Nice place to sail??

[Kevin Kaldenbach]

Our anniversary is in August and I was wondering where would be a nice place to have the boat for it. I want to move it from Corpus Christi for Hurricane season anyways. Perhaps Cape Cod area. We are also looking at the Tennessee River VIA Tombigbee and Tenn-Tom. I want to go sailing and have lots of time on my hands. Any suggestions?

[Joe Myerson]

Hi Kevin,

As a regional chauvinist, let me put in a good word for the south coast of Cape Cod, Buzzards Bay and the islands (Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and the Elizabeths).

Other fantastic places to sail include, of course, the beautiful coast of Maine. I haven't sailed in Maine for almost 30 years, but judging from the number of participants in the CDSOA's annual Maine Cruise, I assume it's as lovely as ever.

Best,

--Joe

[Neil Gordon]

Kevin,

Check the message board as the 2011 season gets going and see where the Northeast Fleet CDSOA events will be held. There's usually no conflict between the annual Rendezvous and the Maine Cruise... a large handful of boats will do one or the other and a small handful usually sails from one to the next.

[Bob Luby]

Actual if you have time on your hands, How about:

Point Judith RI or Newport as a base. Close to the Cape, Block is nearby. Buzzards Bay is next door. In the other direction are Long Island, Shelter Island, and Connecticut, "The Coast of Summer" is a book about sailing the area. you might want to read.

After exploring the area, you could do Buzzards Bay last and be driven towards the Cape Cod Canal by the famous southwesterly.

Once through the canal you will be ready for points north.
________
SMOKING KILLS
________
Ferrari f2005 specifications

[John Danicic]

august -- time enough to plan for a freshwater sailing experience in Lake Superior. The Apostle Islands are a good starting place, but then go north to Isle Royale, the Slates, and Canada! The water is clear and bracing, even drinakable -- but mostly it's about solitude, independence, secluded anchorages and the northern lights.
[img]http://johndanicic.com/sailing%20pages/ ... 07-web.jpg[/img]

Sail on

John Danicic

CD36 - Mariah- #124 on the hard
Lake Superior- The Apostle Islands
CDSOA #655

[Ken Cave]

Anyone out there that has a boat near the Northwest really should think of sailing the San Juans in Washington, then up to the Gulf Islands, then to Princess Louisa, and up to Desolation Sound.

If you have time on your hands, you need to also travel to the Broughtons in Canada. Entire trip takes about a month and it has
the absolute best scenery anywhere, not only mountains, fjords,
waterfalls, whales, orcas, dolphins, and bears for the asking.

We are leaving Anacortes around the fifteenth of May for a trip north and ending at the Alberg Rendezvous Ganges, Canada on the 18-19 of June.

Anyone that would like to join us on our voyage north, please contact
us.

Ken and Betsy Cave
Cape Dory 28-227
Dragon Tale

[The Patriot]

... in August ... the boat ... I want to move it from Corpus Christi for Hurricane season ... Perhaps Cape Cod area ... Any suggestions ...

What is the typical transit time from Corpus Christi to, say, Buzzards Bay in a 30 foot sailboat? When do you plan to leave? How long do you plan to remain in New England? Will you return to Texas in Winter 2011-12? These are just a few issues to deal with before setting out. In my experience, one doesn't just "drop in" to Cape Cod from Texas. A good plan and very good equipment are essential. Incidentally August may be hurricane season in Texas but as any Yankee will tell you, you're not the Lone Ranger when it comes to hurricanes in August:

http://yachtkerrydeare.blogspot.com/201 ... icane.html

You might just decide to hang out in the Rio Dulce with all the other boats.

[Kevin Kaldenbach]

I would like to think that my boat is close to being ready to go. I have invested a lot in making it so. Things like, ASI transponder, EPIRB, SPOT, Multiple sails, broadband radar, led lights throughout, Portland pudgy, fridgaboat keel cooled refrigeration, Aries wind vane, House bank installed under the floor with 460 amp hours and a lot more. It will have SSB and or Sat phone before I leave. I know you can think of things that I have not listed like jacks harnesses etc. I just forgot to list everything.
A friend wants me to follow him across the gulf to Ft Myers Florida in April. He has singled handed most of the world on his Shannon 37 and I have made several crossings here and there in these last few years. From there he wants to go to the Isla Mujeres and I may or may not follow him there.
This site has been great in helping me out. When I asked about putting batteries under the floor you all gave me your opinions that helped me in deciding to do it. Same with the Portland Pudgy and broadband radar. When I was looking for a CD40 you helped out with your advice and in this case nothing worked out. This was for the better, I think, because now we are getting a trawler for the dock and the space difference just might keep momma happy. After a bumpy ride on the Gulf of Mexico during the last Harvest Moon Regatta my wife decided crossings were not for her so I will do them and she will join me when she wants to. Once we get the trawler the CD31 is free to go and I don’t see any reason to bring it back.
As far as the Reo Dulce, I don’t think August would be a good time of year to relax in the jungle. Still might do it but I don’t think momma will enjoy it. I am sure the boat will be somewhere south for the winter.
As far as hurricanes in Yankee land I am well aware of that. We saw you get a close call but you got to realize that we had several close calls.
One important thing I need to start to consider is the cost of parking it in different places.

[Klem]

Maybe I am just someone who tends to try to avoid planning too much while cruising but I would think that it would be perfectly reasonable to make your destination "New England" and then figure it out as you go. You know that you will need charts and cruising guides for the area but exactly where you end up may not be that important. If someone is going to meet you, they can fly into Boston and take a bus to just about anywhere along the coast. Pretty much any place around here has people claiming that it is the best cruising ground.

If you don't mind sailing overnight, you can get from downeast Maine to New York in 48 hours as long as the weather isn't too nasty. New England is not that big of a place and it does have great cruising grounds. The big destinations are Buzzards Bay and Maine because they have the best harbors and allow you to sail in more protected waters but all of it is decent. Regarding hurricanes, they rarely make it up here as more than a tropical storm and there are many good hurricane holes. The worse storms are usually the fall Nor'easters. Good ground tackle and some sense in choosing an anchorage usually works well.

[The Patriot]

... my boat is close to being ready to go ... Things like, ASI transponder, EPIRB, SPOT, Multiple sails, broadband radar, led lights throughout, Portland pudgy, fridgaboat keel cooled refrigeration, Aries wind vane, House bank installed under the floor with 460 amp hours and a lot more. It will have SSB and or Sat phone before I leave ... A friend wants me to follow him across the gulf to Ft Myers Florida in April. He has singled handed most of the world on his Shannon 37 ... From there he wants to go to the Isla Mujeres and I may or may not follow him there ...

That sure is a fine list of gear, but many folks have found that even the best gear doesn't guarantee avoiding problems. I'm talking about both inshore and offshore cruising, because the majority of vessel-to-vessel incidents occur in protected waters. There aren't as many hard things to hit at sea. Something else to consider is that boats piled high with fancy gear quite often spend much more time in harbor getting things fixed and waiting for parts (in quite exotic places, perhaps) than boats with simpler gear. This has been my experience time and again. I'm not recommending the minimalist "Joshua Slocum" route or anything like that, although he seems to have made something of a name for himself. Yep, I just love my electronics "junk." Instead I'm just passing along what I've observed in quite a few foreign ports.

When I responded to your question about traveling from Corpus Christi to, and spending time in, New England, it wasn't equipment that I was addressing, but instead the amount of time necessary to move from one location to another. Sailboats like ours average between 4 and 5 miles per hour, anchor to anchor, and even larger boats don't do much better. As an example a friend of mine sailed from NYC to Bermuda last week and was very pleased to make it in about 6 days in his 46 footer. I once did the same trip in 4 days 22 hours in a 28 footer. The only conclusion one can draw from this type of anecdotal data is that big distances take big amounts of time, and the whole situation defies prediction. The most useless question experienced cruisers get is perhaps something like: "How long does it take ...?"

With respect to your friend and "cruising in company," I have encountered this arrangement more than once but would never agree to it. The fact is that it simply doesn't work offshore, although wandering around Southern New England with friends in the summer months can sure be fun. However offshore, in circumstances where a vessel gets into trouble, it happens very often that the helping boat also gets in a jam when trying to assist. This makes sense once you think about, because cruising sailboats are not designed to rescue other cruising sailboats in the first place. This is the kind of thing best left to experts, the sort who arrive in helicopters. For example, will your "companion" be getting your SPOT blurbs on his WiFi many miles from land? Of course not. Nor will he be able to pick up your EPIRB transmission. Put this together with the fact that boats of even nearly equal size very rarely travel offshore at similar speeds, and you quickly get the idea. I've yet to encounter a sailor who deliberately "drags his feet" on an offshore passage. Quite the contrary.

Once you untie the lines you are on your own. That's pretty much the way it works.

[Jim Davis]

Armond makes a lot of good points. I've got several Eastern Seaboard trips under my belt and can assure you that for one of us to give you more than suggestions is ........ There are too many options and things to do.

I can't comment on crossing the Gulf, but making the Florida - Chesapeake leg you have two options (inside or outside), both are different and interesting. The selection depends on your desires and the weather. If making the trip short, time wise, the choice is outside. This can be a straight shot to either the Chesapeake or Morehead, but it needs crew and a good weather window. An alternate would be to hop up the coast ducking into the few all weather inlets every couple days. For this you can often find a buddy boat to cruise near (VHF range) and you can be a little less selective on weather. If the weather is going to be lousy for several days you can either stay put and wait or do part of it in the ditch. With this later approach you will still be able to make 40 to 50 miles a day even in the rain. You can also make the full trip in the Ditch as far as Norfolk. For the first time it can be fun and your wife might be interested in the small towns.

Once in the Chesapeake - who knows if you will ever want to leave, there is so much to do and it is family friendly. Pressing on to New England you have more choices. Basically bash to Block or the Cape (with crew) or go up the coast in day hops. I've done both and now prefer to hop up the coast (Cape May, Atlantic City, Sandy Hook, NYC and Long Island Sound) Once in LIS and beyond there are again too many choices for a single summer trip. The same applies once you get past the Cape - too much to do, too little time.

Unless you plan to go way off shore you won't need a SatPhone, but I will highly recommend Verizon for your cell phone and as already been pointed out SPOT is more friends and family than anything else.

For charts and publications I recommend:
Maptech for charts
Tide and Tidal Current Tables
Waterway Guide and Maptech
Skipper Bob (Florida to Virginia)
for the Chesapeake Shellenburger
http://books.google.com/books?id=2AA3z7 ... 22&f=false
For New England Taft
http://www.mainecoastguide.com/

and on the internet
Tom Neale
http://my.boatus.com/forum/forum_topics ... D=136&PN=1
Claiborne Young
http://cruisersnet.net/

There are a lot more references but this is a start.

[Tod Mills]

After the previous posts, it is hard to find something to add.

As a trailer sailor, I've sailed Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie (home lake), midcoast Maine, the Buzzards Bay/Martha's Vineyard area, Chesapeake Bay, & the Outer Banks (Core Sound) area and I've found that each has their own wonderful qualities and atmosphere. My favorite three:

North Channel of Lake Huron, coastal Maine, & Chesapeake Bay. For an August trip, I'd rule out the Chesapeake, however, as it gets HOT and WINDLESS so frequently. October is the best month for the Chesapeake, I think.

When I plan a cruise, I read up about the places that look like they would be interesting to visit and usually come up with a rough itinerary which is NEVER adhered to in practice because it is subject to the weather and my whims. I generally figure on an average of JUST 25 nm/day. Some days I sail all day, making an early start and finishing late, some days I don't go anywhere, and most days I sail for a few hours. That leaves time to relax on the hook, play tourist ashore, and generally have a good time.

For me, a MAJOR cruise spoiler is having to start up the engine in order to make it to a destination in adherence to a schedule. Schedules be darned! They are the very opposite of the cruising mindset.

[Joe CD MS 300]

I would like to think that my boat is close to being ready to go. I have invested a lot in making it so. Things like, ASI transponder, EPIRB, SPOT, Multiple sails, broadband radar, led lights throughout, Portland pudgy, fridgaboat keel cooled refrigeration, Aries wind vane, House bank installed under the floor with 460 amp hours and a lot more. It will have SSB and or Sat phone before I leave. I know you can think of things that I have not listed like jacks harnesses etc. I just forgot to list everything.
A friend wants me to follow him across the gulf to Ft Myers Florida in April. He has singled handed most of the world on his Shannon 37 and I have made several crossings here and there in these last few years. From there he wants to go to the Isla Mujeres and I may or may not follow him there.
This site has been great in helping me out. When I asked about putting batteries under the floor you all gave me your opinions that helped me in deciding to do it. Same with the Portland Pudgy and broadband radar. When I was looking for a CD40 you helped out with your advice and in this case nothing worked out. This was for the better, I think, because now we are getting a trawler for the dock and the space difference just might keep momma happy. After a bumpy ride on the Gulf of Mexico during the last Harvest Moon Regatta my wife decided crossings were not for her so I will do them and she will join me when she wants to. Once we get the trawler the CD31 is free to go and I don’t see any reason to bring it back. .

Kevin,

Off topic but how are you likeing the Portland Pudgy? Does it work for four people and is it a stable as claimed? Do you have the sail rig?

BTW I'll vote for Maine. Why do you think there is a CD Maine Cruise?


Joe

[Kevin Kaldenbach]

We love the pudgy. May not be as buoyant as an inflatable but way better then other hard dinghys. It track quite well behind the boat. no sail kit for it.