Is it too late in season to head south ??

[Jasper Windvane]

Middle of November now.. If, for example, you owned a sailboat
near Annapolis, MD. Is it too late for a trip to the south, aka;
Florida? Would the weather just be too nasty? I've never done
the trip, so I don't have any knowledge but what I read.

thanks,

[Faster]

Originally Posted by Jasper Windvane

Middle of November now.. If, for example, you owned a sailboat
near Annapolis, MD. Is it too late for a trip to the south, aka;
Florida? Would the weather just be too nasty? I've never done
the trip, so I don't have any knowledge but what I read.

thanks,

Sorry, can't resist...... with or without an engine??

[billsull]

Do you have a cockpit enclosure or at least a good dodger? I left after thanksgiving from CT in an 8 kt trawler with an open flybridge. We started the trip dressed like Eskimos but by the time we got to beaufort NC, we were down to t-shirts,had dolphins in our wake and all was right with the world!

[btrayfors]

It's not too late. Dozens of boats do it each year. I've done it in late November, and just happened to hit the worst weather along the East Coast in many years. I suppose I should have known, 'cuz the first clue was knocking eight inches of snow off my decks when leaving Washington, DC :-)

Mostly, it would be a cool but OK trip. Your mileage may vary from year-to-year, though, in terms of what to expect.

Bill

[Garffin]

Like some many things it’s a matter of comfort level. For instance do you need an autopilot, hot water, a heater etc… I would say absolutely no it’s not too late to head south. 1 if you’re not in a hurry and pick good weather days you should be ok. 2 If you can stand to be on an anchor for more than 2 days without having to go outside then you might be ok! 3 If you have the want to you can do it. I am doing it with the help of some good info. From some cool ppl.  I am just north of Baltimore atm coming from LI. I was going to head out on Sunday toward Annapolis then keep going. But as it is I found someone that is going to let me work for them for a day in Annapolis for dinghy money and then I am off on Tue. I think if you can make it past NC by say late Nov or early Dec you should be ok without having to wear a mustang suit. Dan

[deniseO30]

Dan.. are you taking the ICW? you can join all the snowbirds! (boats going south for winter) You can pretty much live on your boat. Drinking water, a small stove, lantern, Lots of foods that will keep without refridge, good sleeping bag, lots of clean clothing, etc. If you cook on the boat make sure the gas tank is far away .. Like up on the bow away from the stove, Never cook in the boat with all the hatches closed of course.

[Garffin]

Not sure yet Denise! I might move in with Lapworth Yeah more than likely! Taking the ditch sounds sort of cool a lot of motoring but no big deal.

[CrazyRu]

I did a trip north to NY in October-November last year.
It is do-able, however I was cold. No matter, how much clothing I wearied, sooner or latter I was getting cold. I didn't stay much in marinas and I didn't have luxury of electric heat every night. Dumpiness and head winds got me..

I'd suggest to get any type of heater or stay in marinas every night and just go for it...

[klem]

If you have the time to wait out the weather and consider yourself relatively tough when it comes to the cold, then it is a perfectly acceptable trip. Many of the boats up north don't get released by the insurance companies to head south until this time of year. There are people out all times of the year but they have to take some extra precautions and things are harder for them.

[chucklesR]

A lot of insurance companies won't let you go south of N.C until after the end of the hurricane season.
So no, it's not to late. It's not to late in January either, just not as comfortable.