# New York to Florida Via ICW



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I recently purchased a 27' oday with a yanmar diesel. The boat engine is solid and the sails are in great shape. 

I am new to sailing big boats. I have a J-22 race boat. I am wondering if a 27 oday is to small to make a coastal trip to florida from New York. I would have experienced sailors and navigators onboard for the trip. I understand preparation is key.

Thanks


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## chuck5499 (Aug 31, 2003)

*NY to FLA*

ODay27 -- not sure when you are leaving or what your route of travel is but here are a few things to consider - 
first - there we are now in named wind season so a careful daily check on the weather is mandatory - 
second - are you going via the c&d canal, down the chesapeake, then via the icw to say beaufort and off shore or what - remember the weather around point lookout can be bad and it can create it's own weather - 
third - how much time are you planning - probably not enough 
two of us brought down a jeanneau ds40 in oct and came via the icw from annapolis and went offshore at cape fear river - we ran like heck and i mean running 24 hours a day where we could and the rest was before dawn to after dark and we made cape canaveral in 9 days - but it was brutal - we went via the ditch on purpose to avoid cape lookout - someday we will go north and come back again and via the outside but not that trip due to the weather, time of year and once committed there is no place to duck for cover if a front blows through 
good luck and enjoy the trip down - it is a blast
chuck and soulmates


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

An O'day 27 can certainly make the trip but I would suggest that you take the traditional near and intracoastal route to insure you can duck in and get tucked away in the event of bad weather...This would mean hops down the Jersey Coast..up the Delaware and down the Chesapeake via the C&D and then the ICW to Beaufort to avoid Hatteras. From there you can make day hops or extended passages depending onn the weather but since things can blow up quickly in the summer...suggest staying close enough to shore so that you can duck in or get help if something goes wrong. Personally, I would not head south of the mid-Atlantic till mid-October.


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## sailorjim (Mar 31, 2000)

*Icw*

Two years ago I brought my Morgan 323 down to Ft Myers Fl via the ICW and outside. It was a great trip. We did not spend any time fooling around and the tripo took from 6/21 to 7/29. We came through the Great Dismal Swamp, something I would recommend.

Draft is something to be considered. My boat draws 4 feet and I bottomed a couple of time and got stuck, not to hard once. If you take the Dismal Swamp route be careful, I found my underwater tree.

Anchorages are many and picturesqe. Boat yards are abundant. But it is a long trip, from RI to North Ft Myers is 1658 miles.

The weather is to be watched, but in my estimation is not a cause to not go. If a big storm is coming you have lots of warning and can adjust accoringly. I am assuming you are not planning on goiung "outside" with your inexperience.

I would buy a neat litle book on the ICW, it gives drawing of channel intersections etc. I cannot remember the name but it is available in Marine Book stores and is well worth the $20.00 Also the cruising guide is an essential thing to have.

If you plan to stop in Atlantic City DONOT stay in the NJ State Marinia. It is operated by Trump, I paid $125 for a night. If you plan on Manasquam be careful of the tide, they are fierce.

The C&D Canal is a pirce of cake, the Md side (west) has a great place to drop anchor (Cheasapeak City.) Annapolis is great, expensive but neat. Norfolk is a busy place, if you intend to take the Dismal Swamp route when you get to Mile Marker 1, turn right.

Charlestown, Savannagh, Jacksonville Beach are all ok, over-rated in my estimation. St Augistine is great. The Indian River, Canaveral, Melbourne etc are great and boater friendly.

If you want more send an email to [email protected].

Jim 

Elizabeth City NC is great, free slips to transients. The C&D


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

I'd also like to say be careful of the NJ coast. It can be very unfriendly and quite dangerous in the right conditions, and there aren't many good harbors of refuge along its length.

Generally, the boats are far more capable than the sailors. If you are comfortable and trust your boat, then I the O'Day 27 should be fine for what is basically a coastal cruise, albeit of longer duration than most.

I don't know how well the O'Day would handle offshore conditions, as I am not familiar with the boat and don't know which of the three models you have. From what I do know of the boat-it should be fairly capable in even heavy weather conditions, *if you are up to the task*.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*trip*

i am planning to go from New York City to Daytona Beach. I plan on spending about 12-15 hours a day sailing. I can only alot two weeks so if it is going to take longer then that then I would only take the boat to south carolina or so. I am told by many that an oday 27 is a pretty seaworthy boat. The boat draws 3'11. I am planning to do this trip the last two weeks in october so I will winter the boat in daytona. I imagine sailing outside would be much faster as far as wind is concerned. I am planning to take some avid sailors along so the boat should be full of experience.


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

No way I would do that in an O'day 27 in the fall/winter. 100 mile days would not get you there and there is NO WAY you will have 14 hundred mile days and calm seas at that time of year. The boat is fine for coastal cruising in fair weather but you should think twice about this trip. I had an O'day 32 for many years and would not have attempted what you are proposing. If you do it be sure to rent a raft and in EPIRB! 
Sorry to sound harsh but tight timetables and the wrong season going the wrong way in a lightly built boat can put even the most competent crew in danger.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Just watch the weather... you'll still be in the heart of hurricane season, and if this year's is anything like last year's...UGH...

And sailing on a schedule is generally a bad idea...usually it is a good way to get into a lot of trouble.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

"i am planning to go from New York City to Daytona Beach. I plan on spending about 12-15 hours a day sailing." That's a nice concept but I don't think it can happen that way. If you take the ICW, you won't be able to sail for most of the route unless you are short-tacking like crazy all day. This is a "drive the bus" trip where you will wind up motoring at a sustained 5 knots from sunrise to near sunset, trying to make the best time on a long trip.
And of course if you are offshore...you can't sail 12-15 hours, there just aren't a lot of places to duck in at night, and the inlets in NJ can be brutal if the tide or wx is against you. There are also extensive shoals which will cause rougher water than you expect, for quite a ways out.
Then there's the length of the trip. If you are going in the ICW and provisioning along the way, no problem except money. Going offshore and sailing, you may have to figure how/where to keep ten days of food and water for your crew onboard, and if you have plenty of crew (minimum of three in order to rest one and have two on watch) you're going to be heavily loaded and feel any weather that much more. At 27' you are in the borderline where even "small craft warnings" means you should be in port someplace, or you'll be slogging and fighting.
I know someone who thought this trip would be easy solo, he was lost at sea in what you would think were safe waters within sight of the NJ shore in a larger boat. Then the USCG and NJSP informed his widow that someone needed to pay for salvaging the boat and removing it as an obstruction to navigation.

I'd spend the first season getting to know the boat, especially in bad weather, and doing a top to bottom checkout of it. Old rigging, turnbuckles, masthead sheeves, spreader fittings...you can get a lot of nasty surprises on a thousand mile trip. At least read up on how and when the trip is normally made, and make sure you've gotten a couple of days of really bad weather sailing in with it first, to see how mannerly it may or may not be in 4-6 seas and 30+ knots, because you can easily expect that, unless you head down the ICW--and "drive the bus" for a month. (Three weeks at the best.)

Then of course, unless you're moving down, you've got to bring it BACK.<G>


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*trip*

It was not my intention to sound ignorant on this matter i was mearly feeling it out. If i have to "drive the bus" so to speak then that would be fine as well. planning a schedule does sound very unpredictable given weather and tide contraints. This is something i have always wanted to do and the more feedback i could review the better decision i think i could make. I know a few guys i used to work with in a local marina that have done the trip in 34-40' seay rays, but of course power boats can clip a "tad" faster. Thank you for the info


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## sailandoar (Mar 20, 2006)

*Have some tiny sails and reefs and know how to use them*

Get some reefs and tiny sails. Don't need to spend a fortune on special custom storm sails (although that's ok) but get some used small sails and have your everydays sails set up with reefs so you have a way to 'throttle down'. You MUST go out sailing on some days when it is WAY TO WINDY and practice with the reefs and tiny sails. If you think it may be too challanging to come back to the dock in big winds then have a sheltered place picked out that can be gotten into easily with the prevailing winds and will provide calm shelter (again with the prevailing and predicted winds) and anchor while you wait for calmer weather. JUST LIKE CRUISING!!. The main thing is that you find out before leaving home how safe/comfortable the boat can be in big winds with tiny sails. IF you assume that every time the weather picks up you can drop the sails and fire up the engine, where will that put you when the engine won't start.....In Trouble is where? No need for that, just take the time to practice while you are close to home.

Also practice overnight sails. From NYC to Atlantic City is an overnight and Cape May in a day and 1/2. The inlets are the most dangerous part but finding a weather window that will give you 36-48 hours of garunteed safe going is not unreasonable in these days of weather channel and satillites. No need to avoid inlets but it is worth noting that more people get hurt being nervous and running for shelter than weathering the storm.

I have never done the delmarva coast from cape may to the chesapeake but there is only one inlet for refuge. However it is a reasonably good one. Alternativly, The Deleware Bay has little or no refuge but usually one can get up the bay and through the C&D canal during a daylight run.

Chesapeake has some gnarley spots like the mouth of the potomac and it seems to be famous for bouncing every body around a little bit.(I fell off my only wave so far right there. Must have fallen BUMP all of 6-8" but it was a real BUMP.) Once you get to norfolk, if you go inside (ICW) there are just a handful of funny/scary little spots and ALL of them require only a tiny bit of planning to make it a smooth trip (avoid the wind against the current !!!!). Albermarle Sound crossing, alligator pungo river logs, Winyah Bay can be bouncy, Cape Fear river can be bouncy, Charleston Harbor can be bouncy, ICW S of Chas can be funny on a full moon high tide as the marsh disappears under water and your in a vast sea where the markers are far apart and if you get out of the channel your in 'NO WATER', GA sounds have some wide open spots that can bounce and they have 7+' tides and currents that go with them..... a lot of great and interesting stuff and lots of books and folks to help you figure it out and get through it with a smile.

Best,
G


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

oday27...
As I said in my original reply...the boat is capable of the trip and you sound like a competent sailor...just lacking in offshore experience. One suggestion which would fit your timetable would be to set a destination of the Chesapeake Bay. You and crew could then go coastal sailing and be there in a couple of days while still having the option to pull in somewhere if weather or equipment problems occur. There's lots of great sailing and places to visit in the Bay.You could then store the boat in the Chesapeake for the winter (more cheaply than in NY!) and take the next leg of your journey when you have another couple of weeks. Alternatively, you could come in at Norfolk and use any remaing time to get down the protected ICW to Beaufort NC and store for the winter there. This would avoid Hatteras and put you in a great spot for jumping off to Charleston, Savannah or points further south when you again have time. 
Don't give up on the trip...just break it up into manageable chunks that will allow the weather rather than your schedule determine your daily goals! Good luck!!


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## LaLeLu (Mar 17, 2006)

camaraderie said:


> No way I would do that in an O'day 27 in the fall/winter. 100 mile days would not get you there and there is NO WAY you will have 14 hundred mile days and calm seas at that time of year. The boat is fine for coastal cruising in fair weather but you should think twice about this trip. I had an O'day 32 for many years and would not have attempted what you are proposing. If you do it be sure to rent a raft and in EPIRB!
> Sorry to sound harsh but tight timetables and the wrong season going the wrong way in a lightly built boat can put even the most competent crew in danger.


100 mile days? No way on an Oday 27 on the ICW. Figure 40-50 mile days. Especially that time of year as the days are shorter. You can't sail the ICW at night b/c you can't see channel markers, crab pots, partially submerged boats, etc. Add to that bridges that have to be opened. Also, the Florida portion of the ditch can be a tempest that time of year. That is prime Hurricane season here. Don't assume that the weather will allow you to travel during the time you have scheduled. That time of year you may have to wait for a window.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Also, you have to figure that the ICW is far from being a straight shot... with the turns and twists, as well as the delays for the bridges, and the limited speed of the boat and limited travel time, it would probably be far faster to go the offshore route, if you can travel 24x7.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I am familiar with reefing on the j boat. Stiff winds can easily heel the boat hard on a broad reach and i find that sometimes I will take it out with the sail already turned down. I wouldnt mind storing the boat in NC or so but my concern was the weather. I was looking to store the boat in an area that has moderate winter weather where I could use the boat for the winter on weekend trips. On Long Island it is very expensive to store a boat if you are not trailering it yourselves. every marina is convenience store size with Rodeo drive pricing. Almost makes me sick. I will have to reserve some other points of destination. 

The most appealing thing for me was the experience.I dont have to get the boat to florida but if I could find fair dockage midway then I could spend very little above NY storage and enjoy the boat year round. Seasons are short up here and I think its alot of maint. and money to use 5 monhts out of the year.... maybe I am asking tooo much hahah


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## ebs001 (May 8, 2006)

*NY to Fla*

Don't go until the fall, after huricaine season. Florida, the Carolinas, and Georgia are brutal this time of year - very hot, 100o/o humidity and thunderstorms almost every day. There are books by Skipper Bob that you should get "Anchorages Along the ICW" and "Marinas Along the ICW" you'll need them both.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

You are aware that Hurricane Season ends in December...


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Could just buy a boat down here in FL. They're predicting a pretty strong hurricane season here so if you keep a boat here near the coast, wet or dry there's always a chance of losing it. The Gulf Coast always seems to be breezier and fairer weather than the east coast. Boats are cheaper down here too because they're more plentiful. Local want ads, ebay, traderonline.com - Take the two weeks to fly down here find a boat and a place to keep it. Come back down for the weekend trips to sail the gulf, maybe a week trip to jump down thru the FL Keys and acroos the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. Yes the official hurricane season is may to dec but they're rare and not quite as strong for the first and last couple of months due to cooler waters. _Not that you'ld even want to be out in tropical storm conditions let alone a cane_
Take you're time - watch the weather in different regions. Personally I think it's too damn hot too sail here most of the year and half the time if it's windy that means thunder heavy rain and lightning will be coming within the hour.


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## chuck5499 (Aug 31, 2003)

O'Day 27 - not sure where in fla you plan to keep your boat but dockage is becoming extremely expensive and in short supply - in se fla we are losing mainas to high rise condos and when one goes the rest of the marinas raise their rates on the basis of supply and demand. my dockage rates have almost double in 3 years - you also need to consider insurance as some marine insurance refuse to write insurance down here. i just got my insurance bill and it went up by a third. now i did have a lightening strike while in the bahamas so that probably did not help but insurance is getting expensive. 
unlike above we do sail almost year round but you should understand that you are entering a market that is getting very expensive for both dockage and insurance. 
chuck


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Chuck- 

I think you got off relatively lightly, some of my friends have reported increases of over 70% if they can get coverage at all.


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Susan / LaLeLu ...
If you'll read my note and his posts, you'll see that he is talking about going ofshore...not on the ICW. 100 mile days should be doable if you can maintain 4 knots over 24 hours...but my point was that you can't get there in 2 weeks even doing this and having perfect weather!


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*trip*

i am starting to consider other logistics. Most likely i will spend one weekend bringing the boat to atlantic city then from there i will attempt to get to somewhere in either southern north carolina or northern south carolina. I am figuring on being able to run 60-70 miles a day if possible. I am, starting to plan out "what if" scenarios as well.

I am looking into docking in the southport/oak island bald island area. I still cant believe how much rates can fluctuate. I have seen anywhere from 8/ft per month and as high as 16.50 per month Oh well ill keep on trucking


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## chuck5499 (Aug 31, 2003)

*Fla Cost insurance*

Sailndog -- just got my insurance bill - up 42%  - not what i was looking for but i did have a major claim last year when we got a bit to close to a lightening strike and took out everything electrical from the 160amp alternator to the wiring for the wind transducer and everything inbetween 
chuck


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## chuck5499 (Aug 31, 2003)

Oday27 -- you did not say whether you are going via the ditch or blue water around hatteras - you should know that the weather has started to kick up there and they are already plotting low pressure systems in the caribbean - and once you leave norfolk there is no putting until beaufort so make sure you have an eirp and a life raft as it could get nasty in a hurry and there is no place to run - it surprises me as i talk to or read about people who have had bad sailing experiences - and one of the most common threads is their the lack of bad weather or ignoring the bad weather - just some thoughts 
chuck and soulmates


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*trip*

I will not be going until october. I know Liferafts are a must. I am plotting course on the west side of hatteras through the gap and then down into atlantic beach. Dockage is my main concern from there. I am planning on staying within 50-75 nautical miles of atlantic beach so as to keep the trip under my 14 day mark. As of now if all goes well I can be in the vicinity in 8-9 days which will allow for some margin of error.

By taking the boat to atlantic city one weekend, I will give myself a 2 day headstart on the southern journey.


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## gershel (Feb 4, 2001)

Just a note about Atlantic City. If you are considering leaving your boat there for just 3-4 days, it could cost more than a months dockage in parts of the Ches. or NC. There is only one marina in AC, Trumps Marina,and the prices are ridiculous.
Marc


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## chuck5499 (Aug 31, 2003)

Oday27 -- are you saying that you plan to stay at sea beyond norfolk and then go in at Oregon inlet? have you checked the tides as they can be really really tough at times and the passage is narrow and if bad weather is coming in you have no room to navigate. the icw has a number of places to tie up for the night and a good cruising guide can give you the lowdown on them - also remember the gulf stream is probably it's closest to the mainland around the outerbanks so you will be trying to sail south in a northbound 3k or so river - not that it can not be done just be aware --
again October is the height of the bad weather season - we brought soulmates down in oct and went off shore at cape fear river and the second night out had seas well over 7' as the front came through and made for a miserable night (soulmates is a 40' jeanneau) - in fact when finally put in at cape canaveral and told them we were out the previous night they we awlstruck - 
take the ditch and take your time - lots of places in NC to store the boat for a while 
chuck


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

ODAY27...I would ditto the note about AC..you might want to try for CapeMay instead which will put you a bit further along and with more $$ in your pocket. As I understand it...you want to go from there offshore to Norfolk...then down the ditch to Beaufort...then offshore to your final destination. Offshore from Cape May will take you about 40 hours. There is only one place to duck in and that is Ocean City MD...which is a good stop if you want to break the trip up but be sure you have settled weather...tough inlet in a blow. The rest of your plan sounds reasonable now. Lots of relatively cheap dockage in the Carolinas provided you stay away from the "hot spots" and major cities.


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## chuck711 (Dec 25, 2002)

*ICW Guides*

We are in New Bern,NC now after completing a 2 1/2 year trip from Detroit to Trinidad on a Cal 33. The trip was great. We used as most people we met along the way used Skipper *Bob's* publication "Anchorages Along the *ICW* " and another one called "Marinas Along the ICW". Good info and saved us $ along the way. Also some of the toughest water was found along the east coast. We always watch the weather and sail to Mothers Nature schedule not yours!


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

ODAY 27. Ordinarily I stand up for the little guy on this site against the lecturers. However, in this case, you are such a "non" that it causes concern. You should really consider bringing that boat down by trailer.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

"100 mile days should be doable if you can maintain 4 knots over 24 hours" Hmmm, "if". Watching the weather fronts that have been moving UP the coast recently, he could be beating all the way down. And if he hits the edge of the Gulf Stream or any adverse current...4 knots course made good, as opposed to four knots boatspeed, might be overoptimistic unless he has heavy wind and can use it.
 If going offshore, I'd want to start with the pilot charts and see what the average winds were for that month, to try refining the guess down a bit. I'm not saying not to do it--only that it is an ambitious project for a 27 footer, requiring some detailed planning to be done safely. And the odds are it will be "work" not just "sailing".


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## LaLeLu (Mar 17, 2006)

Surfesq said:


> ODAY 27. Ordinarily I stand up for the little guy on this site against the lecturers. However, in this case, you are such a "non" that it causes concern. You should really consider bringing that boat down by trailer.


Surfesq, do you have tourette syndrome? I noticed that you really like to stir people up.


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## fvkw (Mar 31, 2015)

The people at BHYC in Beach Haven are very nice. Great place for transient dockage.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

I met a guy who singlehanded a 27 O'day down the ICW from NY a couple years ago. The boat amazed the Hell out of me, especially how well it handled marginal weather. Not very much room inside, but more than enough for him and his dog. 

He sailed a lot, only went offshore while heading south around New Jersey, had no problems with several nasty days in the Carolina sounds and big rivers. His engine crapped out on him in South Carolina, he spent a week at Osprey Marina, did the repairs himself with no experience whatsoever, and passed me on a very nasty day near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. 

I sincerely believe the boat will handle the trip just fine, but you will never make 100 mile days - 50 miles day are tough enough, but 100-mile days are pretty much out of the equation. Keep in mind that much of the ICW is east to west, and very little is north to south, additionally, unless you have broadband radar, running the ICW is pretty much limited to daylight hours ONLY! 

Now, if the weather is favorable, which is rare in October, you can run offshore and save lots of east and west miles. As stated above, though, cruise relatively close to shore so when the weather gets nasty, you can quickly duck inside one of the many inlets. You DO NOT want to temp fate by traversing Hatteras, Oregon and some of the northern and central Florida inlets - day or night.

Good luck,

Gary


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

Nine years. He's probably on his third boat by now.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Wow! I never looked at the date. Either he's on his third boat, third wife, divorced or dead, all of which are quite possible.

Gary


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## souljour2000 (Jul 8, 2008)

I knew a lady in maybe her early sixties who brought down her Pearson ensign or some such 22-footer a couple years ago to SW FLA...She was from an old NE boating family If I recall and probably on boats before she was a year old . Pearson ensign or that kind of full-keeler is not exactly your average 22-footer though ...
That had to be an adventure ..I'm pretty sure she could have had the boat brought down by other means for her...but I think she was just old-school...and so if you wanted your old boat brought down from the old family spread in Nantucket or whatever... to Florida...then by Neptune you simply sailed it down yerself...and she did!


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## svHyLyte (Nov 13, 2008)

travlineasy said:


> I met a guy who singlehanded a 27 O'day down the ICW from NY a couple years ago. The boat amazed the Hell out of me, especially how well it handled marginal weather. Not very much room inside, but more than enough for him and his dog....


Ah...Gary...I believe that was likely the OP, Oday27.


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