Where's the best place to retire and sail?
- Thread starter beeryboats
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Oriental is a very beautiful place. Albeit sort of "isolated". If you like a very quiet life, you'll love it. You'd have to go to New Bern for anything much to do, shopping, dining, etc. There are just to few things other than sail lofts in Oriental. PERSONALLY, I would just live closer to New Bern. Still a very popular sailing venue, but not perched on the edge of the planet.
And I've got to throw in a plug for Southport. I can live anywhere in the world my heart desires, and I'm here. I'm not sure what the circumstances that could transpire to make me go elsewhere. It's a very quiet, older, beautiful historic town, with a small sailing community, that is just fine with me. And if you want to "step out", Wilmington is thirty minutes up the road, or you can sail up there, and tie up at the city docks.
(And a nice place to winter on the hill not much further up the creek, very cheap. Do-it-yourself yard if you prefer).
It is a very economical place to live, in comparison to other sea-side towns..
And I've got to throw in a plug for Southport. I can live anywhere in the world my heart desires, and I'm here. I'm not sure what the circumstances that could transpire to make me go elsewhere. It's a very quiet, older, beautiful historic town, with a small sailing community, that is just fine with me. And if you want to "step out", Wilmington is thirty minutes up the road, or you can sail up there, and tie up at the city docks.
(And a nice place to winter on the hill not much further up the creek, very cheap. Do-it-yourself yard if you prefer).
It is a very economical place to live, in comparison to other sea-side towns..
Also recommend Oriental, NC. We keep our B361 there but live right outside Raleigh. 2-1/2 hour drive for us and we do it as much as we can. Great protected sailing, mouth of the Neuse river out to the Pamlico Sound, and sailing is possible almost all year round. For living, anywhere near New Bern if you need some shopping and other things, but I would live in Oriental in a heartbeat. I love the quiet and serenity, and the people. We've made lots of friends there over the years and its just good living and good folk.
...I second Rickd...Puerto Vallarta...hard to beat Banderas Bay sailing...plus La Paz & the sea of cortez are just a few days north.
Lake Pontchartrain area has a lot going for it.. South Shore is New Orleans ..Kinda fun place with some pretty good restaurants, good medical facilities and good air service. North Shore has good bayous and is small town living. Easy access to the Mississippi Gulf Islands or just turn south and head for the Yucatan or Key West.. Yes, it does get hot in the late summer .. Likewise the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf coasts .. and western Florida.
east coast--apalachiacola, fla--
west coast---banderas bay or zihuatenejo...but never summer in zihuatenejo--banderas bay is better for that..barra de navidad is also a truly awesome place to stay , and summers aren't a big deal there--sheltered well from wind and surf.
west coast---banderas bay or zihuatenejo...but never summer in zihuatenejo--banderas bay is better for that..barra de navidad is also a truly awesome place to stay , and summers aren't a big deal there--sheltered well from wind and surf.
Chesapeake Bay
I'm surprised Bill is the only who said the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland itself has 23 rivers, 400 miles of coastline, 550 marinas, 41,000 slips… The bay is 195 miles long; from 4 to 13 miles wide; 4600 miles of shoreline; tidal range from one to three feet; average depth 25 feet, maximum 174; 3200 square miles... A nice jaunt is a circumnavigation around the DelMarVa, about 400 miles.... My sailing club starts it's overnighters in the middle of April, and the last cruise is the first weekend in November. The season extension depends, of course, on your preferences and the weather.
I'm surprised Bill is the only who said the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland itself has 23 rivers, 400 miles of coastline, 550 marinas, 41,000 slips… The bay is 195 miles long; from 4 to 13 miles wide; 4600 miles of shoreline; tidal range from one to three feet; average depth 25 feet, maximum 174; 3200 square miles... A nice jaunt is a circumnavigation around the DelMarVa, about 400 miles.... My sailing club starts it's overnighters in the middle of April, and the last cruise is the first weekend in November. The season extension depends, of course, on your preferences and the weather.
nights are 73-77, and days peak at 85, now-farenheit, and water is 20 centigrade....i s pair a dice!!!
everyone everywhere in world wants to be here, and many languages are spoken here--not a year round kinda boating place, tho, as hurrycames form just overhead and tropical storms bash thru here .....eeps..
btw--when i get to that side of earth, i will sail ponchartrain and try to get into apalachiacola again--my boat may be a lil too deep in draft to be able to achieve that goal....
So is it official?
Florida is the place to be.
We are on the South side of Tampa Bay on the Manatee River.
We have missed the Hurricanes, 20 mins to Rays games, 1 hr to Buc games,
4 major league teams within 50 miles for spring baseball.
Concerts and festivals almost year around.
Down town St Pete with it's GREAT parks, museums, , and restaurants. Oh yea, and the annual boat show & Rib Fest.
The best beaches in the world. Siesta Key, St Pete, Clearwater...
Now for the sailing.
Except for the heat and still air in later summer...
Sail in the river or Tampa Bay or the Gulf.
30 + hrs to the Tortugas', 24 + to the keys, or anywhere in between...
Reciprocal rights to 27 Yacht clubs on both coasts.
Racing almost year around.
Yes, we have skinny water. But the folks we criuse with draw 6' and we have no issues. OK, that was a lie...
But we can be in a quiet cove and on the hook faster than most folks take to get to their boats.
Florida is the place to be.
We are on the South side of Tampa Bay on the Manatee River.
We have missed the Hurricanes, 20 mins to Rays games, 1 hr to Buc games,
4 major league teams within 50 miles for spring baseball.
Concerts and festivals almost year around.
Down town St Pete with it's GREAT parks, museums, , and restaurants. Oh yea, and the annual boat show & Rib Fest.
The best beaches in the world. Siesta Key, St Pete, Clearwater...
Now for the sailing.
Except for the heat and still air in later summer...
Sail in the river or Tampa Bay or the Gulf.
30 + hrs to the Tortugas', 24 + to the keys, or anywhere in between...
Reciprocal rights to 27 Yacht clubs on both coasts.
Racing almost year around.
Yes, we have skinny water. But the folks we criuse with draw 6' and we have no issues. OK, that was a lie...
But we can be in a quiet cove and on the hook faster than most folks take to get to their boats.
Beaufort, Charleston, Hilton Head is a nice stretch of SC. Lots of foreclosures also right now so deep water homes are on sale 1/2 of what they were 4-5 years ago.
I'll throw Texas in there! Check out the Kemah/Clear Lake area. It is way cheaper than Florida! Very friendly, if you are Republican...
Galveston Bay is huge, and the Gulf is close by. Many marinas that are actually affordable. Much cheaper gas prices!!! Not pretty water, however. That is why we are Bahamas Bound, but stuck in Florida for awhile it seems.
Ralph
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/brogdon/
Galveston Bay is huge, and the Gulf is close by. Many marinas that are actually affordable. Much cheaper gas prices!!! Not pretty water, however. That is why we are Bahamas Bound, but stuck in Florida for awhile it seems. Ralph
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/brogdon/
I don't know if it will ever happen but Aruba is my dream retirement spot. It's always 86-88 degrees, it's a desert island, rarely if ever hurricanes or storms, it's safer than Mexico and I don't think anyone cares about politics. I'm 15 years out tho.
I am going this week again and want to see what marina life is like there. I wish I were sailing there
I am going this week again and want to see what marina life is like there. I wish I were sailing there
sea of cortez, actually, the gulf of mexico, can get damcold in winter. more south on mexican mainland is ideal...
and zihuatenejo is perfect--no colder than 73 degrees F and sea temp now is 75-80 degrees f.......an dour lat is 17ish.
but, is soooo bad here you cannot tolerate it, so please stay away. there are enough touristas to keep the economy going thru the year, and most wonderfully open and honest people i have ever met. but you dont wanna meet them.. stay home.
i understand panama is offering a deal for ex pats......
and zihuatenejo is perfect--no colder than 73 degrees F and sea temp now is 75-80 degrees f.......an dour lat is 17ish.
but, is soooo bad here you cannot tolerate it, so please stay away. there are enough touristas to keep the economy going thru the year, and most wonderfully open and honest people i have ever met. but you dont wanna meet them.. stay home.
i understand panama is offering a deal for ex pats......
Yes, and the crab cakes are awesome too. But the place was terrible to keep the boat. It was two years before I joined the ECSC, and I've never looked back. But I do enjoy the beer once in a while
I get interested every time I look at a map of the Bay. How hard are the winters, and what's the area like?
Jay
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