Savannah, Ga

[rads]

possible relocation to the Savannah area in a few years. I am looking for information on the sailing conditions in the Savannah area and also availability of marinas
Thanks
Mark
S/V Merlin

[camaraderie]

Well...not much in town but the ICW and inlet to the ocean are close by in Thunderbolt as are several marinas including Isle of Hope which has recently been renovated. Savannah is a very nice town when you''re not out sailing!
BigGB

[MysticDancer]

We lived and sailed in the Savannah area about 4 yrs ago. Most importantly - YOU CANNOT LIVEABOARD IN GEORGIA!!!

CONS:
slip fees are on the high side and not very numerous. Marina management seemed more interested in taking our money then providing services.
Depending on where you are docked - reaching open water can take awhile. We kept our sailboat at Isle of Hope and it took half a day motoring to get to open water suitable for sailing.
Strong currents due to a large tidal change. Spring tides can be as large as 10ft.
Shallow channels and uncharted shoaling are common. Its always best to venture out with a local to learn the go/no go areas.
There are three seasons in Savannah - cold, hot and gnat. Use Avon Skin So Soft in large doses.
The water at best is murky, at worst muddy.
Difficult to have a sailboat pulled in an emergency, i.e., hurricane.

Pros
Lots of dolphins.
Barrier Islands that you can visit and believe you are the first and only person to every set foot on the island.
Year round boating and no need to ever worry about bubblers or anything more then a small AC heater.
Savannah hasn''t had a hurricane hit in many years. Local yore will have you believe they are protected from such threats.
Low cost of living and beautiful homes.
Friendly people.
Multiple boat stores, BoatUS, West, Boaters'' World, etc. in Savannah and generally easy to reach by car.
Fair to good fishing and usually good shrimping (Yum!!).
Local County Boils - a real Savannah taste treat.
Great local anchorages close and isolated.
Sizable racing sailboat community.

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us.

[markcash]

You can however live aboard in South Carolina, on the other side of the river. With all the pro''s of Sailing in Georgia, not as long getting to a good sailing water (we have better water up here). You can try Charleston Harbor, Edisto Beach, Hilton Head, and anywhere in between. Seriously give us a look, we may be a viable, more attractive option (pay your taxes here instead of there).

[SameBoat]

If you are planning on living aboard in Savannah, don't. The state has a 30 day per calendar year liveaboard limit, and it applies to marinas as well. They have started enforcing it throughout the eastern part of the state.

[helenwiley]

We moved from Bridgeport, CT. to Savannah in 2007. We expected amenities to be cheaper here than in New England. Were we wrong!!! We have found Savannah to be pricey. We never really wanted to keep our Finnsailer at a marina, but did stay at one for 4 months before buying a home and having the boat hauled to the house. That was the best idea for us because we wanted to complete extensive renovations to the boat before beginning cruising this summer.

Boaters say that Florida is much better for having repairs done and living aboard is illegal in Georgia. We found South Carolina much more hospitable to boaters. I can't comment on Florida because we haven't cruised those waters yet.

[SameBoat]

My advice to you is stay out of Georgia - they are definitely not liveaboard friendly-in fact, they are hardly friendly at all. Northern Florida is marine-oriented. For work or storage I would recommend Sadlers' Point in Jacksonville. This a DIY yard which also has competent technicians to do any work for you. They are honest. Your chances for hurricane damage increase as you go further south, or on the Gulf side.