Massachusetts to Southeast USA

I'd be down to do this when it's not Hurricane season. I know a lot of people feel comfortable just going around them, but being from the east coast, I feel like that time of year, the weather can change on you real fast and it'd be better to do that trip in the summer I think. I have very little sailing experience at this point, though I have been trying to learn everything I can. I am hoping to be doing this in the next few years too. Saving for a boat has not been going as planned though.

Are you planning on going offshore the whole way or down the ICW? The ICW is a piece of cake and just about anyone with any skill can make it. There are tons of “great loop” guide books that spell out every detail and even every stop if you wanted to follow the pack. I’ve done it 3 times in sailboats from 32ft to 19ft, it’s pretty simple. If you have to stop for 2 weeks every month it’s going to cost a good amount in marina stays and mooring balls unless you really trust your ground tackle but I wouldn’t leave a boat unattended for two weeks at anchor. Mooring balls are the cheaper option but they disappear around the south Chesapeake. From then on it’s just docks but some out the way docks can be relatively affordable. Biggest thing with the ICW when you get south of NC is a Reliable motor because the chnnel gets narrower and the current gets up. Lot of places in the Carolina’s, and Georgia it’s too narrow to sail unless you have perfect beam reach wind which you won’t because the route turns so much. You don’t need a crazy fast or powerful motor just something that won’t breakdown. In the 19ft I could only do 4.5 knots in flat water and had no issues running the channels or the inlets. If doing the ICW the only place you have to go off shore is NJ. Just run Long Island sound to the east river. Hop down the jersey coast, up the Delaware through the canal, down he Chesapeake, I like the the dismal swamp and go that way. Take any route through the NC sounds to moorehead city/beaufort and then there’s just the ICW or off shore the rest of the way south.

Honestly you won’t be sailing much if you do the ICW, LIS, Chesapeake, and NC offer the best options but if you are on a schedule you will be motor sailing even when your sails are up.

I normally tried to be in New York City around mid October so your timing is perfect, the weather is normally comfortable all the way down. And hurricanes have normally stopped or slowed enough you should be fine.

I wouldn’t stay in Charleston unless you have work there. Charleston harbor is terrible to anchor for more than a few days. Big water where the waves can get up, high current, lots of commercial and rec boat traffic that throw huge wakes. People will fly right by you at anchor and a foul bottom that has eaten tons of anchors. Some of the small towns in the Carolina’s offer much better places to hang out long term. NC sounds or Florida offer much better long term options, NC gets colder in winter obviously but Florida is much more crowded and the cops are quicker to harass you if you stay more than a few days at one spot. I find it’s best to find a few good anchorage within a few miles that have shore access and just bounce around every 2-4 days. South Carolina has a few small towns that are nice too and might make decent options for long term stays like Beaufort.

I’d offer the help but just moved to Washington to boat the sound and inside passage.

Running offshore is not bad if you time the weather windows and use the “safer” inlets. That trip could be made in one week or so, depending on weather no where you want to end up.

If you have any other questions, let me know.

Hey,

It looks like your draft is 5.5 ft, if that’s correct don’t worry about shoaling, especially north of Florida. Shoals are not nearly as bad as people act. If you stay in the channel you shouldn’t see much less than 8 ft anywhere. A few areas like hell gate just south of Savannah Georgia can get around 5ft at low tide, but researching these areas and hitting them at a rising tide is pretty easy. A cruise ship that drafted 10ft passed me just before hell gate last time I went through it, and another boat called them to see if they should wait before entering and the cruise ship told them to go ahead because they needed to wait another 90 min to have enough water to clear. Barges run the ICW and draft 8-10, so it’s not as big of an issue as some people act. Just make sure you stay in the channel because some areas do go from 10ft to 2ft real fast when you leave the channel. Also, towboatus annual plans are like $125 which are worth it if you do end up grounded or have a break down.

I would not hug the coast unless it’s short hops, like less than 24 hours between safe inlets. You just set yourself up to be Lee shored. Either go 50+ miles off shore or do the ICW. This is especially important at the capes, things can happen fast in those areas. If you don’t trust your skills enough to run closer to Bermuda and down to NC, just take the ICW. Even if you hit a shoal it’s normally soft mud, but it’s much better than ending up in the surf off a beach. The inlets can be far more dangerous than the shoals in the ICW. Big winds out of the east with and outgoing tide setup so big surf at the entrance to inlets. Running into Barnaget in NJ when the wind picked up made me appreciate the safety of the ICW. I was surfing a 30ft sailboat and all I could do was my best to keep it off the rocks. Then it makes a 90 degree turn behind the lighthouse which is “exciting” in big winds and current.

As for motor size, 25hp inboard should be fine, my bigger boats had a 20hp inboard and I never felt in danger. I ran past a few inlets where when I was getting pulled in I was running 7 knots and after passing it I was running 2 knots, but never in danger. Like I said, I did the last run with a 5hp outboard in a boat that could only run 4.5 knots at full speed, and it was slower at times but I was never in danger and never felt like I was at a point where I couldn’t self rescue.

Oriental is nice, I like it. If you can fit under the bridge the anchorage inside is way more sheltered and comfortable. But there is not much there. Piggly wiggly will send a car to pick you and drop you off for grocery runs, which is cool. Elizabeth city is fun but anchorages aren’t great for long term. Beaufort is probably the best for long term anchorage, it’s a nice town with easy access to resources. Wrightsville beach and Carolina beach are good for multi week stays, but in wouldn’t want to stay longer than that.

You can jump cape fear to the Bahamas pretty easy and you avoid the highest currents which are in Georgia. The inlet at Savannah handles ocean freight so that one is also easy to exit from. Savannah is also just a nice place worth visiting, the public dock on water street is free for like 72 hours. South of Savannah you can leave from most any inlet and head to the Bahamas without issue. There’s not much to see between Savannah and Jacksonville. It once you are in Jacksonville it makes sense to just stay inside all the way down to st Augustine, Stuart , or Miami before you hit the ocean. I personally don’t really like the keys, when I do winters in Florida I would choose Miami, Stuart, or cut across at okechobee and stay somewhere around Tampa. Lots to explore in that area, just don’t move on weekends in Florida. Find an out of the way annchorage and let the weekend crowd try to sink each other while you relax. The space coast is cool to stay for a few days to watch the rocket launches also. Manatees, and dolphins are everywhere down there which is fun. If you end up on Floridas gulf coast, appilachacola and crystal river are worth multiweek stays as well.