How/Where to Leave The Boat While Cruising for Extended Period...?

[uneven_sailor]

Hey all, I'm not cruising yet but a logistical question that I am curious about for those who are -- what solutions have folks come up with for when you want to leave the boat for a week or two in order to visit friends/family back home or in other parts of the world etc.?

My wife and I have family in different parts of the US (east and west coast) and as I imagine planning a cruising life that could last for years, this is something that I think about.

*Are you leaving boats at marinas in the Caribbean for weeks at a time while visiting family in the States?
*Are there any folks who are just leaving boats at anchor? I would feel very wary about this, although I could potentially imagine doing it with someone to caretake or something?

What does this typically look like?

Figuring out as many details as possible in advance helps to plan/budget for this giant adventure.

Thanks all!

[JPA Cate]

We have only left the boat in Marinas in areas other than the Caribbean. We have had friends who acted as caretakers while we were gone, for friendship's sake. Otherwise, we have left the boat in the water, on two occasions for 7 months at a time, when I had to go back to the States for medical reasons.

Would never feel comfy entrusting the boat to the anchor, and caretakers can't anticipate when it might drag; plus the weather event that changes the boat's safety is likely to make it unsafe for a caretaker to go to its aid. And if it occurs at night, they may be far away. All of which is sort of why you really prepare the boat to be left. Double up on the lines (in case of chafe), and it might be necessary to use spring lines to equalize stress on the actual dock. Reduce windage. If sails left on furlers, the furlers need to be secured so they cannot unfurl. Just one strong thunderstorm can wreak havoc with a boat that is not carefully "put to bed" before you leave her.

Ann

PS. Expect the boat to be dirty when you return. (And thanks to our friends who have kept an eye on our boat when we were away, you know who you are!)

[LoudMusic]

The first few times that we left the boat for more than a couple nights we would take it to a marina.

After we had some considerable time and experience with mooring balls we were comfortable leaving it on a mooring ball for a couple weeks.

I can't think of a time we left it on anchor overnight. Probably the longest would have been sunrise to sunset while we were ashore playing, but I can't even think of a time that might have happened. Six hours was probably the longest.

I think it's something you will learn with your boat. How much daily maintenance does it need - how frequently does it have an issue you feel warrants attention to prevent disaster. How reliable are your bilge pumps and float switches and how much water can they move

[arjand]

Your visits home will likely/hopefully be in sync w the hurricane/cyclone season and you will find out that all the boats/crews around you are focused on the same identical issue. We did panamarina in the carribean in our days but no idea if it still exists even. Again, this will be a topic of discussion during any sunset drinks you will find yourself attending, no need to worry about now!

[uneven_sailor]

Thanks all for your replies! Good to have a bit of info about this!

[Kim Morley]

If you're leaving your boat for less than four weeks, it may be most convenient to leave it in the water, providing you can find a secure marina slip or mooring. For longer periods of time, it may be cost effective and attractive to combine dry storage in a secure boat yard with your annual haul out. I hope my advice was useful for you.

[nuku34]

Re dry storage: I have personal experience of how that can go terribly wrong. Friend's stored their Norseman 44ft cutter on the hard in Gulf Harbour Marina in the 90's. The boat was in a yard supplied welded cradle in a row with 9 other boats in similar cradles. 90+kt winds hit the row of boats from abeam. My friends had just returned from the USA and were in the boat doing an oil change prior to launching the next day. The cradle's leeward arms snapped and the boat went over taking 4 others with it like dominoes. The broken off cradle ends punched through the hull. Mega damage, mega lawsuit which took over a year to settle. Turned out there were prior cracks in those arms. So on the hard is not necessarily secure. None of the boats in the marina slips were seriously damaged.
Ironically, that boat was lost during the infamous Queens' Birthday Storm the next year.