sailing down the east coast best time

gafferduck · #1 03-16-2009

Hi ,and hello eveyone,can anyone tell me when is the best time to sail down the east coast to the carribbean US Virgin Islands from New York. Cheers Frank UK. I am new to this group and sailing in this area.

camaraderie · #2 03-16-2009

End of October or early November. After hurricane season and before the winter gales.

gafferduck · #3 03-16-2009

Thanks sounds ok cheers speak soon,frank

joethecobbler · #4 03-19-2009

I would be inclined to get a little earlier start than October when leaving NY.
It gets quite cool in October and the Chesapeake area and north atlantic get pretty angry also about that time. I did it during October and Nov in 07 and would leave a bit earlier next time. We met many cruisers with no heat in their boats.
I would'nt sweat the hurricane issue much above GA.
At least get to Norfolk before the cold arrives or you'll be loking for warmer wheather the whole way. Unless you like it cooler !

JT1019 · #5 03-19-2009

If you don’t need to sail along the coast I would recommend sailing out to Bermuda as a ½ way point in June. Over the past 4 years I have seen many people transit the East coast via Bermuda during the Newport-Bermuda and Marion-Bermuda races. This provides groups to cruise with, fantastic weather reporting and overall less danger. This happens in mid June every year and can be quite a large group.

EpicAdventure · #6 03-19-2009

How is it staying in Bermuda for 3-4 months? How are the anchorages etc?

What does the hurricane outlook look for Bermuda? Seems like you could still get hit with a hurricane there. Anywhere you could hole up?

PBzeer · #7 03-19-2009

A lot depends on what kind of passage you want to make. If all you're interested in is getting to the Caribbean, then you can wait until mid October. If you want to take your time, and see the East Coast, then you can leave much sooner. You could easily spend a month just on Chesapeake Bay, as well as in North Carolina. You could also be stopping in at various ports while staying mostly outside.

Many people don't go south of North Carolina before November due to insurance rules. I would imagine that would be a consideration with staying in Bermuda as well.

gafferduck · #8 03-19-2009

Thanks everyone ,excellent info ,not sure where i,ll be sailing yet but i dont do cold sailing so if i do go south sooner rather than later and wait for the hurricanes to pass cheers ,frank