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Where should we retire with our boat?

18K views 124 replies 58 participants last post by  Power For Sail 
#1 ·
This winter has done us in. In a couple of years we will be ready to retire and as much as I love Lake Michigan, it is now frozen and that doesn't work for sailing. Where in a warm would anyone suggest we retire with our 35 foot cruiser to be able to sail most of the year? South Florida?
 
#13 ·
Yeah, I have a couple of places on the west coast of Florida kind of staked out.

Bradenton is one of them. But, that would just be for summers. For winters, there are better places farther south. :)

Just skip what I call the spoiled rich coast from Ft. Myers to Marco Island.
 
#5 ·
Anyplace where the average temperature is higher than your age - at least that's my dream. I hate this winter more than any I've experienced in my 73 years on this planet. Next winter, Marathon Key, Florida for January through March, then back again with the boat in October through March. The older I get the colder I get.

Gary :cool:
 
#6 ·
I've been thinking the same thing, with my boat on the hard in Milwaukee for 6 months. I've looked closely at SW Florida. The waters are interesting but there are so many many miles of 3' water. Intercoastal is just a narrow string of markers. Outside might be nice, but my favorite areas of Lake Michigan are beyond 15 miles from shore, where the depth exceeds 400' and the fishing boats are all out of sight. I'm not sure that happens much around Florida.

One thing I've found helpful is to cruise the coastline with Google Earth or satellite view on Google Maps. Not only can you see where the marinas are, you can see the channel cuts and the population areas. When working up and down the coastline you can see which marinas are all power boats and which ones have a lot of sailboats. If there is nothing but power boats in a marina then you can guess that there will be very shoal water about, probably a bridge or two, and not a lot of sailors to hang out with in the local bar. Sailboat dominate marinas are pretty rare but there are a few. Also, if your boat is not shoal draft then you're going to need a different boat.

GTJ
 
#7 ·
I live in SE Florida. Plenty of 400' of water around here. But know this, ocean deep water is *VERY* different than Lake Michigan or Great Lakes. Yes, the Great Lakes can get snotty, but there is just *NOTHING* that compares with ocean swell, Gulfstream Currents, and a NE winds pattern.

I'm all about protected bay sailing when I can get it. In Florida, that means Biscayne Bay, Tampa, and Charlotte Harbor. Great sailing and plenty of space to do it.
 
#8 ·
My idea of retirement is an easy condo in the north (New England) to spend summers and live aboard down south in the winter. This way, I don't have to pick just one southern location and I still get home to see family and friends.

While I never really enjoy putting the boat on the hard for the winter, I'm usually starting to wear out from the constant chores. Then, by now, I'm dying to get her back in the water. It would be nice, if that break was only 2 - 3 months, instead of 5. I'm sure, if I had access year round, that I would bore of it from time to time. However, I wouldn't mind finding out. :)
 
#10 · (Edited)
I have thought about something like this too. Seems like the best compromise, but a long slog back for most boats, maybe not yours.

Greg-

I love the water access, especially in the keys but I get a sort of claustrophobia if I am in Florida for too long. Mountains, lakes and big rivers start calling me. Hard to trade those for views of concrete overpasses and strip malls.

This is a terrible winter. For me, it's life changing. It seems like with the jet stream curving around so much we in the North East are now vulnerable to polar vortexes in winter and Hurricanes in summer.

If you figure out the perfect answer let me know.
 
#9 ·
The best location for sailing is Biscayne Bay and the Keys. Lovely sailing, clear water and easy access to the Bahamas.

However, you have to understand that for 5 months of the year you have to be on hurricane alert and constantly be available to secure the boat for hurricane conditions.

Coconut Grove Sailing Club, Coconut Grove Sailing Club is a great place to keep the boat but if you fail to evacuate the boat for a hurricane you loose your mooring rights.

Without a good hurricane plan you have a significant risk of loosing the boat. CGSC had 50 boat destroyed or badly damaged in the 2005 hurricane season.
 
#11 ·
I can't imagine someone who loves cruising on Lake Michigan would find Florida to be all that great in the long run. Talk about worlds apart. I've sailed and been on the water in Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay and don't find it all that interesting, on the water and shoreside. Too congested, boring landscapes, condos everywhere, the opposite of pristine. I couldn't give up the northeast permanently for that.
 
#12 ·
Seeing as the main reason for relocating is a warmer climate, that might be something the OP is willing to accept. Being in the FL panhandle, and having sailed in the St. Pete/Clearwater area, I think that area would be a decent choice. It doesn't look as if the water is as skinny as the Ft. Myers area...but you are still close enough to the Keys to get down there relatively easily. It is nice being able to sail year-round...although we've had some cold spells here as well...
 
#14 ·
I'm with Minnewaska on this one. A base in Narragansett Bay, Buzzards Bay, or Eastern CT provides good sailing and access to interesting communities and occasional trip east to ME. My wife and I met a British couple in CT who had been cruising the Long Island Sound for eight summers. They appreciated the warmth, relatively low cost, diverse ports, and good access to shoreside transportation when guest flew in.

The weather in these areas is pleasant more the year than further south. For example, Washington, DC has 23 more days per year over 90F than NYC and NYC has four more days less than 32F. Aside from the heat and humidity, many southern locations have significantly more exposure to hurricanes and tornadoes.

About 10% of the retirees with cruising boats in my local club go south for the winter. Some winter in the Bahamas. Some in the Keys. Some go outside. Some go inside. It seems a bit of a grind to me but some continue into their eighties.
 
#15 ·
I'm (unfortunately) many years away from retirement, but an idea I've been kicking around is to have two boats, one in the north for summers, and one in the south for winters. My northern boat would I think be in Grand Traverse Bay, and the southern boat anywhere warm, likely Florida and close to the Bahamas. The southern boat would be the "big" boat that we'd live on, but for Grand Traverse Bay, I'm thinking perhaps a Catalina 30 or equivalent with a condo or apartment to actually live in.

Perhaps I'm pipe dreaming or not considering all the ramifications, but I love that part of Michigan and would love to have that as my summer sailing venue.
 
#17 ·
Is this where we all expound on the virtues of our home waters?

I'll recommend North Carolina. Great protected cruising grounds with interesting towns to visit and countless quiet anchorages. Friendly people, southern home cooking, and good seafood. Four seasons but with a mild winter - bundle up and sail all year. Easy to head a little farther south for a month or two during the coldest part of winter (which you'd consider balmy anyway if you're from the Great Lakes) and/or a little farther north during the heat of summer or hurricane season.
 
#18 ·
The O/P it seems to me is looking to move his land base from near Lake Michigan to a warmer climate which will allow him to sail 12 months a year. I think if he wanted a summer venue and a winter venue, his summer venue would be Lake Michigan but that's not what he's asking.

There is plenty of good sailing around Florida but where depends on the type of sailing he wants to do - day sailing only, day sailing with an occasional overnighter, short cruises of a week or so duration a couple of times a year or long cruises of a few months.

Then there is the cost of the land base dwelling and marina costs.

Weather is always a factor. Lowest temperatures in winter and highest in summer. What are you going to do in the event of a hurricane threat?

There is also the cost of relocating the boat and its suitability for the location chosen. Deep draft boats while fine in Lake Michigan are not so suited for Florida waters.
 
#19 ·
If you've lived through winters and might still enjoy the odd winter activity like skiiing, then the PNW makes sense..

Incredible summer cruising grounds, off season sailing possible, winter sport accessible without really 'living' in winter conditions, in fact one might ski in the morning, go for quick sail and finish up with a short round of golf on some days in Jan - March.
 
#20 ·
I would think if the question is where warm to retire on boat verse where warm to cruise on a boat, then the answer becomes just where best to retire to that has access to the water. It becomes more about taxes, health care access, and quality and cost of life.
 
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#27 ·
If you can stomach the taxes and arrogance of the West Palm Beachers this is a beautiful area... I love the Intracoastal waterway between West Palm Beach and Palm Beach... live there from 1978-1988 after college... l lived on Flagler Drive and had a view of the boats sailing/motoring and that was boater heaven... spent many a time on Singer Island and Lake Worth... great places to hang out, sailed Cats on the Intracoastal and Lake Worth... you can't go wrong except the costs of real estate not to mention high costs of moorage/slip fees... I plan to go back one day but not now... Jupiter is another place aching for me... my old surfing turf along with Palm Beach.
 
#29 ·
While I do not disagree with many of Sal's sentiments about Florida with respect to the southeast coast, perhaps from Palm Beach to south Miami, the situation on the southwest coast, focused around the south Tampa Bay area, is quite a different matter. We have lived in this area since 1993, although I did commute to my office in Santa Barbara bi-weekly until mid-2008, and have found it quite delightful. Previously, we lived and sailed on the west coast, from as far north as Orcas Island to as far south as Manzanillo, and have found the sailing here no less enjoyable. While the terrain is certainly not quite so scenic, the mere fact that one can swim or wind-surf without a wetsuit makes the area our favorite, hands down. As for heat/humidity during the summer months, while it can be oppressive for a few weeks each year, we have found it to be far cooler and more moderate than other areas of the Country during the summer including the Milwaukee-Chicago area, New York/New Jersey, Washington and the north mid-Chesapeake. Friends and relatives from these locales that often visited us during the summer months, while their children were out of school, often commented on how much more endurable the conditions where here than at "home". (The key is proper dress and decent shade from the direct sun.)

While there is a threat of hurricanes (the season here is really from mid-August through mid-October), because of the arrangement of the coast, prevailing wind/weather patterns and currents in the Gulf during the "season", the southwest coast is far less at risk than are other areas such as the north Gulf Coast or the southeast coast of the state. That is not to say we haven't had storms, and we prepare for the worst whenever we are threatened, but we have never suffered anything worse than wind-blown foliage and some chafed lines as we are tucked into a protected corner on a river several miles off the south Bay and there are plenty of protected coves and bayous where one can anchor-out (with proper ground tackle) if necessary. Actually, by comparison, we suffered far, far worse damage/injury from earthquakes while living in California, which can strike at any time with no forewarning.

A further major advantage of this area is the relatively low taxes and cost of living, state and local governments that are not "out of control" and so are largely unintrusive and a largely amiable and welcoming population. (My daughter once commented after a trip to NY to spend time with her cousins one summer, that "everyone always seemed so hostile". We told her to be glad we lived here to which she responded "I really am!")

Lastly to the sailing--whether day tripping, near-by cruising or longer distance cruising. For a better sense of that, take a look at the charts available on ActiveCaptain.com. While the water can be a bit thin in some areas, we draw 6-1/2 feet and it has not been much of a problem. And, we can reach virtually anywhere one might want to cruise along this coast in little more than 30 hours, tops, (and when we arrive will not be forced to line up on fore-n-aft moorings packed together like Sardines, a-la-Catalina.)

N'any case, my contribution for the day, FWIW...
 
#32 ·
The heat and humidity in Florida would be pretty far down on my list of things deterring me from moving there. The others have mostly been covered.

We probably suffer more from the heat and humidity up here in the northeast summers than Floridians ever do because A/C is not a way of life for us like it is down there.
 
#33 ·
Not to many takers on California , I know people that won't live here because of taxes .Ie. keep those skimmers off my pension . I hear people saying, to expensive. I would not disagree . Gas right now is about 3.70 gal/ reg . my slip is 390. a mo .(30ft.) but it's not all doom and gloom . I got a 24 pk. of Corona for 23. yesterday and a cheese burger for 3. And yes Catalina gets crowded but really only for about 3 mos. out of year . However there are many coves that you can anchor (free) and you might be the only one. Come to California sail to Catalina anchor at Whites cove and the first Buffalo Milk is on me.
 
#34 ·
Mark--

How many times can one do Catalina before it becomes something of a BTDT experience?
 
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#36 ·
as far as sailing year round, southern California really cant be beat if your looking to stay in the US. Catalina and is fun, lots of small islands to circle around, Mexico is a blast and cheap and so many places to go. you get board, head up the coast to San Fran or portland, seattle... cant beat that. no worries with weather.

i keep getting poked to relocate, but im an avid motorcycle and sailor... not gonna happen. btw, i have lived all over the country and originally from the northwest, this is where i have laid my hat
my 2c ;)
 
#39 · (Edited)
I have to disagree with my fellow northerners. Its like we've been in an almost continual winter storm since December. Now another 6" for Monday? And single digit temps for another week and a half? Living with apparently permanent ice bergs in my front yard. Locked in the house for 3 months. Driveway is a glacier. I have a working car buried in 3 feet of snow/ice in my side yard. It won't get out for weeks. Saying summer will come it's like saying your spouse only abuses you for a few months per year and then you have such good times. No. It still happens, and will continue to happen.

Nothing is worth this.
 
#40 ·
...Nothing is worth this.
LOL, then you should definitely move South. No doubt this winter has all of us Northerners questioning our logic. If you don't do anything outdoors in the winter then it's just a season to be endured. Not much fun. My wife and I love to downhill ski and normally that keeps us going pretty well till Spring. This winter however has been brutal and we haven't even done much of that. Plenty of snow, just too cold and windy.
 
#41 ·
I'm eight years into retirement and happy with how I've managed it. One major reason I decided to stay on Long Island is I love my yacht club and live only a mile from it. Makes daysails easy and lots of great cruising is very handy. A second major factor in staying in the northeast was my second love - skiing. My retired life consists of skiing from November to April in Vermont and Colorado, then getting boat ready for launching in early-mid May. After enjoying summer and fall on the boat, its time to put it to bed in October. And then it all starts over again.

Yes there are a few other places this would have worked, but I grew up in the Northeast and love it.
 
#42 · (Edited)
The Georgia coasts are pretty nice too, not as cold as it gets north of Charleston and the South Carolinas... Living in Savannah we are a Zone 9B so if you're a gardener as many of us are you know the type of plants and the temperate zones that is... We have many bays, and rivers to explore, we have Grays Reef just outside of Tybee Island, we have many islands and hammocks of which you can set your dinghy and enjoy, we have a waterfront that allows many festivals throughout the year and you can pull up your boat right up the seawall and enjoy the many restaurants and shops on River Street... who knows you might catch me playing the piano on Vics on The River... a five star place to bring the lady for a fine experience. We've got Fort Pulaski that dates to the Revolutionary War, used it in the Civil War and the historical city is unlike any other... did I mention Hilton Head is a stones throw across the Savannah River and you get to sail the waters as the French and Spanish did in the early 1500's... gotta see Parish Island and all the great harbors and bays just itching for sailing and voyaging... when you get tired of that you head south to St Simons Island, Jekyll Island, and Cumberland Island all historical islands full of rich history not to mention wandering around Blackbeard Island about half an hour sail from Tybee Island... the slips are reasonable here at $12/ft @monthly rates and have all the amenities you can imagine in full service marinas... the only negative are the gnats (no seeums) while on the water but they are manageable with citronella candles... it's a beautiful place and we've been here since 1995 after leaving rainy Seattle.

Also for the hurricane apocalypsers (if that is a word ;)) Savannah or the Georgia coast hasn't been hit in over 100 years because of the natural way the coast is configured... one reason we'd rather be here than Palm Beach area.

http://chronicle.augusta.com/content/blog-post/rob-pavey/2010-09-01/georgia-rarely-gets-hit-hurricanes-here-s-why
 
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