Daytona to New York in Spring

[mdougan]

I just bought a Westsail 32 and I''m planing to bring it up from Daytona Beach Fl, probably in late May. I''ve never sailed south of the Cheseapeak, and don''t know what the weather and conditions will be like sailing up from Florida past North Carolina at that time of year (I''d expect it to be one of the better times of year to do it).

A lot of people recommend the ICW but all the bridges and motoring would drive me absolutely nuts. I have no qualms about going offshore, but I''d like to give proper consideration to the Cape Hatteras area.

Does anyone have experience sailing north in that area at that time of year?

Thanks!
Mike

[prussell]

Mike,
The weather in the Spring can be pretty variable. I''ve done a lot of deliveries from Florida up to New England and the New York area. I usually just stay close enough to shore to be able to get into the ICW in 6-12 hours in case serious weather threatens. The ICW can be really interesting but very time consuming, particularly the GA, SC coast. If the weather stays funky you can always do the ditch. There are lots of good all-weather entrances all along the SE.
Cape Hatteras weather can be very unpredictable. I usually do the ICW from Beaufort, NC to Norfolk, VA unless the weather is real solid. Good luck on your trip north.
Pierre

[mdougan]

Thanks Pierre,

Can you give me an idea of how long it takes, on average, if you follow the route you mentioned, to get from the Daytona area up to New York?

If you have done deliveries before on this route, and would like to give me an idea of your normal rates, I might be interested in hiring you.

My problem is that for the next couple of months, I probably can''t get more than a week off of work (give or take a day or two). To take the route including some part of the ICW, I think that it might require closer to 2 weeks.

So, the offshore route looked like a possibility. I''m still considering just having someone deliver it for me, then it won''t cause problems with work. Or, if I can get the time, it would be nice to have someone aboard who''s done that route before too.

If you want to reach me directly, my e-mail is mdougan@earthlink.net

Thanks,
Mike