Sailing from NY to Florida

[StellaetRichard]

Hi everybody,

We are planning to bring our Hunter 380, actually on the Champlain Lake (QC, VT, NY), to the private dock of our vacation condo in Hallandale (close to Miami), Florida.

By the road, it would cost between $ 6000 and $10000. We would like to bring her thru the intracoastal but we can't afford yet to take the 6 to 8 wks required. We have been told that the best way would be to leave at NY toward Bermudas, spend few days there, then sail to Bimini Island and to Miami. Would July be a good month to do it ?

We would appreciate your recommendations.

Thanks in advance,

Estelle and Richard

 

[tommays]

Is the boat really set up to go offshore , liferaft, ERB ,storm sails ,ect

Its still thousands of miles at 5 MPH

 

[sailaway78]

A combination

You could do a combination off offshore and ICW, and save a lot of time. Lots of inlets to duck into if necessary. Skipper Bobs is a good guide for that trip. Offshore from Sandy Hook down to Cape May, then Cape May to Norfolk, will only take a few days. And so on down the coast. Beware of the gulf stream with any north in the wind. Good sailing. Sailing it down would be much more enjoyable than putting it on a truck.

 

[StellaetRichard]

Not ready yet but we will ..

Is the boat really set up to go offshore , liferaft, ERB ,storm sails ,ect

Its still thousands of miles at 5 MPH

THis is something we will have to do. This is Estelle, Richard is busy on the phone, business at home.

We are already equipped with a radar and solar panels + the usual equipment of a Hunter 380 (autopilot, electric winch, etc.), main sail with lazy jack, this is it. We are just starting to think about it. We wanted to sell the boat here and buy a motor boat in Florida. But we like her very much and it's a good boat. You can look at the location of our dock by Google Map. The address is 410 Golden Isles, Hallandale, 33009. We can take as many vacations per year as we want. Kids are grown ups - Richard is a mechanical engineer and we operate a small consulting firm - no employees anymore, just contractuals. So we can take breaks between contracts, or bring the work with us at the condo. Having our boat in front of the condo would be great.

What would you do at our place ?

Tks
Estelle

 

[Todd Smith]

Even if you are prepared for an offshore trip, it might be easier to just do several 2-4 day hops down the coast.

I have done Oyster bay ( western Long Island Sound ) to Norfolk in 3 days.

4 Days to get from Norfolk to Beaufort NC vis the ICW. If the weather is great, just keep going off shore, that would save a couple of days.

2 days Beaufort, NC to Charleston SC. That's as far south as I've been, but it looks like a 3 day sail to Miami.

Totals 10-14 days plus waiting for decent weather windows. You need to be able to have watch standers for 24 hour sailing to do it this way, but you need that for the Bermuda route also, and that route is longer.

If you are up for the Bermuda passage, I say go for it I don't know if July has a real risk of hurricanes yet though.

Todd

 

[David in Sandusky]

Thoughts

If the trip is 1,300 nm, then you need at least 11 days to make it, assuming sailing around the clock, and around 5 knots made good. But you will need to stop for the canal out of Champlain, probably on your way to New York and to enjoy the Bahamas. Your trip will be lengthened by the need to get east of the Gulf Stream to avoid being set by its northerly current.

You can break the trip into segments by leaving the boat at a marina around New York.

July is the beginning of hurricane season. At around 900 nm, your New York to Bahamas trip will take 8 days (plus the time to get east of the stream.) You will want to have a good plan for getting weather info and dodging a hurricane if one comes your way.

Planning is a great part of the joy of cruising. You'll need two kinds of help to make a good plan for your trip:

1. How to prepare for an offshore trip of 9 to 12 days.
2. What are the specific conditions you could meet and available support for the route you plan.

I'd suggest finding reliable sources - books and people to get that help.

Good Luck!

 

[seadaddler]

Hurricane Season

It is Hurricane Season and I could tell you about a boat that left NY in Nov with a major storm coming up north from Florida,two people died and had to be rescued by a tanker.
I left Montauk NY and took about 9 days to get to FT Pierce Florida in late Oct almost all ocean sailing one night stop in North Carolina,I did carry a Ehib and off shore raft 4 crew and was a great trip

 

[BobM]

Off Shore Experience

While the two of you have tons of experience, your lack of off shore experience is a significant concern. I'd suggest sticking to the intercoastal and tried and true routes down the coast. You could even do the trip in legs, given your flexibility.

If you do consider off shore, please don't consider it lightly. Also, consider hiring a professional Captain to assist or at least post around to find a few other boats to travel with. There is definitely strength in numbers.

A close friend of mine took a blue water training / vacation trip from CT to Bermuda on which the highly experienced Captain who had made the run 46 times drowned after they were hit by a rogue wave (seas were averaging 20 ft and they estimate they got hit by a 40 footer which rolled their 45 foot ketch, the Almesian) and everyone was luck to be saved by the CG some 800 miles from shore. He still sails avidly, but will not go off shore again.

http://www.msc.navy.mil/sealift/2005/June/seay.htm

by the way...the book just came out this week out in case anyone is interested. I am getting a promotional copy from my friend.

http://www.amazon.com/Overboard-Blu...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269445519&sr=8-2

 

[sailingdog]

I wouldn't go all the way out to Bermuda just to get to Florida. Going down the coast isn't that difficult. Duck into the ICW for the Norfolk to Pamlico sound leg of it to avoid Cape Hatteras, and then pop back out at Ocracoke Inlet.

You need not do this all in one trip either. You could easily do the trip from NYC to Oriental one week, leaving the boat at a marina. Then take several long weekends and another week trip to bring the boat the rest of the way down. It isn't like there aren't places to leave the boat.

Going the offshore route really commits you to a very long voyage with little in the way of options. Going the coastal route means you can break it up quite a few different ways, depending on what your schedule and the weather windows permit. It also is far safer if you run into problems than going bluewater would be, as help is closer to hand and you have far more places to bail out at.

When all is said and done, a Hunter 380 is still a pretty small boat, especially at the beginning of hurricane season.

 

[StellaetRichard]

We could wait til September but are eager to get there ...

Tks for all your advices.
We may be too excited now. There are a lot to plan and we better do it.
IF there is a good samaritain that would be willing to accompany us (we would supply the airplane tickets and food ...) it may be even more secure (especially with me not being able to stay awaken during the night ...).
Au plaisir,
Estelle (and Richard)

 

[Tribu336]

Bonjour Stella et Richard,

I know quite a few people who have done exactly what you are planning to do. It is a fun trip (if well planned) but can also be very tricky and difficult at times because of weather, cold fronts, coastal cruising in 8-10 feet waves (the kind of sailing not often found on Lake Champlain), etc...

We have a couple of friends presently down in the Bahamas. It took them close to two months to get there (they stopped here and there on the way down, just to visit and relax). They are based on Lake Champlain just like we are.

If you want, you can contact me and we can talk about it. Go to the Forums Section/Social Groups/Lake Champlain Cruisers for more info.

Bonne chance!

 

[StellaetRichard]

Tks,
Are you from Canada ? I am going out for lunch and coming back this afternoon. We also have friends that went, but all the way thru the intracoastal. We will try to contact you this afternoon.
Au plaisir,
Estelle

 

[Tribu336]

Tks,
Are you from Canada ? I am going out for lunch and coming back this afternoon. We also have friends that went, but all the way thru the intracoastal. We will try to contact you this afternoon.
Au plaisir,
Estelle

Yes I am (Montreal) and sailing on Lake Champlain. Our boat is a 1995 Hunter 336 named TRIBU.

 

[Ross]

Transient slips are available along the ICW so you could plan several stops to allow you to tend to business. I would plan it as a summer and early fall trip and take enough time to enjoy the trip.

Edit to add: are you selling the home on Lake Champlain and moving to Florida permanently?

 

[seadaddler]

Offshore

I would not take any offshore sailing lightly because of weather and other boat traffic.
I had a good experienced captain friend that has many many off shore trip experience help make the trip because it was my first offshore trip.
I have a 2007 H-36 with inmast and hand many extra parts and safety equipment ,the plan was to leave Montauk NY and head for abaco's and than to florida but instead stop in North Carolina for a day to repair and than went back out offshore until Ft Pierce Florida.
I left the boat on east coast until Jan. and than sailed around the keys to west coast to Punta Gorda in 4 days.
Nick

 

[Roy10289]

I currently have my boat on Lake Champlain,but in the past I was one of 3 crew on a CSY 44 on a voyage from Marathon Key in Florida to Sag Harbor in NY. This trip took us 13 days and we spent them between 125 out in the gulf strean and along the ICU due to equiptment problems. Going offshore is not difficult,but you must respect you limitations as well as those of your boat. A close regard of the weather goes without mention.
That being said,the trip is easily to do. Many places to get back inside along the coast if you must. If yu have time constraints,perhaps consider doing it in stages and find friends who could help as crew along the way.
To me , a boat is meant to be sailed,not shipped overland. You will NEVER be able to have the experiences again that you will miss by not sailing your boat down to Florida.
If you care to talk about such a trip in more detail,feel free to contact me. I will be more than happy to help in any way I can.

 

[Todd Smith]

A close friend of mine took a blue water training / vacation trip from CT to Bermuda ...

http://www.amazon.com/Overboard-Blu...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269445519&sr=8-2

Bob,

I saw that book the other day, but the dust cover drama turned me away. Is the book itself better ? I would like to read the account, but not a pumped up version.

Thanks
Todd

 

[Andy1237]

Contact Hank at Offshore Passage Opportunities and have him connect you with a delivery skipper.

 

[Prime Time]

Preparing for Offshore trip

You might consider the Safety at Sea seminars. I just took one and recommend it highly. http://offshore.ussailing.org/SAS/Seminars/SAS_Calendar.htm

 

[seadaddler]

No

No I don't think july is a very good time to make the trip from NY to Bermuda (Hurricane Season) to Bahama's ( Hurricanes season ) and with the ICW you could keep up to date with weather reports and could also if weather permitting make up some time with a offshore sailing.
When I sailed from NY to Florida it was late Oct before Hurricane season.
Nick