New York to Miami, Hunter 28

Alan · Sep 17, 2011

My guess would be 2 weeks but of course that all depends on the weather and your sailing ability. Personally I think you're making a mistake. You certainly do not have near enough sailing experience and I doubt you have enough knowledge either.
I just read a story in the local papers of three 'sailors' taking a 30 footer out on LI Sound in bad weather that they bought the DAY before. They lost control of their vessel and had to be rescued by the local authorities. Boat wound up washed up on a beach.

seadaddler · Sep 17, 2011

Tall Order

Weather and less daylight in Oct. plus cool weather,you will not always be able to stay offshore when the weather gets nasty and it will for shore so you will need to go in side when it gets nasty.
I went from Montauk to Ft Pierce,Fl Oct 19 2008 and 1 day delay in Montauk first day too much wind than 2 days inside NC due to equipment problem but all other days were offshore sailing and motor sailing took 9 days,hard to give how long because of weather,was my very first trip off shore and I had crew of 3 helpers with lots experience.
Nick

Benny17441 · Sep 17, 2011

To answer your question, the boat is big enough to make the trip but perhaps not in the way that you may envision it. The route most used by northern sailors Southbound is the Intra-Coastal Waterway. It offers a protected route with certain amenities along the way. The downside is that you will be adding many miles to the trip and do more motoring than sailing along the way. Certain short stints of coastal sailing will be required along the way and they are better undertaken with a clear weather window. The best you can hope for is around 50 miles a day but there will be days that you may not be able to move at all. If you have a tight schedule or are in a hurry to get down here then the 28' boat would be to small for the trip.

Bill1565 · Sep 18, 2011

sail2011 said:
Hi,

Mostly sailing during the day and staying close within sight of the shore, how long would it take to sail assuming sail everyday for 12hrs or so. people on board.

.

You are going to be EXTREMELY uncomfortable, at best,another statistic at worst, anchoring in the Atlantic every night. People who go offshore sail round the clock, like Nick who answered you above.

Ed Schenck · Sep 18, 2011

If you are just now asking the question you do NOT have time to plan the trip. Do you have all of the inlets charted and programmed into the chartplotter for example? Fall in the Atlantic on a 28-footer you are going to need an escape plan. There is no ICW for sailboats in NJ so leaving NY Harbor you better have really good weather data.

If you decide to go the safe route, Delaware Bay to Chesapeake Bay, and the ICW then figure three weeks.

seadaddler · Sep 18, 2011

ICW

I have met many who did on the ICW with hops out side if weather allowed and alot of planning what inlets to go out and a must to know inlets to escape back in, but they have taken at least a month depending on the weather and make sure that time of the year you have plenty of foul weather cloths and all safty equipment,it can be done if you have plenty of time and don't try rushing to try and beat the weather,many crew and boats have failed doing that.
And know your boat well inside and out and plenty of spare parts,make sure the boat is ready for this long trip,when I left Greenport,NY we had to stop in Montauk due to 30 kt winds plus,next day we left out in the ocean my 36 Hunter was doing 6 and 7kts with with some big confusing waves coming into the cockpit and slamming into the hull,3 days later the autopilot stopped working and so the 4 of us took 3 hour shifts sailing 24/7 out on the ocean and went into NC for repairs but no good and so left out into ocean with 1 less crew got off in NC because he could not get over being sea sick all the time.
On day 8 we went into cape Carnavral and stayed inside for some nice weather and motoring most of the day,we stopped in Ft Peirce where I left her until I recruited new crew to finish the trip around the keys over to Punta Gorda in 4 days anchoring 3 nights and going all night the last night in the gulf motoring to Punta Gorda,my 2 crew were not boaters but having learned so much on my first offshore trip I now was ready to captain my own boat around the keys with a lot of planning on paper charts and my wonderful C-80.
It took 6 months getting the boat and all crew ready to go with 2 shake down trips to Block Island before we left in late Oct,my captain freind helped with a list a mile long and much $$$$$$$ for needed offshore equipment,so stay safe and plan well because the water and weather is not so forgiving.
Nick

robertsapp · Sep 20, 2011

Personally, I'd say this would be a terrific trip to make, after you gained two or three years experience using the boat and learning to deal with many of the wind, weather, sea and anchoring conditions you will encounter on the way down. Otherwise, I think you may be setting yourself up for several very long weeks of OMG and near death experiences. Or maybe it'll be a smooth coast all the way down, who knows. But you'll be depending on luck rather than skill to make it. But hey, God looks out for drunks, fools, and sailors. Good luck to you.

Alan · Sep 20, 2011

You get an 'A' for effort but you just don't realize the amount of things that can and many time do go wrong. There are no repair shops out there so you need to be knowledgeable and self-sufficient. There's just no substitute for experience.
We wish you well but in a few years you will begin to see just how foolish a decision this is.

seadaddler · Sep 20, 2011

Not Me

I did sail all ocean from Montauk to Ft Pierce and to be honest after having done it with 3 other way more experienced than me I am glad that I did not do it by myself.
It was being out on the ocean all night long pitch black hard to see the sails trying to keep sailing speed up while getting knocked around by waves that I could not see and getting hit with water in your face,my 3 hour shift felt like 10 hours and also getting hit with very gusty winds and trying to figure out how much to reef,the days were great but the nights were hell on my first offshore trip.
I tell more but gotta go with my wife and we taking a cruising class tonight PGI
Nick

Mikem · Sep 20, 2011

Re: Not Me

Did Newport, RI to Beaufort NC in a Columbia 8.7 (28')

I had maybe the same sailing experience you did and the 8.7 was my first boat. Because I was in the navy at the time and tranferring from Newport to Jacksonville, Fl I was not able to choose the departure date. We left the end of June (beginning of hurricane season) and three weeks later I was only as far as Beaufort NC. I remember leaving Sandy Hook, NJ (without checking the weather) and 24 miles and 12 hours later we pulled into Manesquan inlet. My towed inflatable was airborne behind me and spinning on its towline due to the high winds. Each time we came off a wave I thought the boat was going to split like an eggshell. I crawled up Manesquan inlet at 1 kt (or less) with full main and the Atomic 30 maxed out. That was as hairy as it was stupid. 35 kt winds from the SE and a full ebb tide. Barnegat Bay to Atlanic City, outside to Delaware Bay, through the C and D canal. Annapolis to Norfolk, three days holed up in Coinjock NC due to torrential rains. Got as far as Beaufort and hired a captain to get it to Jacksonville.
As noted earlier you could be very uncomfortable and Hurricane season doesn't end until Nov 30.
The good news is we learned alot (and didn't become a statistic in the process) and we are now on our fourth sailboat and having much fun in Puget Sound.
Remember, you want your trip to have some semblance of fun and not be an exercise in survival.

Mike
S/V Wings of Gold

seadaddler · Sep 20, 2011

Offshore/ICW

When going offshore you will need a Life raft for sure and jack lines and a rain coat is for on land if offshore you need boots water proof foul weather gear in Oct it gets pretty cool on the water and don't want to get wet and cold at night out on the water,layers gloves and wool hat and long johns is what I had on my trip and plenty extra clothes and did I mention how cold it gets out on the water in Oct at night.
nICK

Bill Jones · Sep 21, 2011

I've done the trip your planning a couple of times and had wonderful experiences. The trip should be a combination of outside runs and taking advantage of the ICW. For example, you have no business going on the outside at Cape Hatteras. It can be miserable and dangerous. Also, 12 hours a day is probably optimistic, especiially with only two people on board. Remember this is gong to be a long trip.

My advice, go down the Jersey coast, in at Cape May, use the cut to the Delaware Bay up to the C & D canal. Down the Chesapeake Bay, take the ICW most of the remainder of the trip. When you get to South Carolina/Georgia/Florida, there are places where you may opt to make a run on the outside. Be safe, have fun, don't let you ego write checks your experience can't cash.

Bill Jones · Sep 21, 2011

I think you've made a good choice. There's a marina at Sandy Hook, NJ just before you get to the Atlantic. You could spend time there and do short hops outside. Also, boat handling is just one part of cruising. Rules of the Road, navigation, understanding currents/tides are some of the topics that come to mind. I don't know your background in areas such as these, but if you feel you could use some instruction, I highly recommend the United States Power Squadron. Their initiial boating course is open to the public, the other classes require membership (not expensive). The only charge for the classes is the cost of the text and materials.

Good luck!