Plans messed up, advice needed!

[Smart555]

Good day, fellow cruisers!
We’re a family of 6, 2 adults and 4 kids, for now have been full time cruising around Caribbean for 2 years.
At the moment we’re staying in USVI. We had been planning on sailing to Bahamas and spending some time there. Then return to Florida and sell our catamaran there, to live some time on land. If we don’t have to sell it before the hurricane season starts go up North along the east coast and go on cruising a little more.

As it’s true for many of you, COVID-19 have messed up all our plans.
Bahamas is closed. We’re not sure if it’s possible to sell the boat now. According to our insurance police we have to be at 35-36 latitude North. We still need to pick up some of our belongings from South Florida.

There are too many questions to figure out.
First, when it’s better time to leave USVI, now or wait till May when the weather or situation with virus might got better (or worse) For now situation in USVI looks better than those in Florida. At the moment, we don’t have problems with fuel, groceries, laundry, for example. And it’s more quiet and less crowded than in Florida.

What route do you think better?
Try to sail to South Florida or head to Georgia or maybe South or North Carolina then try to return to Miami to pick up our things from storage before sailing North for hurricane season.

What route from Florida and place is better to spending hurricane season with good, hopefully safe and free anchorages?

We’ve got 40 feet catamaran, 24 beam and 67"mast.

We’re appreciate your advices, opinion and experience. It may help us to make more adequate decisions.

Thank you in advance! Stay safe!
SV ManaKai.

[Montanan]

If your insurance policy dictates your choices, then the 35th parallel puts you into Pamlico Sound of North Carolina; the 36th puts you into Albemarle Sound of North Carolina. So that sets your southern limits.

Loads of limitations Stateside due to the Stay At Home orders, very fluid situation.

https://cruisersnet.net/north-carolina-anchorages/

Would recommend the Chesapeake.

[hpeer]

You can always rent a car to run down to Fl to get your stuff.

What is driving you to be back in FL/USA? Insurance?

What determines where you live stateside?

[letsgetsailing3]

Seems like a good time to extend another year. I don't see it as an optimal time to sell the boat.


But maybe things will be clearer in a month.

[Smart555]

Originally Posted by Montanan

If your insurance policy dictates your choices, then the 35th parallel puts you into Pamlico Sound of North Carolina; the 36th puts you into Albemarle Sound of North Carolina. So that sets your southern limits.

Loads of limitations Stateside due to the Stay At Home orders, very fluid situation.

https://cruisersnet.net/north-carolina-anchorages/

Would recommend the Chesapeake.

Thank you! We will look through the link!
If not some business that calls us to Miami, we agree, that it would be better to go straight to North Carolina or even more to north.

[wsmurdoch]

Look at the possibility of coming into Government Cut, Miami, anchoring off Miami Beach to have your things brought to you, watering the boat from jugs at the police dock north of the Venetian Causeway, if necessary buying groceries at the Publix off Collins Canal, and re-fueling the boat from jugs from the Valero station farther up Collins Canal all minimizing your contact ashore and avoiding marinas that might not be open when you arrive. [https://www.waterwayguide.com/covid-19-reports] Then, return offshore for the trip north perhaps to N.C. or the Chesapeake. You'll have two 65 ft bridges in Miami coming and going, so tides will matter.

[Smart555]

Originally Posted by hpeer

You can always rent a car to run down to Fl to get your stuff.

What is driving you to be back in FL/USA? Insurance?

What determines where you live stateside?

Last two hurricane seasons we stayed in Grenada. But now when we wanted to see Bahamas and then go to Florida, we had to change the insurance company to get coverage for USA. Now we only can stay 36 parallel and up to North during hurricane season.
Besides we stayed two last hurricane seasons in Grenada. But now all Caribbean islands closed boarders and you can’t go to Grenada or ABC islands, for example. And nobody knows how longer this situation will last.
Before we have moved to the boat we lived in Florida. We still have Florida dl and boat registration. Thought we are not actually tied to this State. When we will sell the boat, we’re considering what State to choose for living.
Probably, it’s a good idea to come to North Carolina. But we’re not sure that nowadays it’s easy to rent a car to pick up our stuff from Miami. And even to have a room in a hotel.

[Smart555]

Originally Posted by letsgetsailing3

Seems like a good time to extend another year. I don't see it as an optimal time to sell the boat.


But maybe things will be clearer in a month.

Looks like it. Back in time, before this madness with corona virus, it was super easy to sell catamaran like ours for reasonable price.
Frankly speaking, now in the Caribbean it’s not fun, because all islands (countries) are closed.

[wsmurdoch]

Originally Posted by Smart555

Probably, it’s a good idea to come to North Carolina. But we’re not sure that nowadays it’s easy to rent a car to pick up our stuff from Miami. And even to have a room in a hotel.

https://www.miamidade.gov/informatio...-lodging-1.pdf

[dougweibel]

If you decide to come back to the US think carefully about the bridges and pay attention to them in your planning. With a 67' mast you can be stuck trying to pass under a bridge much longer than a tide cycle. If you get persistent winds the wrong direction, a lot of rain inland flowing out or other difficult to predict situations you can be stuck for days or weeks if you must pass under a "65" foot bridge. We have seen a "65" foot bridge in FL not provide even 65' at low tide for nearly two weeks.

[Smart555]

Originally Posted by wsmurdoch

https://www.miamidade.gov/informatio...-lodging-1.pdf

Thank You for link.

[Smart555]

Originally Posted by dougweibel

If you decide to come back to the US think carefully about the bridges and pay attention to them in your planning. With a 67' mast you can be stuck trying to pass under a bridge much longer than a tide cycle. If you get persistent winds the wrong direction, a lot of rain inland flowing out or other difficult to predict situations you can be stuck for days or weeks if you must pass under a "65" foot bridge. We have seen a "65" foot bridge in FL not provide even 65' at low tide for nearly two weeks.

Thank you. It looks like further from Florida with our mast height it is better to go offshore.

[hpeer]

On the issue of tides. Georgia can have 7’ tides.

Some places in the NC sounds have only been one tide. I have been shocked at how fast and how much it can move. Has resulted in some embarrassing moments. Not a big deal if you are aware of it.

We sat our Sandy and the one a year before on a dock just off h the DELAWARE. We were fine but that was not obvious at the moment.

If you insist on hauling that limits your options being a cat. One option might be trying the Summit North Marina on the C&D Canal in Maryland. They can not haul but should have a lot of slips and it is very protected. You may want to get bubblers for ice, recommenced but may not be needed there. The down side is you really need a car there, kinda in the boonies provisions wise.

[thinwater]

I would ask myself if I really need to recover the items in Florida at this time. Only you can judge that. Perhaps it would be easier to replace the few bits you actually need for a summer on the boat.

[capn_billl]

I'm currently in the keys with a 68' mast. I entered Biscayne Bay from the Biscayne channel to the north, and exited Angel Fish creek.

Both times I ended up going near low tide. Biscayne Bay channel at Night, (not recommended, it was about a 9 on the pucker factor). Angel Fish weaves among the mangroves, I wouldn't even try at night.

I rented a car recently. Enterprise has stepped up efforts to support customers, waiving one way fee in most cases, and doing a complete car wipe down between customers.

I wiped the steering wheel, and handles, and changed clothes immediately after anyways.

With the tides right now, and also low hanging power lines, there aren't any bridges I would try.


Reports of what fuel stations are open, and what parks, and marinas will allow you to go ashore changes daily.