Summer storage US east coast

[2Hulls]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Check Deltaville marine in Virginia. Lots of people store there.

Not capable of hauling the OP's beam.

2 Hulls Dave

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by 2Hulls

Not capable of hauling the OP's beam.

2 Hulls Dave

Wasn't sure how wide their 75ton Travellift was.

[2Hulls]

Not wide enough if it's a Travel Lift.

The Acme 75 ton lift is wide enough - this is what Dennis Pt and Zahnisers in Solomons uses - if the OP's beam is 25'3" as he stated else where. For reasons I don't understand, Zahnisers told me they wouldn't lift my boat, which is just as well as they are not a DIY yard. But the real limit is the lifting well. There's a facility near Baltimore that has a huge forklift that would be perfect for lifting cats on the bridgedeck - but the lifting well is too narrow for larger cats.

2 Hulls Dave

[Double-Wide]

Check thunderbolt Marine near Savannah, GA. They have a 150 ton travel lift and have hauled very wide cats as well as Mega yachts. Savannah has not had a hurricane hit in nearly 80 years so is pretty safe from storms.


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[truckman]

Thanks thunderbolt no longer stores boats on the hard but will haul to do work. That being said I am considering having them paint my cat and then look for a good marina to keep her in. Any comments as to the quality of their work or a good reasonably priced marina for summer storage would be much appreciated. Thunderbolt does have a marina I am told as well.


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[Double-Wide]

Several friends have used Isle of Hope for summer storage and found it excellent. We stayed at Brunswick Marina one summer and found it very cat friendly, plus they had free laundry.


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[truckman]

Thanks for all the replies. My current plan is to sail south around the 1st of April for a 2-3 week vacation ending up in southern Georgia and keep the boat in the water until late fall. Any advice on sailing south from Beaufort North Carolina on the outside in April would be much appreciated. I am starting to look at pilot charts etc for info but would welcome some expert firsthand knowledge from the board.


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[2Hulls]

Originally Posted by truckman

Any advice on sailing south from Beaufort North Carolina on the outside in April would be much appreciated.

I've sailed the coast numerous times between FL and Ches Bay, but never south in the spring. You'll just be going against the flow of the usual migration - northbound in the spring. You can plan on a non-stop and pick a weather window, but have lots of bail-out locations in between if the weather doesn't work out for a non-stop. Straight line shot to Frying Pan Shoals at Cape Fear, turn to starboard a bit and stay out of the Gulf Stream.

Get paper charts of the entire coast and research all the inlets to see which are viable for bailout. Even if you're too tall for the ICW you can duck in many of them to take refuge if you need to. Even though you won't be in the ditch, a Waterway Guide is a good reference to have.

If you have an SSB get a subscription to Chris Parker at Marine Weather Center - Bahamas & Caribbean Marine Weather Services . Cheap at many times the cost.

If you don't have an SSB, get an inexpensive receive only unit (Chris suggests some on his site) and listen to Chris - even cheaper. You just won't be able to ask specific questions. But you'll be able to go to school on all the north bound boats getting advice.

Or get your own weather info from online sources before you leave and augment it by VHF weather in route if you stay close enough to the coast to receive it. This is pretty far out.

2 Hulls Dave

[truckman]

Originally Posted by 2Hulls

I've sailed the coast numerous times between FL and Ches Bay, but never south in the spring. You'll just be going against the flow of the usual migration - northbound in the spring. You can plan on a non-stop and pick a weather window, but have lots of bail-out locations in between if the weather doesn't work out for a non-stop. Straight line shot to Frying Pan Shoals at Cape Fear, turn to starboard a bit and stay out of the Gulf Stream.

Get paper charts of the entire coast and research all the inlets to see which are viable for bailout. Even if you're too tall for the ICW you can duck in many of them to take refuge if you need to. Even though you won't be in the ditch, a Waterway Guide is a good reference to have.

If you have an SSB get a subscription to Chris Parker at Marine Weather Center - Bahamas & Caribbean Marine Weather Services . Cheap at many times the cost.

If you don't have an SSB, get an inexpensive receive only unit (Chris suggests some on his site) and listen to Chris - even cheaper. You just won't be able to ask specific questions. But you'll be able to go to school on all the north bound boats getting advice.

Or get your own weather info from online sources before you leave and augment it by VHF weather in route if you stay close enough to the coast to receive it. This is pretty far out.

2 Hulls Dave

Dave, Thanks so much for all your advise. I was just looking into Chris' site as a resource last night. I do have SSB, but have never used one so I need to bone up a bit, difficult to do from Seattle, but I plan on looking into it soon. I have been studying the coast pilot and pilot charts and have concluded if I have a good window I can expect either onshore or offshore winds equally as often in between fronts moving in? So going north is no different then going south without considering the effects of the GS and its associated eddies and spinoffs? I plan on stopping off in Charlestown SC and from there south still looking into places to stop and explore. I am still keeping my options open for going north and have been in touch with Dennis Point so thanks again for that one. I will have to confirm my beam of 25'3" and am also looking at GYB as well.

[2Hulls]

Originally Posted by truckman

I do have SSB, but have never used one so I need to bone up a bit, difficult to do from Seattle, but I plan on looking into it soon.

When you visit your boat you'll need to check it out to ensure you have both Tx and Rx. Try to arrange somebody to talk to. My rig is all apart so I can't help in this regard. Best just to try to listen to Chris on his morning schedule.

I have been studying the coast pilot and pilot charts and have concluded if I have a good window I can expect either onshore or offshore winds equally as often in between fronts moving in?

In the spring the prevailing winds will be generally SW between fronts. So your strategy may be to wait for a front to pass thru then ride the NW and N winds behind the front. But this is not so general a rule that you can bank on it.

So going north is no different then going south without considering the effects of the GS and its associated eddies and spinoffs?

Correct. You take the wind you can get. The west wall of the GS is more defined than the sea-side wall. When the time comes Chris will be able to specify exactly where it is and it stays fairly stable over time. Eddies are another matter, but are easily ID'd via Chris or other on-line resources.

I plan on stopping off in Charlestown SC and from there south still looking into places to stop and explore.

Charleston is a terrific stop. We've been in there twice heading north. Try the shrimp and grits.

2 Hulls Dave

[MIRELOS]

Originally Posted by 2Hulls

Jaynes is no longer in business. I hauled there in summers of 10 and 11. He used a hydraulic trailer lifting under the bridgedeck.

2 Hulls Dave

Sorry to hear that, Doug is a nice person and very knowledgeable.