Where to go in Florida

[SVPrairieRose]

Hey guys looking for some advice. I have a friend who is making a delivery to the bahamas, she is coming down the ICW now and has asked me for advice as to where she should stop before crossing. I know very little about the east coast and I am looking for some advice to pass on to her. She is on a budget and wants to avoid big metropolises like Miami. Thanks for the help everyone. Also, she may need crew for the crossing, anyone available?

[imagine2frolic]

It would depend where in the Bahamas. There are many beautiful anchorages around, and near Miami. South Beach is a real live town. There's a major grocery on the canal, just tie up the dink, free water, chandlerely, and a fuel dock on the inlet.

Miami, or someplace farther south is good for crossing to the Bimini area. It depends on her destination, and needs, but I wouldn't avoid Miami unless she is using a marina. Anywhere in southern Fl. will be expensive for a marina.......i2f

[Vasco]

Where is she going to in the Bahamas? If it's the Abacos, Lake Worth is a good jumping off point. Nassau or Exumas, Miami is best. Anchoring in Miami is no more expensive than anchoring in Lake Worth.

[hellosailor]

Considering prices only, by the time she reaches the north edge of the "Gold Coast" at Jupiter or West Palm Beach, everything goes up, although there are still some free mooring areas, generally with time limits or inconvenient locations. So if she's planning to stop for a while, she might want to hold up north of there, then come south to FLL or Miami on the last day, spend just the one night that far south before crossing over. (Which would be a navigational/wx decision, based on where she's going, how she plans to cross the Gulf Stream, what that's up to, and all the other good stuff. The late-season storms could mean she'll want to hole up for a few days, that's really going to be a factor.)

It is just a matter of how much, or if, budget has to be a part of the picture.