Best "Walkable" Live-Aboard Marinas+

[johnnie101]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

BART is nowhere near the Emeryville Marina. Local bus transportation is much closer.

Stu - my mistake ...I saw the rail symbol on google - then clicked on it and it showed a ton of station symbols - had assumed BART ...turns out these are all amtrak stops.

then again there is a BART station at a place called "Ashby" ...seems like a bit of a hump - but still doable by bike.

Thanks ...

J.

[captain58sailin]

No worries johnnie101, the one thing that puts Sitka a leg up, is there are direct Seattle flights 3 times week, so in about 2 hours you can be in the big city, if that is what moves you.

[swabbmob]

We just got home from a marina prospecting trip. We went from St. Augustine down to Stuart, FL and looked at about 10 or 12 marinas along the way. We loved St. Augustine, but we are most strongly considering Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart, due to warmer climate, beaches and really nice (and walkable) downtown area. We need to check out Dinner Key in Miami, but the price seems a bit beyond our budget.
You might also check out the municipal marina in St. Petersburg. Heard great things about St. Pete.

[John Galt]

I spent Christmas week in Vero Beach's mooring field. $14 a night. The cities bus pulls right up to the dock. The busses do not charge a dime. Quiet at night, great dinghy dock and very well protected. It's nickname is 'Velcro Beach' as folks tend to stick around longer than they expected...

[captain58sailin]

Once I looked at Stuart, FL. Just never got there for a first hand view, seemed like a nice place and there were mooring fields that seemed to be reasonable. It was on my list for wintering.

[CaptLinda6pack]

Originally Posted by John Galt

I spent Christmas week in Vero Beach's mooring field. $14 a night. The cities bus pulls right up to the dock. The busses do not charge a dime. Quiet at night, great dinghy dock and very well protected. It's nickname is 'Velcro Beach' as folks tend to stick around longer than they expected...

Sounds real nice.. Don't forget the Active Captain . com site for updated info. We hope next year to get down to stuart fla. soon..

[boating2go]

Check out the marinas in America's Cup Harbor here in San Diego. All of them are nice and within walking distance of a lot of good restaurants, wine shops, liquor stores, stores (grocery and others), a big plus is all the marine supply stores.

I am at Interpid Landing Marina which just open and is still building some of the facilities but has all you other desires.

[herbrig123]

Several new marinas in San Diego. Nice! Cheap!

[mub]

Can't speak for the other cities.. but the marina I berth at is on the ship canal in Seattle.

Technically it is Fremantle. But it is 10 min to downtown, but everything I need is walkable and closer than that.
I am on 5 bus routes.

I have a car, but I commute to work on an inflatable.

To get to open sea I have to descend through a lock. But it is manned 24/7. If you want to go fresh water the bridges open on request (i love stopping the cars... Is that wrong of me?)


There are about 30 marinas all along the route from lake washington to the sea. Each has a slightly different bled of city or university or quirk.

Mub

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by herbrig123

Several new marinas in San Diego. Nice! Cheap!

Ha ha I wouldn't classify any Marinas in SD as cheap. But I second the statement about Americas Cup Harbor being an awesome local. Point Loma is totally a walkable community. Trader Joe's is right near by, coffee shops, fish store with smoked tuna jerky! Beautiful jogs/ walks down both barrier islands, and most important, a bar that serves discounted bloody Marys until 11am.

I would also like to throw out Constitution Marina in Boston. This place is amazing. It is a 5 minute walk to North station which has access to all of the trains throughout Boston, it is adjacent to the USS Constitution, an amazing historical site, Charlestown is a cool little neighborhood in Boston and one of the oldest in the states with lots of historical sites, you are within walking distance to The Aquarium, Fannuelle Hall, and lots of other tourist sites. They even tent off the pool in the winter and host Family friendly pool parties on Fridays. Sebastian the Dock master is a wonderful guy who will go way out of his way to help.

To illustrate what an awesome walk-able marina Constitution Marina is allow me short story. After a winter of living aboard at Constitution I was staying at a different marina with lower summer rates. But I heard Coldplay was playing at the TD Garden. Now I don't love Coldplay so don't make fun of me, but there were three girls I was hanging out with who wanted to go. I called Sebastian and asked for a slip. He put me on the T dock (end tie up) I walked over to TD Garden, saw the show, and walked back to the boat with three beautiful women in tow, where we had cocktails and hors d'ouevrs under the Old North Church of two-if-by-sea-fame. When I went to settle up Sebastian told me to buzz off and I was on my way. What an absolutely kick ass marina!

[Lord Nelson]

all that and more in Seattle

[Custom30]

Port St. Joe Marina is inexpensive, on a huge clear water bay, and everything you mention is within a few blocks walking.




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[ssanzone]

salt or fresh water? hot, warm or cold weather? what is your expected monthly berthing budget?

also, the size boat you are suggesting is the most common and finding a slip in many marinas can be difficult and a marina that accepts live aboards more difficult still.

additionally... the boat matters as finding a slip for a cat is more difficult that a mono and draft (the marina i would love to move to is so shallow i would have about 20 minutes a day to sail in and out of unless i transplanted a 100hp motor and installed a snowplow to the front of my keel) and pumping station requirements...

unless you are suggesting you will get the slip and buy the boat to match...

-steve

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by ssanzone

salt or fresh water? hot, warm or cold weather? what is your expected monthly berthing budget?

also, the size boat you are suggesting is the most common and finding a slip in many marinas can be difficult and a marina that accepts live aboards more difficult still.

additionally... the boat matters as finding a slip for a cat is more difficult that a mono and draft (the marina i would love to move to is so shallow i would have about 20 minutes a day to sail in and out of unless i transplanted a 100hp motor and installed a snowplow to the front of my keel) and pumping station requirements...

unless you are suggesting you will get the slip and buy the boat to match...

-steve

I don't know if I'd call finding a live aboard marina difficult. Maybe in NYC but elsewhere...not too hard.

[mrohr]

Originally Posted by unbusted67

I don't know if I'd call finding a live aboard marina difficult. Maybe in NYC but elsewhere...not too hard.

79th st boat basin (Hudson River and NY harbor),city run. has liveaboards,probably long waiting list too, but in midtowm Manhattan upscale part of NYC .
City Island in NE corner of NYC is a small city in itself that few New Yorkers ever get to with single family houses ,small shops ,lots dining ,boatyards ,even trees! Kinda gritty but on the westernmost end of Long Is sound with great cruising all the way up through New England and Canada.

N.B. I did not mention $$$.