How do you decide where to go?

[kmv]

Hi all, I was wondering how you all research destinations and whether you use any tools?

How do you assess safety/amenities and what do you look out for?

Thanks in advance!

[Dogscout]

Pilot books and charts mostly. Other times I turn that way and see what happenss.

[edmundsteele]

To research destinations, some of the websites we used:

www.noonsite.com
www.ssca.org
activecaptain.garmin.com
wikipedia
cia.gov (really!)

There are lots more but these will get you started!
Fair Winds,
Ed

[RaymondR]

Weather, if it's cold go towards the equator and if it's hot towards the poles.

[goboatingnow]

as I get older and older I go closer and closer to my marina !!!!

[kmv]

This is really helpful, thanks!

[Ivansgarage]

Originally Posted by kmv

This is really helpful, thanks!

eeny meeny miny moe

Has helped me many times in life (direction) once I tried a map and got lost..

[mvmojo]

My primary navigational instrument is a thermometer! When it starts going down, I start going south. When it starts going up, I start going north.

[sepharad]

https://reopen.europa.eu/en

Covid borders and lockdowns

[redhead]

We basically choose a direction and then let it evolve on it's own from there. This has worked for years. If I plan too much then I miss out on some of the serendipitous adventures that come along. Also, working against weather systems is never a good idea.

Obviously, if you're circumnavigating this might not be the best idea...

[Scorpius]

Deciding WHERE to go is the easy part. I have a longer list of destinations I would like to explore than I have time left on this earth I'm sure.

Then HOW to get there becomes the fun part. If you are exploring this part of the world (British Columbia) there are lots of guide books etc. - and a current copy of Ports 'n' Passes (tide and current tables) is essential to deal with the tidal rapids. A full set of charts is assumed.

[Captain Puget]

All great input for regional selection ... especially the temperature

In looking at a itinerary within the region and developing a more specific float plan consider:

-the amount of time you can take
-the weather forecast. We get accurate ~ 10 day forecasts now and it can make for a much more enjoyable trip when you don't fight the wind and current/ tides.
-Activity and leg stretching stops/ destinations

I usually have several anchorages that sounded interesting during the area research phase already pinned in the nav system and narrow down the nightly selection as I see how the trip unfolds .... at least 1-2 alternates are always possible in the NW .... and move on if its too crowded or exposed.

[grandmaR]

Depends on the purpose of the trip. If we don't have a purpose - just want to get out on the boat and sail around a little, we look at the weather - north wind, sail south. Since we are in the Chesapeake, we will look for a nice anchorage using Shellenberger's book

(Cruising the Chesapeake: A Gunkholer's Guide by William H.

Shellenberger) Or we will look for a marina that has a reasonable price and amenities - a place within walking distance to eat or shop, and (or course) one that has a deep enough approach so we don't go aground and a slip that we can get into. (wide enough and hopefully with either a finger pier that is long enough or a face dock so that I can get off without unusual gymnastics).


If we are going someplace specific - sailing south for the winter - I decide first if we are going outside or in the ICW - we usually go outside from Charleston to Fernandina and we always go outside from Ft Pierce to Miami because of the Julia Tuttle Bridge. If we are going to be in the ICW I pick a place to stops that are about 35-40 miles apart, where there is a marina that meets the parameters above, and also if possible has free wi-fi.

[Mike OReilly]

Really depends on the scale you're talking. How I decide where to go in multiple seasons, or how I decide for this season, or how I decide where to go tonight, are all different.

So far, our travels have consisted of having a large-scale ambition. This is then broken down into seasonal travels, which is then executed on a week or day-to-day basis. Each one involves different thinking and different tools.

So to really answer the question, I have to ask: What do you mean? What scale of travel are you talking?

[bobnlesley]

If your destination's more than five hours to windward, then it's wrong, go somewhere else and have another look tomorrow. So sayeth the man whose last passage ended with a 4-day windward beat into NZ.