore...it can be daunting....it's not a straight shot....definitely would not recommend a night time entry for a newbie to the area...especially so if it's rough outside...

[Emouchet]

I would shoot for Vero beach, AKA Velcro Beach:

- Free public transport to everywhere (beach, wallmart, shops, west marine...)
- Well protected mooring or a few slips available
- Very decent price especially on a montly rate
- Good wifi, either from the boat or at the lounge
- Great local cruiser community with daily cruisers radio net

Drawback: you may not be able to reach because of ICW 65 feet bridges...

[kysloc]

Hi,

I live in Amherst NH - right next door. I drove our 44 Coupe (power) to Florida last year, then back this spring. Our boating buddy has a 53 Oyster sailboat that they take down every winter.

I suggest Stuart Florida. Loblolly Marina. That's where our friends kept their boat every winter for 8 years, and where we kept ours. It's protected (on the ICW), but no bridges between it and the St. Lucie Inlet. Closest place to Bahamas that is not the much higher prices of Palm Beach and other points south. Lots of things to do in Stuart area. Dockmaster (Ray: rreganato@loblollyinfo.com) is great - it's very sheltered private marina, and they watch over your boat. Lots of New Englanders.

I think leaving after mid October is risky due to weather gets notably worse.
you can email me if you want a trip log that I made - we did do some sections on ICW, but a lot outside as well. rick@lcrsource.com

You need to be careful re: Covid...many marinas are closed for fuel, transient, or both. Plan carefully. there is a website that gives up-to-date postings for many of the marinas re: open/closed/etc.

Rick